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- Dec 5, 2011
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but thanks to that massive frame but surprisingly
gentle demeanour, he was one of the most
instantly recognisable. A gentle giant. [Related story: Michael Clarke Duncan dies aged 54 ] Duncan is most famous of course for playing John
Coffey in 'The Green Mile'. Frank Darabont's stately
tearjearker earned Duncan a Best Supporting Actor
nomination at the Oscars, and his performance was described by film critic Roger Ebert as "both acting
and being". "The goodness of Coffey is embodied by
Duncan". 'A gift from god'... Michael Clarke Duncan in The
Green Mile (Credit: Rex) While promoting the movie, Duncan told CNN about his days working as a ditch digger for a gas
company during his 20s . His co-workers would call him "Hollywood"
because of his dreams of being a movie star. "I'd
be digging a ditch and they'd say, 'Hey, man, Bruce
Willis wants to talk to you about a movie.' And
they'd just crack up laughing." "Those co-workers had no way of knowing how
that joke would turn on them." As fate would have it, Duncan became good friends
with Willis and it was playing Bear alongside the
'Die Hard' star in 'Armageddon' that first brought
him to a mass audience. On his website , the film's director Michael Bay paid tribute to Duncan by
admitting he almost fired him. "He cried at the first audition because he was so
proud to audition for a "Michael and Jerry movie",
he just wanted to make his mom proud. We gave
him the role in the room. "[But on] His first day on 'Armageddon' he sucked. "I remember looking to Ben Affleck and thinking
we might need to fire him. But I told him 'Mike, I
hired you for you, I want the sweet, Mr. Clarke
Duncan I met in that room'. I said, 'the audience is
going to fall in love with you'. He looked and
smiled with [his] deep voice and said 'Ok'. From then on out he became the most improved actor on
the set. That was the award he got at the end of the
film. Everyone loved him, his infectious spirit and
great belly laugh." Bear of a man... star got big break in Armageddon
(Credit: Touchstone Pictures) Duncan would appear with Willis on three further
films ('Breakfast Of Champions', 'The Whole Nine
Yards' and 'Sin City'), but it was the 'Die Hard' star's
phone call to Frank Darabont, after reading the
script for 'The Green Mile', that helped seal Duncan's
place in Hollywood history. Duncan said: "Bruce told me, 'Michael, I've just read
this script and you are this guy John Coffey. I just
know it.'" [ via the L.A. Times ]. He said the part was a 'a gift from God.' Perhaps Duncan's essential goodness that came
across so clearly in 'The Green Mile' was shaped by
a tough upbringing in Chicago's south side.
Brought up his single mother Jean, Duncan resisted
the temptations of drugs and alcohol and instead
focused on school and acting. His mum would pull him aside when he was a little
boy and tell him, "You're going be a big star when
you grow up." When he did make it, Duncan told CNN : "I think she's been crying ever since I made it to
Hollywood. She's been the greatest inspiration in
my career. She's the one." According to his IMDB page , Duncan would give five dollars to anyone who recognised him on the
street and knew what his full name was. Possibly
apocryphal, it still speaks volumes about a man
who was obviously one of the nicest guys in the
business, but also - unlike many stars - constantly
aware just how lucky he was.
