Tom Hanks Funny Story About Michael Clarke Duncan

CNN has a touching article about the services for Michael Clarke Duncan.  Held yesterday in Los Angeles, California, it sounds like it was a "whose who" of Hollywood, including: Jay Leno, Holly Robinson-Peete, Stevie Wonder and his ‘Green Mile’ co-star Tom Hanks.



The CNN article states:

‘Green Mile’ director Frank Darabont was also in attendance and read a letter from ‘Green Mile’ author Stephen King, which said, “No one has ever done a character I wrote more justice.” Leno said, as his voice cracked, “Just to see such a pure heart and pure kindness, and to see it taken so early, there are no sadder words than what might have been.”

the CNN story is HERE.

CNN article on Michael Clarke Duncan

CNN has posted a great article  on Michael Clarke Duncan at cnn.com that  includes a "Duncan Through The Years" photo set that is nice.

The article reads, in part:

Most recently he was on the TV series, "The Finder," on the Fox network. 

His co-star Mercedes Masohn tweeted: "Today is a sad day. Michael Clark Duncan passed away this morning. Known for his moving performance in The Green Mile. RIP MCD. You'll b missed."

and,  about The Green Mile the article says:

In the Oscar-nominated film, Duncan played John Coffey, the huge black man wrongly convicted in a Louisiana town for the rapes and murders of two white girls. Coffey has supernatural powers, though; his hands can heal, even bring back the dead. 

A microcosm of faith, Coffey is a messenger of hope and lost hope who develops a relationship with Tom Hanks' character, a guard named Paul Edgecomb. 

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that Duncan's performance "is both acting and being." Ebert tweeted Monday that Duncan was "A striking screen presence." 

Duncan was nominated for an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor, which was won that year by Michael Caine for "The Cider House Rules."

Duncan was 54,  and had  been awarded BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor.  He will certainly be missed!

Green Mile Star Michael Duncan Dies

nydailynews has posted that Michael Clarke Duncan died today.  The website says:

LOS ANGELES — Michael Clarke Duncan's fiancee says the Oscar nominee for "The Green Mile" has died while being hospitalized following a July heart attack. 

Publicist Joy Fehily released a statement from Clarke's fiancée, the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, saying the 54-year-old actor died Monday morning in a Los Angeles hospital after nearly two months of treatment following the July 13 heart attack. 

Read more: www.nydailynews.com

Duncan starred in The Green Mile, giving a wonderful portrayal of John Coffey.  He was 6' 5" and nicknamed "Big Mike."  I like this line from the IMDb, "Raised by his single mother on Chicago's South Side, Michael Clarke Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school." (the IMDb bio is HERE)