Michael Clarke Duncan(1957-2012)
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
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.
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.