- Born
- Died
- Nicknames
- Hollywood
- Big Mike
- Papa Bear
- Height6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
- Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let him, afraid that he would get hurt. He then turned to acting and dreamed of becoming a famous actor.
After graduating from high school and attending community college, he worked digging ditches at People's Gas Company in Chicago. When he quit his job and headed to Hollywood, he landed small roles while working as a bodyguard. Duncan's role in the movie Armageddon (1998) led to his breakthrough performance in The Green Mile (1999), when his Armageddon co-star Bruce Willis called director Frank Darabont, suggesting Duncan for the part of convict John Coffey. He landed the role and won critical acclaim as well as many other Awards and Nominations, including an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
After suffering a heart attack on July 13, 2012, he was taken to a Los Angeles hospital, in which his girlfriend Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth tried to save his life with CPR. Unfortunately, on September 3, 2012, Michael Clarke Duncan died at age 54 from respiratory failure.- IMDb mini biography by: anon-14
- ParentsJean Duncan
- RelativesJudith Duncan(Sibling)
- Deep commanding voice
- Towering height and muscular frame
- Often played gentle giants
- Known for his especially good natured demeanor
- Due to his imposing size often portrayed brutal villains
- Duncan did bodyguard work for Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G.; he let a friend take over for him the night Notorious B.I.G. got shot, which prompted him to quit that line of work.
- Duncan supposedly gave $5.00 to anyone who recognized him on the street and knew what his full name was.
- Duncan was a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu.
- Was hospitalized on July 13, 2012 in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest. His fiancée, Omarosa Manigault Newman, started CPR immediately and resuscitated him. Almost two months later, Michael died on September 3, 2012 from complications following the cardiac arrest.
- Moonlighting as a bouncer and guard at various clubs on Chicago's South Side, he met one of the producers of the touring stage show, "Beauty Shop, Part 2" and was hired as the producer's personal security. Although he often asked for the opportunity to act in the play, the producer never gave him the chance.
- My sister [Judith] used to say I had a frail chest and she'd beat me up all the time.
- [on The Green Mile (1999)] I think the toughest scene for me to film was the two dead girls, simply because I had a lot of crying to do, a lot of howling to do, and it really drained me.
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