Michael Allan MacDonald (June 21, 1954 – March 17, 2018) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He wrote and appeared in several films, including '' Mr. Nice Guy''. He appeared in such television shows as the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' and ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

''.

Early life

Born in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

, France, he was the son of a career Royal Canadian Air Force officer. MacDonald spent the first 15 years of his life on military bases throughout France,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and Canada. He learned at an early age that humour would make him popular. When his father retired from the military, his family settled in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, where MacDonald attended Brookfield High School.

Career

Beginnings

After high school, MacDonald, who was an accomplished

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

, toured Canada with a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group sponsored by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

. The tour ended and he returned to

, Ontario. MacDonald spent the next few years in various jobs including

drive-in restaurant A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...

employee,

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world, mostly because of its performance and entertainment aspects. Ballroom dancing is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television. ...

instructor, and teacher's aide for mentally challenged children. In 1978 at the age of 24, MacDonald began to frequent clubs where he could try his own kind of

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

. He moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, where he began to perform throughout the city on a regular basis. As his reputation grew, job offers did as well. MacDonald quit his

day job Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...

so he could make comedy his sole living. He began to perform throughout Canada and made frequent forays into the United States.

Standup comedy career

MacDonald appeared in successful and well received live performances all over

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and appeared on numerous television shows, including ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'', ''

'', '' Just for Laughs'', Showtime's ''Comedy Club All-Star Show'', A&E's ''

An Evening at the Improv The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s. History Originally, it was a single venue founded in 19 ...

'', and Comedy Central's ''The A List''. He hosted both the

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

and the Just For Laughs 10th Anniversary Special for the CBC. As of 2007, he held the distinction of being the only

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

to perform at each and every ''Just for Laughs'' festival. MacDonald starred in three well received specials for the CBC in Canada and for Showtime in the United States. His first special, ''Mike MacDonald; On Target'' was the very first one-hour prime time special by a

stand-up comic Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

in the history of the CBC. This success led to MacDonald's next special, ''My House! My Rules!'' This special won its prime time slot when it aired in Canada. It also was nominated for two

. The Showtime version of "My House! My Rules!" was nominated for two

CableACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Amer ...

s, "Best Comedy Special" and "Best Writing in a Comedy Special". His third

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

special, called "Happy As I Can Be", was originally slated as a half-hour show. When executives saw the video recording, they immediately expanded it to an hour. "Happy As I Can Be" in its one-hour format also achieved a number one rating when it aired in prime time in Canada on the CBC. He starred in the short-lived CBC sitcom '' Mosquito Lake'' in 1989. He starred in feature-length documentary The Mike Stand focusing on his return to comedy post transplant due out in late 2018.

Personal life

MacDonald had

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

, and he supported the advocacy group Standup for Mental Health. In 2011, MacDonald was diagnosed with

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

,Great News: Comedian Mike MacDonald Is Recovering Well After Liver Transplant
at CBC.ca; published March 28, 2013; retrieved March 17, 2018 and he moved back to Ottawa from

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, where his wife Bonnie was hoping to sell their house. In April 2012, his illness progressed to the point where his liver and his kidneys failed. He was put on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Friends organized a campaign to collect donations to support MacDonald and to help cover his medical expenses. On March 17, 2013, MacDonald underwent a successful seven-hour liver transplant operation. He was moved out of the

intensive care unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...

the next day. He subsequently returned to performing, which he continued until being hospitalized again in March 2018.

Death

MacDonald died of heart complications on March 17, 2018, at the

University of Ottawa Heart Institute The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) ''(French: Institut de cardiologie de l'Université d'Ottawa (ICUO))'' is Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre. It is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It began as a department in The Ottaw ...

, at the age of 63.

References

External links

Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Mike 1954 births 2018 deaths Canadian stand-up comedians Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Liver transplant recipients Comedians from Ontario Male actors from Ottawa People with bipolar disorder Canadian male comedians 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners