The loss of Michael Clarke Duncan will leave a void both in the entertainment industry and in the hearts of those who knew him.
Michael Clarke Duncan, the huge and successful actor pictured above at the 2010 BET Awards in Los Angeles, suffered an unexpected heart attack on Monday, according to his girlfriend. He was 54. Photo credit: (Gus Ruelas/Reuters)
Michael Clarke Duncan was a wonderful amalgamation of contradictory qualities.
The former bodyguard was an imposing 6ft 4in tall, athletically ripped, and had a smile that could light up a room.
In both animated and live-action films, his gravelly baritone worked well, but he always brought an honest sensitivity to his parts.
The actor, who starred in several films and received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a death row inmate in The Green Mile, has passed away at the age of 54. His films include Armageddon, Planet of the Apes, and Kung Fu Panda. Although he only started performing in his 30s, his gentle giant attitude won him many admirers, as evidenced by the outpouring of condolences and remembrances from the entertainment and sports industries.
Duncan reportedly died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack, according to a statement from his fiancee, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault.
Duncan “suffered a heart attack on July 13 and never fully recovered,” according to the statement. “Manigault appreciates the prayers, but she needs some privacy right now. She will have a private and public memorial service later.”
The Green Mile, the 1999 film in which Duncan starred and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, left Tom Hanks “terribly saddened by the loss of Big Mike”. It was an undiscovered gem that we discovered on the set of The Green Mile. A wizard, for sure. We are all shocked by his death; he was a fantastic person.
Laughter-and-talk host Steve Harvey tweeted: “I will miss my friend Michael Clarke Duncan.” One speaker who marveled at him said, “What an incredible soldier in God’s plan.” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, as well as actors Alexa Vega, Niecy Nash, and Olivia Munn, and former boxing champion Lennox Lewis, all expressed their shock and sadness.
became successful in the film industry
Three years prior, Duncan had previously discussed his happy vegetarian experience in a Spring 2012 PETA video.
He threw out nearly $5,000 worth of meat he had in his refrigerator. I feel so much better since I stopped eating meat.
Duncan has had several small roles before The Green Mile for which he is known. In this 1999 Stephen King film adaptation of the same name, Hanks is a prison guard at a prison in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a killer on death row with extraordinary healing powers.
Duncan’s performance was well received by audiences and critics alike, and he quickly found himself starring in several films each year. Bruce Willis recommended Duncan for The Green Mile after their collaboration on Armageddon. Duncan and Willis reunited in later films including Breakfast of Champions, The Whole Nine Yards, and Sin City.
Both in the serious parts (Daredevil) and the humorous ones (Talladega Nights, School for Scoundrels) his huge frame was impressive. His voice work in movies like Brother Bear, Racing Stripes, and Kung Fu Panda would be enough to establish a lucrative career. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, The Finder, The Apprentice, Two and a Half Men, and other well-known television programs have featured Duncan.
Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan decided to pursue acting when his mother forbade him from participating in football. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of Alcorn State University to help care for his ailing mother.
In his 20s, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He then got a job as a bodyguard for celebrities like Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and other A-listers. After being hired to protect rapper Notorious B.I.G., Duncan decided to focus solely on acting after learning of his death.
Bulworth, A Night at the Roxbury, and The Gamblers Club are some of his early film and television credits, in which he portrayed a bodyguard or bouncer.
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan has reportedly passed away suddenly at the age of 54, according to his fiancee, Reverend Omarosa Manigault.
In the 1999 film The Green Mile, Duncan – a large man with a strong, booming voice – played a prisoner opposite Tom Hanks and received an Academy Award nomination.
Duncan’s death was confirmed by Manigault in July, claiming she performed CPR on the actor after discovering he was in cardiac arrest.
Duncan has reportedly been receiving treatment at the hospital since his heart attack. His wife, Manigault, released a statement confirming that he died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
His death was “a tragic loss for everyone who knew this amazing man, for the business as a whole and for the entire planet,” the actor’s longtime manager Dan Spilo told The Hollywood Reporter.
Duncan suffered a heart attack in July, and Spilo says it left him permanently incapacitated.
Duncan made news earlier this spring when he decided to become a public vegetarian. He revealed his new eating habits and almost thirty-kilogram weight loss in an advertisement for the animal rights group PETA.
Keep moving forward; continue; keep going
Duncan, who at various times in his career weighed more than 300 pounds and stood 6 feet 5 inches tall, added unexpected depth to scenes that seemed to depend on his enormous weight.
His most recent television appearances and voice work include The Finder, Redemption Road, and Kung Fu Panda. He appeared in Spider-Man (2003) and also in Planet of the Apes (2001).
Two more of his films, The Challenger and In the Hive, will be released soon.
The infamous “Disco Demolition Night” of 1979, when a crate of disco records was destroyed by an explosion at the White Sox’s Comiskey Park during a promotional event, is said to have taken place when Duncan, a Chicago native, was there.
Although Duncan subsequently claimed to journalist Steve Knopper that he was not actually into the anti-disco movement, he was one of the many supporters who invaded the venue at the age of 21. “I loved it so much back then!” exclaims the former disco lover. That’s what Knopper remembers Duncan saying.
Visit AP for more on the actor’s upbringing: Duncan was raised by a single mother after his birth in Chicago in 1957, and she discouraged him from playing football, leading him to choose acting as a career. But he had to skip school because his mother was unwell.
She worked as a bouncer and ditch digger to pay her way through Alcorn State University. In his 20s, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He then got a job as a bodyguard for celebrities like Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and other A-listers. After being hired to protect rapper Notorious B.I.G., Duncan decided to focus solely on acting after learning of his death.
The loss of Michael Clarke Duncan will leave a void both in the entertainment industry and in the hearts of those who knew him. His unforgettable performances, genuine warmth, and commitment to important causes will resonate with audiences for years to come. Duncan’s legacy serves as a reminder of the transformative power of talent, compassion, and the lasting impact one person can have on the world.
I hate to hear this, I loved him in the Green Mile he was such an awesome star to me.
So sad we are losing all these actors, athletes and general public which were probably made to take the vaccine. They are dying so young or having issues when never had issues before that are debilitating. Someone ought to be responsible for these vaccine deaths, but no one says this was the cause because they are too afraid of the backlash.
He died 11 years ago. He was a great actor but why is this news today?