Description Comedian Mike MacDonald, considered one of the top funnymen in all of Canada and a featured headliner in clubs throughout the U.S., understands the power of laughter. As the son of a career Canadian Air Force officer, MacDonald learned at an early age that humor has its uses. "I guess I'm one of the few air force brats who found out that comedy was an easy way to make friends quickly," says MacDonald. "Since we moved often, I had to find ways of breaking into a new gang of kids."
Born in Metz, France, MacDonald spent the first fifteen 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 developed a serious interest in theater and performing. "I used to perform in all the school shows," says MacDonald. "And then play music with my friends."
After high school, MacDonald, 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 music clubs," says MacDonald. "You can imagine how shocked the audience was when I went on stage. It was totally unexpected and often unwanted." But persistence kept him going. MacDonald moved to Toronto and began to perform regularly throughout the city.
As his reputation grew, so did the job offers. MacDonald quit his day job in order to make his sole living from comedy. He gradually performed throughout Canada and made frequent forays into the U.S. In addition to his successful and well-received live performances all over North America, MacDonald has appeared in numerous TV shows including "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Arsenio Hall Show," "HBO's 7th Annual Young Comedians Special," Showtime's "Comedy Club Network All-Star Show," and "Just for Laughs," "The Late Show with Joan Rivers," "Nite Life with David Brenner," "An Evening at the Improv" and "The USO Comedy Tour." He was featured in the Touchstone movie "Three Fugitives" with Nick Nolte and Martin Short. He also starred in his own sitcom for the CBC called "Mosquito Lake'.
MacDonald has starred in three Showtime and CBC specials: "Mike MacDonald: On Target," "My House! My Rules!" and "Happy as I Can Be." He was the host of the "Just for Laughs" CBC tenth anniversary special. He hosted the highly rated "Mike MacDonald Politically Correct Christmas Special" for the CBC and starred in "The Rogers' Cable," a 10-minute short film and entrant in the Cannes Film Festival. He also starred and co-wrote the screenplay for Bad Penny Film's 'Where it Gets You'. He co-produced and was a principal cast member in Bad Penny Film's 'Chasing Robert'.
Currently, Mike continues to perform live all over Canada and can be seen in a number of Canadian and US television appearances.
Mike lives in Glendale with his wife of twenty years, Bonnie. 
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