Michael Clarke Duncan is an American actor best known for his breakthrough performance in the 1999 drama film The Green Mile.
Raised by her single mother, Jean Duncan, Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied communications at Alcorn State University but was forced to drop out to support his family when his mother became ill. Because of his large frame, he was immediately hired as a ditch digger for the People’s Gas Company. He later worked as a bouncer at the different clubs in Chicago. Upon his move to Los Angeles, he worked as a bodyguard for the celebrities Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and Notorious B.I.G., while pursuing a career in acting.
Michael Clarke Duncan had his major break in the big screen when he was cast as Bear in the 1998 science fiction film Armageddon. His appearance in the film started his friendship with Bruce Willis.
In 1999, Duncan did his breakout role as John Coffey in Frank Drabont’s war film The Green Mile. His outstanding performance in the movie earned him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. This was then followed by his roles in the films The Whole Nine Yards, Planet of the Apes, The Scorpion King, in which he co-starred with his friend, The Rock, and The Island.
In 2003, Duncan played the villain Kingpin in Mark Stevenson Johnson’s superhero film Daredevil, co-starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Duncan also provided his voice for the animated feature films Brother Bear and The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses and for the video games Demon Stone, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs, The Suffering: Ties That Bind, Saints Row, Soldier of Fortune, and God of War II.
In 2005, he once again reunited with Bruce Willis in the film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, Sin City, in which he played the powerful mobster Manute.