He earned a CableACE Award nomination as part of the writing team for the 1992 variety special Free to Laugh: A Comedy and Music Special for Amnesty International. Other credits include the title character in A Minute with Stan Hooper, a Fox sitcom that lasted half a season in 2003 and co-starred Penelope Ann Miller and Fred Willard, and 2011’s Sports Show with Norm Macdonald for Comedy Central. He also did a one-season talker for Netflix, Norm Macdonald Has a Show, in 2018. ‘Saturday Night Live’ Pays Tribute To Norm Macdonald: “No One Was Funny Like Norm”Īfter leaving SNL in 1998, Macdonald starred in his own comedy series, Norm, from 1999-2001, playing a goofball former pro hockey player who is caught cheating on his taxes and sentenced to serve as a New York City social worker. The Simpson jury was still deliberating when he read his lead “Update” item: “They must now decide whether to free him or get all their heads cut off.” After the not-guilty verdict was rendered, he said, “Well, it is finally official: Murder is legal in the state of California.” While Leno routinely featured the silly “Dancing Itos” during the trial, Macdonald was relentless in his condemnations. Regardless of Ohlmeyer’s motives, Macdonald was canned, his Simpson coverage unrivaled at the time for its comic ferocity. Every joke, huge laughs, and then I’d do 10 minutes a week and sometimes not get laughs.” Macdonald would later tell The New York Times that he believed his dismissal was the result of doing “experimental stuff, non sequiturs” on “Update,” saying, “Ohlmeyer would watch Leno kill every night for 15 minutes. Macdonald’s departure from the show was controversial in itself, and the firing was often attributed to his continued lambasting of Simpson as a murderer despite what was said to be the displeasure of Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC’s West Coast division, a friend of the former football great. If his Reynolds was his best, other impressions were nearly on par: Macdonald’s roster included Andy Rooney, Clint Eastwood, David Letterman, Larry King, Quentin Tarantino, Mr. Macdonald was hired to write for Roseanne Barr’s sitcom Roseanne for the 1992-93 season before landing the coveted gig at NBC’s Saturday Night Live.Īmong his most popular SNL bits was a gum-chomping impression of Burt Reynolds, complete with charming smile, bolo tie and wiseguy attitude, often at hilarious odds with Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek. Watch Norm Macdonald’s Top Moments: Burt Reynolds, Conan, Letterman, Bob Saget Roast & More After being a contestant on Star Search in 1990, he landed his first regular TV writing gig on The Dennis Miller Show, fronted by the man who anchored “Weekend Update” from 1986-91. Simpson despite reported pressure from NBC execs - Macdonald would prove one of the most impactful “Update” anchors, pivoting away from the slapstick approach of Chevy Chase and toward the more barbed political approach of his successor, Colin Quinn.īorn on October 17, 1959, in Quebec City, Macdonald started his show business career in the comedy clubs of Canada, developing the deadpan style that would become both his trademark and a highly influential touchstone for a generation of comics. Remembered for his droll style - and for his refusal to go easy on O.J. He was an SNL cast member from 1993-98, making his greatest impact as the anchor of the show’s “Weekend Update” segments for three seasons. Macdonald was scheduled to be in the New York Comedy Festival lineup in November. Norm Macdonald: A Career In Photos – Gallery Bob Saget Remembers Longtime Friend Norm Macdonald, Their Final Communications And The Real Story Behind That Famous Roast
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |