Actor-comedian Bernie Mac, who had been hospitalized for pneumonia, died Saturday at a Chicago area hospital, his spokeswoman said. He was 50.
Publicist Danica Smith confirmed the death in a statement but gave no further details. "We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected," she said.
Mac was reported to have been in stable condition Thursday, and his release from the hospital was expected in weeks. Smith had said Mac's bout with pneumonia was unrelated to his previous diagnosis of a chronic tissue inflammation, called sarcoidosis, which has been in remission since 2005.
Mac was best known for his roles in the "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy and other films, including "Guess Who" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."
"The world just got a little less funny," Mac's "Ocean's Eleven" co-star George Clooney said in a statement. "He will be dearly missed.
Mac first achieved national prominence after joining the Kings of Comedy stand-up tour in 1997 with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer, tapping into an underserved market for middle-class blacks.
In television, Mac starred in and executive produced the single-camera comedy "The Bernie Mac Show," which ran on Fox for five seasons. The role earned him two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
In October 2004, production on the fourth season of "The Bernie Mac Show" was halted and the season premiere delayed by two months after Mac was hospitalized for what initially was described as exhaustion.
Several months later, the actor reveled that he had been taken to the hospital with double pneumonia and sarcoidosis symptoms. He also disclosed that he had lived with sarcoidosis since 1983.
"Bernie Mac was a gifted talent whose comedy came from an authentic and highly personal place," Fox and 20th Century Fox TV, which co-produced the series with Regency TV, said in a statement. "He was a tremendous live performer and a wonderful actor."
This past development season, Mac starred in another comedy prospect for Fox, the Warner Bros. TV-produced father-son sitcom "Starting Under," which was a serious contender for a series pickup but ultimately missed the cut in May. However, Fox executives stressed at the time they were looking for another opportunity to work with the comedian.
Shortly before he was hospitalized this summer, Mac made headlines with off-color jokes during a fundraiser for presidential candidate Barack Obama in his native Chicago.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Publicist Danica Smith confirmed the death in a statement but gave no further details. "We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected," she said.
Mac was reported to have been in stable condition Thursday, and his release from the hospital was expected in weeks. Smith had said Mac's bout with pneumonia was unrelated to his previous diagnosis of a chronic tissue inflammation, called sarcoidosis, which has been in remission since 2005.
Mac was best known for his roles in the "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy and other films, including "Guess Who" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."
"The world just got a little less funny," Mac's "Ocean's Eleven" co-star George Clooney said in a statement. "He will be dearly missed.
Mac first achieved national prominence after joining the Kings of Comedy stand-up tour in 1997 with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer, tapping into an underserved market for middle-class blacks.
In television, Mac starred in and executive produced the single-camera comedy "The Bernie Mac Show," which ran on Fox for five seasons. The role earned him two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
In October 2004, production on the fourth season of "The Bernie Mac Show" was halted and the season premiere delayed by two months after Mac was hospitalized for what initially was described as exhaustion.
Several months later, the actor reveled that he had been taken to the hospital with double pneumonia and sarcoidosis symptoms. He also disclosed that he had lived with sarcoidosis since 1983.
"Bernie Mac was a gifted talent whose comedy came from an authentic and highly personal place," Fox and 20th Century Fox TV, which co-produced the series with Regency TV, said in a statement. "He was a tremendous live performer and a wonderful actor."
This past development season, Mac starred in another comedy prospect for Fox, the Warner Bros. TV-produced father-son sitcom "Starting Under," which was a serious contender for a series pickup but ultimately missed the cut in May. However, Fox executives stressed at the time they were looking for another opportunity to work with the comedian.
Shortly before he was hospitalized this summer, Mac made headlines with off-color jokes during a fundraiser for presidential candidate Barack Obama in his native Chicago.
Reuters contributed to this report.
- 8/9/2008
- by By Nellie Andreeva
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Christopher Egan, Sara Rue among many tapped for pilots
Hail to NBC's new king.
In the busiest pilot casting day so far this season, Aussie Christopher Egan on Thursday was tapped as the lead on NBC's drama pilot Kings.
Lauren Lee Smith landed the lead on CBS' drama pilot presentation Can Openers, Sara Rue is set as the female lead in Fox's comedy pilot Spaced, Bert Belasco snagged the lead opposite Bernie Mac on Fox's comedy series Starting Under, Justin Hartley was tapped to star in CW's drama pilot Austin Golden Hour, and Joanna Garcia nabbed the lead on the CW's drama pilot How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.
Also cast in Girls are Lucy Hale and Ashley Newbrough.
Kings, from UMS, is a contemporary soap loosely based on the story of King David, which centers on David (Egan), a pure-hearted young warrior who joins the royal court after saving the life of his king's son.
Egan (Eragon) most recently co-starred in Ryan Murphy's pilot for FX "Pretty/Handsome." He is repped by CAA and manager Christine Martin.
In the busiest pilot casting day so far this season, Aussie Christopher Egan on Thursday was tapped as the lead on NBC's drama pilot Kings.
Lauren Lee Smith landed the lead on CBS' drama pilot presentation Can Openers, Sara Rue is set as the female lead in Fox's comedy pilot Spaced, Bert Belasco snagged the lead opposite Bernie Mac on Fox's comedy series Starting Under, Justin Hartley was tapped to star in CW's drama pilot Austin Golden Hour, and Joanna Garcia nabbed the lead on the CW's drama pilot How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls.
Also cast in Girls are Lucy Hale and Ashley Newbrough.
Kings, from UMS, is a contemporary soap loosely based on the story of King David, which centers on David (Egan), a pure-hearted young warrior who joins the royal court after saving the life of his king's son.
Egan (Eragon) most recently co-starred in Ryan Murphy's pilot for FX "Pretty/Handsome." He is repped by CAA and manager Christine Martin.
- 3/27/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Davitian joins Fox's 'Under'
Ken Davitian, who shot to prominence in the hit 2006 movie Borat as Borat's producer and nude-wrestling partner Azmat Bagatov, has been cast in Fox's comedy Starting Under.
Under, from Warner Bros. TV, stars Bernie Mac as a guy who moves in with his son and starts working for him at a marketing firm. The project, from veteran comedy writer Bruce Helford, received a series commitment in early November.
Davitian will play Ken, who, in the breakdown for the role, is described as "stout" and "gregarious." The part was originally written for a Polish accent.
Following the success of Fox's Borat, Davitian landed a slew of movie roles, including parts in the upcoming Get Smart. He most recently co-starred in Meet the Spartans.
Under, from Warner Bros. TV, stars Bernie Mac as a guy who moves in with his son and starts working for him at a marketing firm. The project, from veteran comedy writer Bruce Helford, received a series commitment in early November.
Davitian will play Ken, who, in the breakdown for the role, is described as "stout" and "gregarious." The part was originally written for a Polish accent.
Following the success of Fox's Borat, Davitian landed a slew of movie roles, including parts in the upcoming Get Smart. He most recently co-starred in Meet the Spartans.
- 3/17/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.