Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald, the voice of the green shapeshifting alien engineer on The Orville, died September 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California, USA after a nine year battle with cancer. He was 61.
He was well loved by everyone who knew him. Seth McFarlane, the creator and star of The Orville said on Twitter, “To so many people in comedy, me included, there was nobody funnier than Norm Macdonald.”
Watch this tweet below as Captain Mercer runs through Yaphit.
Comic, Voice Actor, Writer
Beginning his career as a stand-up comic, Macdonald rose to wider fame as a regular on Saturday Night Live, and was a popular guest on late night talk shows. He was quite busy with voice acting, lending his tonsils to such characters as Glumshanks in Skylanders Academy, Skipper in Treasure Hound, and Burner the Dragon in the English version of The Seventh Dwarf. In the Christmas movie Klaus, Macdonald was the voice of Mogens, and he was King Leo in The Adventures of Panda Warrior (2012).
His talents extended beyond acting. Macdonald starred in and co-wrote the movie Dirty Work (1998). He also wrote for Roseanne, Saturday Night Live, and The Dennis Miller Show. Macdonald was also executive producer and star of A Minute with Stan Hooper.
“Norm Macdonald puts the dry in dry humor, his peerless sensibility distilled beautifully in even the most nonsensical bits — like the classic “Moth Joke,” a short story as potent as any of his hourlong specials.”—Seth Simons told Paste.com. In 2017 Paste magazine named him one of the Fifty Greatest Stand Up Comedians of All Time.
Personal Life
Macdonald was married to Connie Vaillancourt from 1988 to 1999. They had one son, Dylan Lloyd Macdonald. He is also survived by his brothers, journalist Neil Macdonald and Leslie Macdonald. Like many comedians and SNL performers, Norm Macdonald did impressions. He was especially noted for his Burt Reynolds impression.
Farewell from a Friend
Seth McFarlane’s eulogy: “So hilarious and so generous with his personality. I’m gonna miss him.” Higher praise no comic can ask. Rest in peace.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
