Michael Clarke Duncan (born December 10, 1957) is an
American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in
The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an
Academy Award and a
Golden Globe.
Early life
Duncan was born in
Chicago,
Illinois and grew up in a single-parent household with his sister, Judy, and mother, Jean Duncan (a house cleaner), after his father left.
[CNN - 'Green Mile''s giant has taken massive strides - December 10, 1999][USA WEEKEND Magazine] He always wanted to act, but had to drop out of the Communications program at
Alcorn State University to support his family when his mother became ill. Duncan's large frame — 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and 315 lbs (142 kg)
[Michael Clarke Duncan - Biography] — helped him in his jobs digging ditches for the People's Gas Company and being a
bouncer at different Chicago clubs. On September 24, 2008, he appeared on
Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. During his interview with
Ferguson, Duncan admitted that one of his many jobs had been a stripper "back in the day" and his stage name was Black Caesar.
In 1979, he participated in the
Disco Demolition Night at
Comiskey Park, home of the
Chicago White Sox: he was among the first 100 people to run onto the field and he slid into third base. He also had a silver belt buckle stolen during the ensuing riot
[Zwecker, Bill. "Love may have bloomed again on set for 'Garden State' star." Chicago Sun-Times September 28, 2006] and apparently stole a bat from the dugout.
[Caldarelli, Adam. "From the Cubicle." Chicago Tribune May 20, 2006]
Career
Duncan took other security jobs while in Los Angeles while trying to get some acting work in commercials. During this time, worked as a bodyguard for celebrities like
Will Smith,
Martin Lawrence,
Jamie Foxx,
LL Cool J, and
Notorious B.I.G. all the while doing bit parts in television and films. A friend was covering for Duncan the night that Notorious B.I.G. was killed. This was the reason for Duncan to quit this line of work.
In 1998, Duncan was cast as Bear in the film
Armageddon, where he struck up a friendship with castmate
Bruce Willis. It was Bruce Willis' influence that helped him to get his breakout role as John Coffey in the
Frank Darabont-directed
The Green Mile, a role which netted him an
Academy Award nomination for
Best Actor in a Supporting Role and a
Golden Globe nomination for
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.
['Green Miles giant has taken massive strides][Awards for The Green Mile]
Duncan then was cast in a string of films that helped to establish him as a star:
The Whole Nine Yards,
Planet of the Apes,
The Scorpion King (where he starred alongside his friend,
The Rock),
Daredevil (as
The Kingpin) and
The Island. Duncan has also provided his voice for a number of roles including
Brother Bear,
The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses,
Quiznos commercials, and the video games
Demon Stone,
SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs,
The Suffering: Ties That Bind,
Saints Row, and
Soldier of Fortune, with his most recent role being
God of War II, where he provides the voice of
Atlas, the
Titan condemned by
Zeus to stand at the western edge of the earth and hold up the sky on his shoulders. He reprised his role as the Kingpin in
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.
In 2005, he starred in the film
Sin City (again alongside Bruce Willis) as Manute, a powerful mobster. Duncan appeared in a minor role in the 2006 movie
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and he voiced the role of the villain Massive in the
Loonatics Unleashed. In 2006, he voiced the role of Numbuh 26 in the animated movie
Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation ZERO. He played Balrog in
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and voiced the prison commander in
Kung Fu Panda.
He has also guest starred in numerous television shows. He appeared in an episode of
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody "Benchwarmers" as Zack's basketball coach, Coach Little. In 2005, Duncan guest-starred in a first-season episode of
CSI: NY [www.imdb.com/title/tt0534883/] .He appeared as "Colt" in the second-season premiere of
Chuck, "
Chuck Versus The First Date."
[NBC's 'Chuck': Good-natured, not much adult appeal September 29, 2008] In November he appeared as a guest star on the
CBS show
Two and a Half Men.
Filmography
