Mike MacDonald

Michael Allan MacDonald (1954-2018) was a Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. Born in Metz, France, the son of a career Royal Canadian Air Force officer, he spent the first 15 years of his life on military bases throughout France, West Germany and Canada before his family settled in Ottawa. He began trying stand-up comedy in 1978 at the age of 24, later moving to Toronto and quitting his day job to make comedy his sole living. He appeared on numerous television shows including Late Night with David Letterman, The Arsenio Hall Show, and An Evening at the Improv, and as of 2007 held the distinction of being the only comedian to perform at each and every Just for Laughs festival. He starred in three well received specials for the CBC and Showtime, including Mike MacDonald: On Target and My House! My Rules!. MacDonald had bipolar disorder and supported the advocacy group Standup for Mental Health. After being diagnosed with hepatitis C, he underwent a successful liver transplant in 2013 and died on March 17, 2018, at the age of 63.