Actor. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his decision to become an actor. When his mother became ill, he dropped out of Alcorn State University in Mississippi and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. He eventually landed a security position with a touring stage company production of "Beauty Shop, Part 2." After touring 56 cities with the company, he settled in Los Angeles, California, where he again supported himself by working security jobs for several clients, including actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. At his mother's encouragement, he began to pursue acting. He was soon discovered, which led to his casting in television roles on episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Married with Children," and "The Jamie Foxx Show." After hiring an agent, he made his motion picture debut in 1995 in an uncredited walk-on role in the comedy film "Friday." He later appeared as "Bear" in "Armageddon" in 1998. Actor Bruce Willis, star of "Armageddon," introduced Michael Clarke Duncan to director Frank Darabont, who cast the actor in his film adaptation of Stephen King's serial novel "The Green Mile." The film, released in 1999, cast him as a death-row inmate 'John Coffey,' a massive but gentle man imbued with supernatural healing powers. His performance in the role earned Duncan widespread critical acclaim, including an Academy Award (Oscar) nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He would reunite with Willis in the "Breakfast of Champions" in 1999, as well as in the comedy movie "The Whole Nine Yards" in 2000. Other notable films include: "See Spot Run" (2001), "Cats & Dogs" (2001), "Planet of the Apes" (2001), "The Scorpion King" (2002), "Daredevil" (2003), "Brother Bear" (2003), "D.E.B.S." (2004), "Racing Stripes" (2005), "Sin City" (2005), "The Island" (2005), "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (2006), "One Way" (2006), "The Last Mimzy" (2007) and "Kung Fu Panda" (2008). On July 12, 2012, he suffered a heart attack, which he survived. However, he would not fully recover and died two months later of heart complications.