Michael Clarke Duncan
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| Michael Clarke Duncan | |||||||
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| Born | December 10, 1957 Chicago, Illinois |
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| Years active | 1995-present | ||||||
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Michael Clarke Duncan (born December 10, 1957) is an American actor best know for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] 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.[1][2] 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 and 325 lbs[3] — helped him in his jobs digging ditches for the People's Gas Company and being a bouncer at different Chicago clubs. In 1979 he participated in the Infamous 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[4] and apparently stole one of Bill Melton's bats from the dugout.[5] Through working at the clubs, he was able to get a security job and ended up in Los Angeles.
[edit] 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.[6] 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 and a Golden Globe nomination.
Duncan then was a 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. 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 reprised his role as the Kingpin on the MTV Spider-Man series. He has been announced for the role of Balrog in the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li movie
Duncan guest-starred in a first-season episode of CSI: NY alongside Gary Sinise.
[edit] Personal life
Duncan is a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox. He also supports the UFC and is frequently seen in attendance in UFC broadcasts. Occasionally, he is asked to give his opinion on upcoming fights. He holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is good friends with childhood friend and martial artist Michelle Gordon, Daredevil and Armageddon co-star Ben Affleck as well as The Rock. Other childhood friends include singer R. Kelly, and Arne Duncan Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools.
Duncan is a fan of The O.C. on FOX and he admits he cried when Marissa Cooper, one of the main characters on the show, died. (This was admitted on a recent appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.) He is also a fan of the television series 24.
On an appearance on the Tonight Show, he stated that he has never had an alcoholic drink. He has appeared on Trinity Broadcast Network upon numerous occasions and openly professed his evangelical Christian faith, once appearing with fellow strong man Tommy "Tiny" Lister.
Michael Clarke Duncan is also the current voiceover heard in all Quiznos Sub commercials.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] References
- ^ CNN - 'Green Mile''s giant has taken massive strides - December 10, 1999
- ^ USA WEEKEND Magazine
- ^ Michael Clarke Duncan - Biography
- ^ Zwecker, Bill. "Love may have bloomed again on set for 'Garden State' star." Chicago Sun-Times September 28, 2006 [1]
- ^ Caldarelli, Adam. "From the Cubicle." Chicago Tribune May 20, 2006 [2]
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003817/bio
