On Sept. 14, 2021, the comedy world mourned the passing of Norm MacDonald after losing his near-decade battle with Leukemia, leaving behind a legacy that spanned more than two decades’ worth of laughs.
MacDonald began his career in Canada, where he performed in comedy nightclubs, which would soon lead into his comedy acting career in movies such as “Billy Madison,” “Dr. Dolittle” and “The Orville.”
In 1992, MacDonald’s career took off while writing for the hit show, “Roseanne.” After leaving the show in 1993, MacDonald took a casting role in “Saturday Night Live,” which would soon become the beginning of his memorable career.
When MacDonald left “Saturday Night Live,” he teamed up with ABC and created the “Norm Show,” alongside Bruce Helford. The show ran from 1999-2001 where MacDonald played the role of Norm Henderson, a Hockey player banned from the NHL for multiple reasons and was ordered to serve five years of community service.
In 2003 he appeared on the sitcom, “A Minute with Stan Hooper,” where he played a straight man alongside a group of eccentric characters. Between 2004-2007 he played the role of Norm the Genie on “The Fairly Odd Parents,” Join Twosomes Penguin in “Farce of the Penguins,” and finished up 2007 in “Christmas is Here Again.”
Some of MacDonald’s best work was in the five years he spent with SNL, being popular for his sarcastic comments, mocking comments on celebrities and political issues during that time.
MacDonald became popular for his impersonations of people like Larry King, Burt Reynolds, David Letterman and many others.
Many took to social media, such as Seth Rogan and Ron Funches who paid tribute to the MacDonald comedy career, saying he was “one of the greatest comedians to have ever lived.”
