Bernie Mac: Life in pictures

Early breaks

Mac paid his dues as a comedian, working a string of odd jobs throughout his 20s, such as furniture mover. In Chicago, he was known to perform in local parks or on the platforms for the city’s trains, and he was a regular at the Regal Theater and the Cotton Club. Some of his early mainstream breakthroughs came through cable network HBO. Mac was a performer on the network’s “Def Comedy Jam,” which launched in 1992, and later had a short-lived late-night talk show  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A king of comedy

If Mac wasn’t a household name yet, he became one in 2000, when he appeared alongside Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer in the Spike Lee concert film “The Original Kings of Comedy.” In the film, Mac telegraphed his ambitions: “Do I have a television show? Nah.... Why? ‘Cause you scared of me, scared I’m a say something.”

Pictured: Mac, left, Harvey, Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer.  (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

No more stand-up

In 2007 Mac said he was going to retire from stand-up after shooting the comedy film “The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac.” He said he was going to focus on his film career. In addition to “Ocean’s Thirteen,” he appeared in “Pride” and “Transformers” in 2007.

“Soul Men,” with Mac and Samuel L. Jackson, is scheduled to be released this year. Due in 2009 is “Old Dogs,” which also stars Robin Williams.   (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)