The late American actor Michael Clarke Duncan played in a number of movies as a bodyguard and bouncer before he earned his role in the fantasy thriller drama “The Green Mile” from the book of the same name by Stephen King. The role earned him his first and only Oscar award as best supporting actor. With his deep, haunting voice he lent his voice to many cartoon characters. MCD had a great career that would have been even more successful, but unfortunately, death came much too early for him. We will guide you through his life until the time of his death.
Life of Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan came from nothing more than his youth; he was determined to make the best of his life. He aspired to become many things, including a soccer player, basketball player, policeman, and actor.
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He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 10, 1957, the son of a single mother, Jean Duncan, who raised him with her meager income from working as a house cleaner. Duncan grew up alongside his only sister Judy.
After high school, he attended Alcorn State University, where he studied Communications. However, his college education was marred by his mother’s poor health as Duncan had to drop out of school to find a job and support his family financially. He later attended the two-year institution, Kankakee Community College in northeastern Illinois.
To raise money for his sick mother, MCD used his great figure to dig trenches for the Peoples Gas Company and to work as a bouncer in Chicago nightclubs. When his mother’s health stabilized, Michael Clarke Duncan moved to Los Angeles, California, to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor.
Like most up-and-coming actors, Michael received roles in commercials. To make a living, he continued to use his heavyweight body to work as a bouncer. Soon he began working as a bodyguard for established Hollywood stars, including Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, and rappers like LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G. The night B.I.G. was shot, Duncan had asked a friend to cover for him. The murder of B.I.G. forced him to retire from the business of personal security.
Michael Duncan played unappreciated roles as a bouncer or bodyguard in his early film roles. When he got a role in the 1998 film Armageddon, Duncan established a relationship with his co-star Bruce Willis, who was to help him get the role of John Coffey in The Green Mile. This role became his breakthrough, earning him a Black Reel and Saturn award and a number of award nominations, including a Golden Globe, Oscar, SAG, and more.
Michael Clarke Duncan’s career really opened up after this role, as he became more visible in both comedic and action roles. He appeared on numerous television shows. Among his remarkable films were The Scorpion King and Daredevil. He impersonated characters in successful cartoons such as George of the Jungle 2, Brother Bear, Kung Fu Panda, and Green Lantern.
Michael Clarke Duncan Net Worth
Michael Clarke Duncan had done so well financially. After his great breakthrough his career only increased and the actor, who once depended only on menial jobs, was never without acting work anymore. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated at 18 million dollars.
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His Wife
Michael Clarke Duncan was never married. At the time of his death, however, he was allegedly engaged to the controversial reality TV star and disgraced White House staffer, Omarosa Manigault.
Although Manigault said she was engaged to the actor, his family, including his sister Judy, disproved her claims that they were only dating and about to break up because her brother had told her about another woman in the picture, she told Daily Beast. Omarosa was also accused of manipulating Duncan in the final days leading up to his death, so he rewrote his will and transferred almost all of his estates to her. She reportedly received one-third of his estate.
Omarosa Manigault has become a controversial figure on NBC’s The Apprentice since her time as a reality TV personality. During the Clinton administration in the 1990s, she worked in the office of Vice President Al Gore but was fired for character issues. During her appearances in The Apprentice, she developed a relationship with Trump that led to her being hired as an assistant after Trump took office, but, like her first job at the White House, it did not end well because she was fired again for bad behavior.
After her dismissal, she went on a secret expedition to defile the Trump-led government. She has published a number of tapes that she recorded during her stay at the White House and also wrote a disclosure book called Unhinged. She married John Newman in April 2017. The wedding took place at Trump’s Washington, D.C.
Death – How He Died
Michael Clarke Duncan’s death was almost a sudden death. He suffered a heart attack on July 13, 2012, while lying with his then-girlfriend, Omarosa Manigault. She called 911 and performed CPR on him, after which the actor was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Unfortunately, Michael died on September 3, two months after the heart attack, while still recovering in Los Angeles. He was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills. He was 54 years old at the time of his death.
