Oscar-nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his role of John Coffey in 1999 movie “The Green Mile,” died of heart problems at age of 54, CNN reported.
Duncan died on Monday morning in a Los Angeles hospital, where he remained since he had suffered a heart attack some seven weeks ago.
CNN said citing Joy Fehily, a representative of the actor’s family, that Duncan “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered.”
The 6-foot-5-inch Duncan, weighing over 300 pounds, worked in his 20s digging ditches for Peoples Gas company in the daytime and as a bouncer in the nighttime.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1990s, where he first worked as a bodyguard and then started getting small roles in TV commercials and films.
His first significant role was in 1998 film “Armageddon,” where he was sided with such Hollywood stars as Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Buscemi, Ben Affleck and others.
For his role of John Coffey in “The Green Mile” Duncan was nominated for an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor, but the award went to Michael Caine that year.
Besides “The Green Mile,” Duncan starred in such blockbusters as “Sin City,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “The Planet of Apes,” “The Scorpion King” and many others.
