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Michael Clarke Duncan
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Michael Clarke Duncan (born December 10, 1957) is an Oscar-nominated American actor who has starred in a number of successful films. Duncan grew up in a single-parent household in Chicago. 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 - 6ft 5in (196cm) and 270lb (122kg) - helped him in his jobs digging ditches for the People's Gas Company and being a bouncer at different Chicago clubs. Through working at the clubs, he was able to get a security job and ended up in Los Angeles. In
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You would not know it by his imposing screen presence, but actor Michael Clarke Duncan is known as a gentle giant to his colleagues. He plays a high-ranking gorilla who sympathizes with the humans he hunts in Planet of the Apes, which opened July 27. Duncan, 6-5 and 315-pounds, was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Green Mile and co-starred with Bruce Willis in Armageddon. He grew up in Chicago and worked in commercials after a stint as a bodyguard for several celebrities.
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Born and raised in Chicago, Michael Clarke Duncan's mother had a dream for her son: to go to Hollywood to be an actor. When she refused to let him play football in high school for fear of him hurting himself, he turned to the dream she had for him. They lived on the South Side of Chicago, where there weren't many acting classes or children's theater companies, but Duncan's mother saw a spark in him even when he read the "Run, Jane, Run" books. Duncan studied communications at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. Returning to his hometown, he landed work with Peoples Gas Company while moonlighting as a bouncer at various Southside clubs. A chance encounter with a stage producer won him a security job for the road company of Beauty Shop, Part 2, which brought the 6'5, 315 lb. talent to Los Angeles after a 56-city tour.
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Michael Clarke Duncan seemed to have a big career ahead of him for a while there. He was the best part of Armageddon, and he got nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Green Mile-- those healing hands deserved a gold statue, don't you think? But when you're pretty much known for your giant size and deep voice rather than acting versatility, it's probably hard to find a lot of roles.
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Michael Clarke Duncan grabbed public attention with his impressive portrayal of convict John Coffey in the box office adaptation of Stephen King’s The Green Mile (1999). Winning the hearts of audiences and critics, Duncan’s performance netted a Saturn Award, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and a Black Reel Award. He ... received an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild and a MTV Movie nomination. Since then, the huge-framed actor has taken roles in many popular films, including The Scorpion King (2002), Daredevil (2003), the popular series “CSI: NY” (2005), as well as Sin City (2005, portrayed Manute). Currently in demand, Duncan will be seen in several projects like the animated Delgo (2006), the biopic Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and the Sin City sequels, Sin City 2 (2007) and Sin City 3 (2008).
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Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole and Michael Clarke Duncan star in Columbia Pictures' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which is directed by Adam McKay and written by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay. Jimmy Miller and Judd Apatow are the producers. Will Ferrell, Adam McKay David Householter, Richard Glover, Sarah Nettinga and Ryan Kavanaugh are the executive producers. The supporting cast includes Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, Amy Adams, Andy Richter, Molly Shannon, Greg Germann, David Koechner, Jack McBrayer and Ian Roberts.
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Michael Clarke Duncan