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Norm Macdonald

For other people named Norm Macdonald, see Norm Macdonald (disambiguation).

Norm Macdonald
Macdonald in 2016
Birth nameNorman Gene Macdonald
Born(1959-10-17)October 17, 1959
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
DiedSeptember 14, 2021(2021-09-14) (aged 61)
Duarte, California, U.S.
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • film
  • literature
EducationCarleton University
Algonquin College
Years active1985–2021
Genres
Spouse
Connie Vaillancourt
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1999)​
Children1
Relative(s)
Websitewww.normmacdonald.com

Norman Gene Macdonald[i] (October 17, 1959[ii] – September 14, 2021) was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose style was characterized by deadpan delivery, eccentric understatement, and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase.[1][2][3] He appeared in many films and was a regular guest on late-night talk shows, where he became known for his chaotic, yet understated style of comedy.[4] Many critics and fellow comedians praised his frequent appearances on talk shows, while prominent late-night host David Letterman regarded him as "the best" of stand-up comedians.[5][6]

Earlier in his career, Macdonald's first work on television included writing for such comedies as Roseanne and The Dennis Miller Show. In 1993, Macdonald was hired as a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL), spending a total of five seasons on the series, which included anchoring the show's Weekend Update segment for three and a half seasons.[7] He was removed as host of SNL's Weekend Update in 1998, allegedly for relentlessly mocking O. J. Simpson during his murder trial, offending producer Don Ohlmeyer, who was a close friend of Simpson.[8][9] After being fired from SNL, he wrote and starred in the 1998 film Dirty Work and headlined his own sitcom, The Norm Show, from 1999 to 2001. Macdonald was also a voice actor, and provided voice acting roles for Family Guy, The Fairly OddParents, Mike Tyson Mysteries, The Orville, and the Dr. Dolittle films.

Between 2013 and 2018, Macdonald hosted the talk shows Norm Macdonald Live (a video podcast) and Norm Macdonald Has a Show (a Netflix series), on which he interviewed comedians and other celebrities. In 2016, he authored Based on a True Story, a novel that presented a heavily fictionalized account of his life.[10] Macdonald died of leukemia in September 2021, a condition he had not publicly disclosed.[11]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-roman> tags or {{efn-lr}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-roman}} template or {{notelist-lr}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Zinoman, Jason (September 15, 2021). "Here's Why Norm Macdonald Was Comedy Royalty. It's Not 'S.N.L.'". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Norm Macdonald told jokes, dammit". The A.V. Club. September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Sims, David (September 13, 2018). "Norm Macdonald's Protective View of Comedy". The Atlantic.
  4. ^ Hughes, William (September 14, 2021). "These clips show why Norm Macdonald was the best worst talk show guest of all time". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Andrews, Travis M. (September 14, 2021). "There was no late-night talk show guest quite like Norm Macdonald". Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  6. ^ Grow, Kory (September 14, 2021). "David Letterman Remembers Norm Macdonald: 'He Was the Best'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Brooks, Dan (August 30, 2018). "Norm Macdonald, Still in Search of the Perfect Joke". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Norm Macdonald was comedy's weird Everyman. Even when it made us uncomfortable". Los Angeles Times. September 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Evans, Greg (September 14, 2021). "Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian & Former 'SNL' Weekend Update Anchor Was 61". Deadline. Deadline. Retrieved August 3, 2024.

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