Michael Clarke Duncan

Standing 6'5" and weighing over 300 pounds, Michael Clarke Duncan inarguably possesses one of Hollywood's more unforgettable figures. A former bodyguard and bouncer, Duncan first gained attention when he appeared as one of the roughneck oil drillers sent to stop an asteroid from annihilating Earth in the blockbuster, "Armageddon." A year later, Duncan's career got another significant boost when the actor earned lavish critical praise for his portrayal of a wrongfully convicted death row inmate in "The Green Mile."

Upon his arrival in LA, Duncan, who was hovering dangerously close to bankruptcy, began working as a security guard and soon found his first agent. His professional start on television began with appearances in commercials, sitcoms, and on the soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful." Duncan's film career began with surprisingly small roles in films such as "The Players Club" and "Bulworth," eventually leading to his big break in "Armageddon."

Due to the great commercial success of "Armageddon," Duncan easily found subsequent casting in a number of productions, most notably "The Green Mile." He earned overwhelmingly strong reviews for his portrayal of doomed, saintly John Coffey, a man whose conviction for a brutal double murder seemed at odds with his exceedingly gentle, almost child-like demeanor. Duncan garnered Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his work in the film.

Re-teaming with "Armageddon" co-star, Bruce Willis, Duncan next starred in the hit comedy, "The Whole Nine Yards," which cast him as a brutish thug who terrorizes a mild-mannered dentist. Once again utilizing his massive girth to his advantage, he appeared in "The Planet of the Apes." Duncan followed up the big budget remake with the made-for-television movie, "They Call Me Sirr," before once again flexing formidably in "The Scorpion King" opposite The Rock. Later he turned up as the villainous Kingpin in the comic book superhero film, "Daredevil," also loaning his voice to the same character in "Spider-Man: The Animated Series" that same year.

Raised by his single mother on Chicago's South Side, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, and instead heavily concentrating on school. Longing to play football in high school, he refused to join the team at his mother's request, who feared he would hurt himself. It was then that he began to focus on his dream of acting, upon which his friends dubbed him "Hollywood Mike." After graduating from high school and attending community college, he worked digging ditches at Peoples Gas Company in Chicago. His work led to a chance encounter with a stage producer who hired him as a security guard for a traveling theatre company, which eventually brought Duncan to Hollywood.