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Norm Macdonald

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Norm Macdonald

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Also known as Norman Gene Macdonald

Canadian comedian (1959–2021)

Film & TV

Québec City, Québec, Canada

Norman Gene Macdonald (October 17, 1959 – September 14, 2021) was a Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor known for his deadpan style. Early in his career, he wrote for the sitcom Roseanne and made guest appearances on shows such as The Drew Carey Show and NewsRadio. He was then a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for five years, including anchoring the Weekend Update segment for…

Known for

  • Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald — Self (archive footage)2026
  • Norm. — Self (archive footage)2026
  • Lorne — Self (Uncredited)2026
  • This Is the Tom Green Documentary — Self (archive footage)2025
  • Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special — Self2022
  • Dark Side of Comedy — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Back Home Again — Grandpaws (voice)2021
  • Klaus — Mogens (voice)2019
  • Lights Out with David Spade — Self - Panelist2019
  • Norm Macdonald Has a Show — Self - Host2018

via TMDB

Key facts

Born
Norman Gene Macdonald , ( 1959-10-17 ) October 17, 1959, Quebec City , Quebec, Canada
Died
September 14, 2021 (2021-09-14) (aged 61), Duarte, California , U.S.
Spouse
Connie Vaillancourt ​ ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1988 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1999 ) ​
Relatives
Neil Macdonald (older brother) Leslie Macdonald (younger brother) Joyce Napier (sister-in-law)
Years active
1985–2021
Medium
Stand-up Television Film Literature
Genres
Observational comedy deadpan non-sequitur black comedy insult comedy shaggy dog story political satire

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Family name
Macdonald
Gender
male
Citizenship
Canada
Place of birth
Quebec City
Place of death
Duarte
Languages spoken
English language
Religion
Christianity
Image
Norm MacDonald (26378045703) (cropped).jpg
Show 11 more facts
Commons category
Norm Macdonald
social media followers
290000
date of birth
1959-10-17
start of work period
1987-00-00
date of death
2021-09-14
name in native language
Norm Macdonald
manner of death
natural causes
cause of death
cancer
end of work period
2021-00-00
birth name
Norman Gene Macdonald
nickname
Norm Macdonald
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~29 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Norman Gene Macdonald (October 17, 1959 – 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. He appeared in numerous films and was a frequent guest on late-night talk shows, where he developed a reputation for his chaotic yet understated comedic style. His appearances on Conan O'Brien's and David Letterman's programs were especially well-received, with the latter describing him as "the best" stand-up comedian.

Earlier in his career, Macdonald's first work on television included writing for comedies such 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. 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. 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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Norm Macdonald” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)