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

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

stand-up comedian and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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

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

'' and '' The Arsenio Hall Show''.

Early life

Born in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, 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 was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

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 is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, 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 drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, toured Canada with a rock group sponsored by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

. The tour ended and he returned to

, Ontario. MacDonald spent the next few years in various jobs including drive-in restaurant employee,

ballroom dance Ballroom dance is a set of European 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 te ...

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 performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

. He moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 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 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 television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

'', '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', '' Just for Laughs'', Showtime's ''Comedy Club All-Star Show'', A&E's '' An Evening at the Improv'', 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 English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

and the Just For Laughs 10th Anniversary Special for the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

. As of 2007, he held the distinction of being the only

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

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 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 Awards, "Best Comedy Special" and "Best Writing in a Comedy Special". His third Showtime 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 (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

, 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 period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...

,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 located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, 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 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 intensive care medicine. An inten ...

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, 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 Ottawa Male actors from Ottawa People with bipolar disorder Canadian male comedians 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners