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Mike MacDonald
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"I guess I'm one of the few Air Force brats who found out that comedy was an easy way to make new friends quickly," says MacDonald. "Since we moved often, I had to find new ways of breaking into a new gang of kids." Born in Metz, France, MacDonald spent the first 15 years of his life on military bases throughout France, West Germany and Canada.
When his father retired from the military, the family settled in Ottawa where MacDonald attended high school. It was there that he began to develop a serious interest in theatre and performing. "I used to perform in all the school shows" says Mike, "and then play music with my friends." After high school, MacDonald, as an accomplished drummer, toured the country with a rock group sponsored by the Canadian government. When the tour ended he returned to Ottawa and spent the next few years in various jobs including drive-in restaurant employee, ballroom dance instructor, and teacher's aide for mentally retarded children.
In 1978 at the age of 23, and at the suggestion of a friend, MacDonald began to frequent clubs where he could try his own brand of stand-up comedy. "They were mostly folk clubs, " says Mike. "You can imagine how shocked the audience was when I went on stage. It was totally unexpected and unwanted." But persistence kept him going. MacDonald moved to Toronto and began to perform throughout the city on a regular basis. As his reputation grew, so did the job offers. MacDonald quit his day job in order to make his sole living from comedy. He began to perform throughout Canada and made frequent forays into the United States.
In addition to his successful and well received live performances all over North America, Mike MacDonald has appeared on numerous TV shows including "Late Night With David Letterman", "The Arsenio Hall Show", "Just For Laughs", Showtime's "Comedy Club All-Star Show", A&E's "An Evening At The Improv" and Comedy Central's "The A List".
MIKE MacDONALD'S popularity continues to skyrocket both in the United States and Canada. He has hosted both the Gemini Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy Awards) and the "Just For Laughs 10th Anniversary Special" for the CBC and starred in a sitcom on that network called "Mosquito Lake."
Mike has also starred in three well received and critically acclaimed specials for the CBC in Canada and for Showtime in the U.S. His first special, "MIKE MacDONALD; ON TARGET" was the first one hour prime time special special by a stand-up comic in the history of the CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation) and easily won its time slot.