Comedian Norm Macdonald Has Died At 61

Enlarge this image

Norm Macdonald speaks during a panel discussion of reality television talent show «Last Comic Standing» in 2015.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Norm Macdonald plays Burt Reynolds, one of his signature character impressions, in a «Celebrity Jeopardy» SNL sketch.

Saturday Night Live / NBC
YouTube

After SNL, Macdonald had his own comedy series, The Norm Show, where he played an NHL player who had to perform community service after being busted for gambling and tax evasion. He also had his own talk show, Norm Macdonald Has a Show, on Netflix.

Macdonald was born in Quebec City in 1959, and started his career doing standup in Canadian comedy clubs, where he developed his deadpan style. After competing on Star Search in 1990, he was hired to write for The Dennis Miller Show, then the sitcom Roseanne. Macdonald made appearances on late night shows with David Letterman and Conan O’Brian and had a recurring role on the show The Middle. He also appeared in films such as The People vs. Larry Flynt, and he was the voice of Lucky the Dog in the Eddie Murphy comedy Dr. Dolittle.

• Norm MacDonald
• stand-up comedy
• Saturday Night Live