Bernie Mac in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
BERNIE MAC, who portrays Jimmy Bosley, has emerged from the small comedy clubs of Chicago to become the highest grossing comedian today, selling out arenas and theaters all across the country. This success has caused a groundswell of attention for Mac’s services in all facets of entertainment.
Mac can currently be seen every Wednesday night in the family comedy "The Bernie Mac Show" on Fox. The show debuted to stellar ratings last fall and has been hailed as the "One of the Top Ten Shows of 2001" by Time, Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide. Furthermore, he and the show have begun to pick up a slew of prestigious awards. Mac received a 2002 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and "The Bernie Mac Show" won for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. The show received the Peabody Award and two Television Critics Association Awards for Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Performance as well as awards for Best Comedy Series and Best Actor at the NAACP Image Awards. Playing a fictional version of himself, the show follows Mac as he comically struggles to balance his newfound parental duties.
Mac is starring in two other high profile feature films this year. He appeared opposite Chris Rock in the hit comedy Head of State, as the older brother and running mate of an unexpected presidential candidate (Rock). Later this year, Mac stars in director Terry Zwigoff’s Bad Santa opposite Billy Bob Thornton, who plays a thief masquerading as Santa Claus to knock off shopping malls. Mac portrays the detective who searches for a politically correct way to get rid of the bad Santa.
Most recently, Mac was seen on the big screen in Steven Soderbergh’s hit remake of Ocean’s 11 from Warner Bros. Co-starring alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, the highly touted film follows a casino heist in Las Vegas from its conception to the actual score. Mac plays Frank Catton, "the inside man" of the group. The film was a massive hit, grossing more than $350 million dollars worldwide.
Never one to limit himself to any one medium, Mac wrote a book entitled I Ain’t Scared of You, which was published last fall from MTV/Pocket Books. In the book, he rips through such topics as sex, religion, hygiene, celebrity and more without missing a beat. This spring his latest book, Maybe You Never Cry Again (Regan Books/Harper Collins) debuted, in which he discusses growing up in Chicago and the hardships and obstacles in his path to the top.
As a founding member of the "Kings of Comedy" tour, Mac displayed his trademark rapid fire and hard-hitting delivery. The success of the tour spawned Spike Lee’s 2000 concert film The Original Kings of Comedy, which has grossed nearly $40 million.
Born and raised in Chicago, Mac made his television debut on the landmark HBO comedy series, "Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam," which led to him being cast in the Damon Wayans feature Mo’ Money. Other film credits include the Eddie Murphy/Martin Lawrence comedy Life, House Party 3, How to be a Player and What’s the Worst that Can Happen?
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