Michael Clarke Duncan is an actor who I’ve always respected. While he is most famous for his role as John Coffey in “The Green Mile” a Stephen King adapted film directed by Frank Darabont, he was great in many other roles too. He was a good guy who had a very positive career, which is probably the main reason why I respected him so much. Most actors turned their careers in a negative direction, but not with Michael. Michael always seemed friendly, down to earth and immediately likeable the moment you set eyes upon him. Plus, he was one talented actor. Again, he may have been popular for his role in “The Green Mile” but he is very underrated in his other work too. I remembered him in “Armageddon”, “The Scorpion King”, Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes”, “Daredevil”, and “Sin City”.

Michael was born and grew up in, Chicago. He always had dreams of acting, but since he was living in a single parent household (his father left them), he had to give up acting classes in college, so he can take care of his ill mother. He started off working jobs by digging ditches for People’s Gas Company and was a bouncer for several night clubs in Chicago. In 1979, he also participated in the Disco Demolition Night, at Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

Later on, Michael moved to Los Angeles to try to get some acting gigs in commercials, while he continued to work as a bouncer at clubs in L.A. At this time, Michael was a bodyguard for Hollywood’s biggest stars, such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, Martin Lawrence, and Notorious B.I.G. After rapper Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in 1997, that’s when Michael stopped working for security and being a bodyguard for good. The next year later, he was casted for a role as Bear, in the film, “Armageddon”. That was the film which helped him get the role as John Coffey for “The Green Mile”, in which he won an Academy award for. After “The Green Mile”, Michael’s film career kept getting better and better, he kept starring in movie roles and doing voice overs for animated films.

Earlier this summer, Michael was taken to a hospital due to a heart attack. Michael passed away yesterday morning in Los Angeles. He is survived by his fiance, Omarosa, who he planned to marry later this year. Michael Clarke Duncan was 54 years old.

Kev