Michael Clarke Duncan was 6’5 and 300 pounds, and every inch and ounce of that was made up of the kind of heart, charm, and talent that will be sorely missed in the coming years.
Clarke Duncan’s publicist Joy Fehily released a statement today on behalf of his fiancee, the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, “saying the 54-year-old actor died Monday morning in a Los Angeles hospital after nearly two months of treatment following [a] July 13 heart attack.”
Clarke Duncan worked first to support his family in a variety of jobs including ditch digger and male stripper, then moved on to working security jobs as he tried to find acting gigs while living in Los Angeles. After serving as a bodyguard for the likes of Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, and LL Cool J, he quit that kind of work completely upon the Notorious B.I.G. being shot the same night Clarke Duncan let a friend take over for him. After landing a part in ARMAGEDDON, Clarke Duncan’s co-star Bruce Willis was so impressed that he promptly recommended the actor to Frank Darabont for the part of John Coffey in THE GREEN MILE.
The man was promptly nominated for Best Support Actor, and the rest, as they say, is a string of striking roles and a solid place in film history.
Our thoughts go out to Michael Clarke Duncan’s family and friends in this difficult time.
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