Norm Macdonald, the deadpan Quebec comedian who rose from Canadian nightclubs to the heights of B次元官网网址淪aturday Night LiveB次元官网网址� fame has died at 61 after a private battle with cancer.
His brother Neil said Macdonald died Tuesday in Los Angeles from leukemia, which he was diagnosed with B次元官网网址渁 long time ago.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淗e kept it quiet because he didnB次元官网网址檛 want it to affect his comedy. He didnB次元官网网址檛 want it to affect the way he was perceivedB次元官网网址�. He wanted to carry on,B次元官网网址� Neil said by phone from Los Angeles.
B次元官网网址淗e took great pains to conceal it from everybody but family. CancerB次元官网网址檚 a roller-coaster. We hoped that he would live longer than he did, but it took a turn for the worst last month, and he want into hospital and never came out.B次元官网网址�
The Quebec City-raised standup was best known for his tenure on B次元官网网址淪aturday Night LiveB次元官网网址� from 1993 to 1998 where he manned the B次元官网网址淲eekend UpdateB次元官网网址� desk and became known for impressions including a mischievous Burt Reynolds as a contestant on B次元官网网址淛eopardy!B次元官网网址�
After leaving B次元官网网址淪NL,B次元官网网址� he created B次元官网网址淭he Norm ShowB次元官网网址� for ABC where he played a hockey player banned from the National Hockey League for tax evasion. The show ran from 1999 until 2001.
B次元官网网址淗e combined a laconic delivery and a deadpan look, and yet he had this great twinkle in those blue eyes of his that let you know everything was kind of a joke,B次元官网网址� said Yuk YukB次元官网网址檚 co-founder Mark Breslin, a longtime friend.
B次元官网网址淎nd it was a real powerful combination all those things.B次元官网网址�
Macdonald began his career on the Canadian comedy circuit and Breslin said his sheer star power was clear from the start.
One night in Ottawa, Macdonald took the stage on amateur night and left a big impression on the crowd.
B次元官网网址淗e did his act and he killed,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd no one, IB次元官网网址檓 telling you, no one kills the first time they go up.B次元官网网址�
Macdonald thought he bombed. It took the Yuk YukB次元官网网址檚 manager chasing him down to book him for another show before reality sunk in, Breslin said.
Soon, Macdonald was making waves in the comedy community, eventually landing a gig as a writer on B次元官网网址淩oseanneB次元官网网址� in 1992.
He was cast by B次元官网网址淪aturday Night LiveB次元官网网址� the next year, becoming the face of B次元官网网址淲eekend UpdateB次元官网网址� where he poked fun at topical events from behind the news desk.
The role showcased countless sharp-edged punchlines but ultimately marked his fall from B次元官网网址淪NL.B次元官网网址�
MacdonaldB次元官网网址檚 sense of humour was divisive and some felt it was too prickly.
Don Ohlmeyer, then president of NBCB次元官网网址檚 West Coast division, pulled the comic from B次元官网网址淲eekend UpdateB次元官网网址� midway through the 1997-1998 season, replacing him with Colin Quinn and citing bad ratings.
However, Macdonald attested that he believed his dismissal was because he refused to stand down from controversial jokes about O.J. Simpson, who was on trial for the murder of his ex-wife.
Macdonald left B次元官网网址淪NLB次元官网网址� that year but went on to amass a devoted following among comedy fans for his ribald rejection of easy punchlines.
He would become a favourite guest on late night talk shows, and appeared in a number of films with fellow B次元官网网址淪NLB次元官网网址� alum, including several with his friend Adam Sandler, among them B次元官网网址淏illy Madison,B次元官网网址� and a bit part in Rob SchneiderB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Animal.B次元官网网址�
He also led the 1998 Hollywood comedy B次元官网网址淒irty Work,B次元官网网址� directed by Bob Saget, where he played one of two friends who launch a revenge-for-hire business. The film was a box-office flop but found a cult following when it was released on home video.
Later in his career, he would host his own Netflix talk show B次元官网网址淣orm Macdonald Has a ShowB次元官网网址� and voice the character of Pigeon on B次元官网网址淢ike Tyson Mysteries.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擳he Canadian Press
