Norm MacDonald, whose succinct and concise delivery of scathing remarks made him one of Saturday Night Live's most influential and beloved performers, died today after a nine-year personal battle with cancer. He was 61 years old.
McDonald's death was announced by his management firm Brillstein Entertainment to Deadline. The comedian's longtime production partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with him at the time of his death, said McDonald had been battling cancer for nearly a decade, but was trying to keep his health struggles away from family, friends and fans. were determined to
"He was most proud of his comedy," Hoekstra said. "He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was pure humour. He once wrote that 'a joke should catch one by surprise, it should never stray Do not want.' He certainly never strayed. Norm will be greatly missed."
McDonald was due to be in the New York Comedy Festival lineup in November.
He was an SNL cast member from 1993–98, making his biggest impact as an anchor for the show's "Weekend Update" segment for three seasons. Remembered for his droll style - and O.J. But to refuse to go easy. MacDonald would prove to be one of the most influential "Update" anchors, moving away from the slapstick approach of Chevy Chase and toward the more prickly political approach of his successor Colin Quinn—despite perceived pressure from Simpson NBC execs.
Born in Quebec City on October 17, 1959, Macdonald began his show business career in comedy clubs across Canada, developing the deadpan style that would become both his trademark and highly influential touchstone for a generation of comics. After being a contestant on Star Search in 1990, he landed his first regular TV writing gig on The Dennis Miller Show, opposite the man who had anchored "Weekend Update" from 1986–91.
Macdonald was hired to write for Roseanne Barr's sitcom Roseanne for the 1992–93 season before landing the coveted gig on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
Among his most popular SNL bits was a gum-chopping impression of Burt Reynolds, complete with charming smile, bolo tie and intelligent attitude, often at hilarious odds with Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek. If his Reynolds was his best, other impressions were almost equal: MacDonald's roster included Andy Rooney, Clint Eastwood, David Letterman, Larry King, Quentin Tarantino, Mr. Bean and Rod Serling.
Macdonald's departure from the show was controversial in itself, and the president of NBC's West Coast division, despite the displeasure of Don Olmeier, a friend of former footballers, attributed the firing to Simpson for relentlessly masquerading as an assassin. Was. Great. Macdonald later told The New York Times that he believed his dismissal was the result of doing "experimental stuff, non sequitur" on the "updates" that Olmeyer would see hitting Leno for 15 minutes every night. Every joke, a big laugh, and then I would do 10 minutes a week and sometimes not laugh."
Despite Ohlmeyer's intentions, Macdonald was canned, his Simpson coverage unmatched for its comedic pace at the time. While Leno regularly portrayed the silly "dancing Itos" during the trial, Macdonald was relentless in his condemnation. The Simpson jury was still deliberating when it read its lead "update" item: "They must now decide whether to set him free or cut off all his heads." After being pronounced not guilty, he said, "Well, it's finally official: Murder is legal in the state of California."
After leaving SNL in 1998, Macdonald starred in his own comedy series, Norm, from 1999–2001, playing a goofball former pro hockey player who was caught cheating on his taxes and served as a New York City social worker. sentenced to serve as Laurie Metcalf co-starred. He also did a season talker for Netflix, Norm MacDonald Has a Show in 2018. Other credits include A Minute with Stan Hooper, the title character in the Fox sitcom, which ran for half a season in 2003, and co-starred Penelope Ann Miller. and Fred Willard, and a 2011 sports show with Norm Macdonald for Comedy Central.
He earned a CableACE Award nomination as part of the writing team for the 1992 special Free to Laugh: A Comedy and Music Special for Amnesty International.
He had recurring roles on Netflix's Girl Boss and on ABC's The Middle from 2010–18, in which he played the rudderless Rusty Heck, the oddball brother of Neil Flynn's Mike Heck. His guest TV credits include My Name Is Earl, Real Robb, NewsRadio, The Drew Carey Show and The Larry Sanders Show, and he has appeared in The Mike Tyson Mysteries, The Orville, Dr. Provided voice for animated projects including Dolittle, FairlyOddParents, the videogame Skylanders. Academy and others.
Macdonald also appeared in the 2015 Canadian sketch comedy series Sunnyside and was a judge on Last Comic Standing in the same year.
He appeared in several films, including Dirty Work, Grown Ups, Funny People, Scrud, Deuce Bigelow: Mel Gigolo, The Dr. Dolittle Film Trilogy, The Ridiculous Six, Jack & Jill, The Animals, The People vs. Larry Flynt. Billy Madison - Many of whom included SNL mates. They also released the comedy albums Me Doing Standup (2011) and Hitler's Dog, Gossip and Trickery (2017) – both taken from TV specials – and Ridiculous (1996), a sketch-comedy disc featuring Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon and others. There was also SNL. veterinary doctor
Comedy Central named him on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.
His eccentric approach to comedy extended to TV commercials as well: In 2016, he starred in a short-lived series of spots as Colonel Sanders for KFC, polarizing audiences with absurd commercials. He also hosted the podcast Norm McDonald Live on YouTube.
Over the years he made several appearances on various late-night shows, including Late Night with David Letterman and Conan, eventually assuming a respected "comedian of comedian" stature. left. In a memorable 2014 appearance on Conan—which O'Brien's Team Coco later posted on YouTube under the title "Norm MacDonald Tells the Most Convoluted Joke Ever"—MacDonald laughed and dismayed talk show host and her sidekick Andy Richter. The tears diminished. A gambling, shaggy-dog tale about Quebec, beluga whales, baby dolphins, and a derogatory sentence that prompts O'Brien to admit, "I love you, I really do."
In his 2016 memoir based on a true story, Macdonald reflected on his continued love for stand-up comedy, and how fortunate he felt to have an ongoing career, which has been considered by many to be a part of his four-year run on SNL. seen as dominion. "I think a lot of people feel sorry for you if you were on SNL and came across as anything less than a superstar from the show," he wrote. "They believe that you must be bitter. But it is impossible for me to be bitter. I have been lucky."