|
|
|
|
| Birth Name(s) : Michael Clarke Duncan |
Date of Birth: December 10, 1957 |
| Status:
N/A
|
Partner:
N/A |
| Profession:
Actor |
| << Add Michael Clarke Duncan To Your Favorites |
|
Full Michael Clarke Duncan Biography
Raised by his single mother on Chicago's South Side, Michael grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let him, fearing he would hurt himself. He then turned to acting, dreaming of becoming a famous actor. After graduating from high school and attending community college, he worked digging ditches at Peoples Gas Company in Chicago.
When he quit his job and headed to Hollywood, he landed small roles while working as a bodyguard. Michael's role in the movie Armageddon led to his breakthrough performance in The Green Mile, when his Armageddon co-star Bruce Willis called director Frank Darabont, and suggested Michael for the part of convicted killer John Coffey. He landed the role, and has received critical acclaim for his performance. |
|
|
Additional Michael Clarke Duncan Biography
Michael Clarke Duncan (born December 10, 1957) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor who has starred in a number of successful films.
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. 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' 5" (196 cm) and 320 lbs (145 kg) — 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. Through working at the clubs, he was able to get a security job and ended up in Los Angeles. In 1985, he tried out for the Chicago Bears and never played a down; however, he was still given a Super Bowl ring.
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 and LL Cool J, all the while doing bit parts in television and films. He was also the bodyguard for Notorious B.I.G. for some time, although he let a friend take over for him the night that Notorious B.I.G. was shot. This was the event that made him decide to get out of the bodyguarding business.
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 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 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, 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 as Manute, a powerful mobster. Duncan appeared in a minor role in the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. 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.
Duncan made an uncredited appearance in the film Friday playing in a dice game along side Chris Tucker and guest-starred in a first-season episode of CSI: NY alongside Gary Sinise.
Duncan is a life long fan of the Chicago White Sox and was at the historical Disco Demolition Night. 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 Daredevil and Armageddon co-star Ben Affleck as well as The Rock.
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. |
|
| Add Michael Clarke Duncan Biography (SuperUSERS) + |
| Add Michael Clarke Duncan Review/Comment
|
HQ Michael Clarke Duncan Pictures (12) | Random Michael Clarke Duncan Picture
|
| << Back to the Michael Clarke Duncan Homepage |
|
