Bernie "Mac" McCullough (born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough) is a fictional character loosely based on comic actor
Bernie Mac from the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
sitcom ''
The Bernie Mac Show'' which ran from 2001 to 2006.
Character biography
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born in
Chicago,
Illinois and raised by his mother, "Big Mama". He barely knew his father and he had two sisters, Bernita (
Niecy Nash) and Stacy, and an older brother, Carl (
Glynn Turman), and a younger brother, Darryl. In the episode "Sweet Home Chicago, Part Two", Bernie discovers that his father was really his "Uncle" Ellister (In that same episode, he mentions to his niece that his father showed up at his birthday party asking for money. Since his "Uncle Ellister" was his actual father this would make the man he was talking about his stepfather). He decided he wanted to be a comedian. While delivering a package to a friendly customer (who was actually his future father in law, Lloyd), he met his future wife,
Wanda (
Kellita Smith). He had a rough start but he eventually won her heart and they later married in 1996. When Bernie's career took off they moved to Los Angeles. During that time, Bernie lived a happy life with his beautiful wife throughout a five-year period. In the pilot, he has to take in his sisters three children: Jordan (
Jeremy Suarez), Bryana (
Dee Dee Davis) and Vanessa (
Camille Winbush). At first his patience is put to the test on a daily basis from Vanessa's attitude and Jordan's insecurities, but as the show progressed, he began to love and support the children as if they were his own.
He frequently threatens to beat his children, saying things like, "Bust yo head 'til the white meat shows!" and "Excuse me, America...I gotta go stunt one of them kids growth". Mac would always speak to the audience and address them as "America". The show is somewhat of a spoof of a
reality series.
In the series finale, he gets an electrical shock and when he recovers he worries what will happen to his "Angels" if something happened to him. He decides to teach Jordan how to be more masculine (including teaching him how to make a "Mac Sandwich") and Bryana how to be more careful of the things she uses (which was the cause of his shock, because she put a Baked potato wrapped in aluminum foil in the microwave and when he foolishly tried to cut it off, he was electrocuted). Vanessa finally finds a college but does not want him to be involved. With Wanda's advice, Vanessa changes her feelings towards her uncle and they reconcile. Bernie discovers that Jordan has been taking advantage of his kindness and in the final scene of the series, Bernie takes back the
iPod
The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...
he bought him.
Unlike the real
Bernie Mac, Bernie McCullough (the TV character) was married with no children; however, in real life, Bernie Mac was married with one daughter. Bernie Mac did not look after his sister's three children after his daughter left home. Bernie Mac did not have a sister in real life. Bernie Mac only had brothers in real life.
From 2005 until 2009, The character Bernie was one of the official
U'z Guys on
Chicago's television station
The U. The U'z Guys is a lineup of all the male main characters from the station's television programs. Bernie was removed from the lineup when ''The Bernie Mac Show'' was removed from the station's schedule.
Relationship with family
Bernie uses tough-love parenting tactics and he can be both strict and comical. He narrates the series, and between scenes he talks to the audience by addressing them as "America." Although he loves all three kids, his favorite is Bryana (whom he affectionately calls "Baby Girl" because she is the youngest), and always finds himself going head to head with teenage Vanessa, the eldest sibling, whose poor attitude always gives him a hard time; though it is revealed in the episode Jac and Jacequline that the only reason he's so hard on her is because she reminds him of her mother and he's determined to keep her from suffering a similar fate to her mother.
Reception
Critical response
The character and Bernie Mac's performance have received widespread critical acclaim throughout the series' run. Many viewers have called the character an exceptionally liked lead and critics have associated most of the show's success to Mac. Bernie McCullough was ranked No. 47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".
Awards and nominations
Bernie Mac received various individual awards and nominations for his performance as Bernie McCullough. Mac was nominated for 2 consecutive
Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
and
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
but lost to
Ray Romano as Ray Barone in ''
Everybody Loves Raymond'' and
Tony Shaloub as
Adrian Monk in ''
Monk'', respectively. In
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, Mac won the award for
Individual Achievement in Comedy.
Mac won the
PRISM Award for Performance in a Comedy Series and the BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. At the
annual Golden Globe Awards, Mac was nominated for 2 consecutive
Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Television Series in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
&
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
but lost to Shaloub and
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
as
David Brent in ''
The Office'', respectively.
Additionally, Mac was nominated for 4 consecutive
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite TV Actor. He received 4 consecutive
NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Mac was also nominated in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
but lost to
Tyler James Williams as Chris in ''
Everybody Hates Chris''. Mac has been nominated three times consecutively for the
in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
,
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, and
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, winning in 2002 and 2003, but lost in 2004 to
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...
as
Michael Bluth in ''
Arrested Development''.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mccullough, Bernie
Fictional characters from Chicago
Fictional African-American people
Fictional comedians
Fictional actors
American sitcom television characters
Fictional characters based on real people
Television characters introduced in 2001
American male characters in television