Michael Clarke Duncan

American actor

Famous Persons
Michael Clarke Duncan

Who was Michael Clarke Duncan?

Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957 – September 3, 2012) was an American actor best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and other honors. His voice roles in films included Brother Bear (2003), The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses (2005), Brother Bear 2 (2006), Kung Fu Panda (2008), and Green Lantern (2011); he had the voice role of Benjamin King in the video game Saints Row (2006). Duncan was born in Chicago and raised in a single-parent household along with his sister, Judy, by his mother, Jean Duncan (a house cleaner) after his father left. He also played Kingpin in Daredevil and Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (both 2003).

Duncan in 2009
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Historical significance

In addition, he appeared in movies such as Armageddon (1998), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), The Scorpion King (2002), Sin City (2005), and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), as well as in the role of Leo Knox in the television series Bones (2011) its spin-off The Finder (2012); and also in episodes of Two and a Half Men. He also played Kingpin in Daredevil and Spider-Man: The New Animated Series.

Crypt of Duncan at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills
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Cite this page
MLA

“Michael Clarke Duncan.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/michael-clarke-duncan/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

APA

Michael Clarke Duncan. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/michael-clarke-duncan/

Chicago

“Michael Clarke Duncan.” thisDay. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/michael-clarke-duncan/.