LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Michael Clarke Duncan, the hulking, prolific character actor whose dozens of films included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in ``The Green Mile'' and such other box office hits as ``Armageddon,'' `'Planet of the Apes'' and ``Kung Fu Panda,'' is dead at age 54.

Clarke died Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fianceuroe, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

The muscular, 6-foot-4 (1.96 meter) Duncan, a former bodyguard who turned to acting in his 30s, ``suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,'' the statement said. ``Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.''

In the spring of 2012, Clarke had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.

``I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat,'' he said. ``I'm a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat.''

Duncan had a handful of minor roles before ``The Green Mile'' brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.

Duncan's performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for ``The Green Mile'' after the two appeared together in ``Armageddon.'' Clarke would work with Willis again in ``Breakfast of Champions,'' `'The Whole Nine Yards'' and ``Sin City.''

His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films (''Daredevil'') to comedy (''Talledega Nights,'' `'School for Scoundrels''). His gravelly baritone alone was good enough for several animated movies, including, ``Kung Fu Panda,'' `'Delgo'' and ``Brother Bear.'' Among Clarke's television credits: ``The Apprentice,'' `'The Finder,'' `'Two and a Half Men'' and ``The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.''

Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his deciding he wanted to become an actor. But when his mother became ill, he dropped out of college, Alcorn State University, and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. By his mid-20s, he was in Los Angeles, where he looked for acting parts and became a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and other stars. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., for whom Duncan had been hired to protect before switching assignments, led him to quit his job and pursue acting full-time.

Early film and television credits, when he was usually cast as a bodyguard or bouncer, included ``Bulworth,'' `'A Night at the Roxbury'' and ``The Players Club.''

<관련 한글 기사>

유명 배우, 심장병으로 사망!

미국배우 마이클 클락 던컨이 지난 7월에 일어난 심장병의 후유증으로 3일 (현지시간) 54세를 일기로 별세했다고 AP통신 등이 보도했다.

던컨의 공보 책임자 조이 페힐리가 밝힌바에 따르면 그는 지난 7월부터 로스엔젤레서의 한 병원에서 심근경색으로 치료를 받다가 끝내 숨을 거뒀다고 한다.

196cm에 달하는 거구를 자랑하는 시카고에서 태어나 홀어머니 밑에서 자랐다. 어린 시절 미식축구 선수였던 그는 어머니의 반대로 진로를 바꿔 배우가 되기로 마음을 먹었으나, 대학시절 어머니가 병에 걸리면서 학교를 중퇴하고 노무자, 술집 기도 등 잡일을 하며 가장 역할을 했다.

던컨은 20대 중반 들어 로스 엔젤레스로 와서 윌 스미스, 제이미 폭스 등 스타들의 보디가드 역할을 하게 되었다. 그러나 그가 경호를 맡았더 래퍼 노토리어스 비아이지 (Notorious B.I.G)가 총격을 당해 사망한 이후 경호일을 그만두고 전업배우의 길로 들어섰다.

그는 1999년 ‘그린 마일’에 출연해 아카데미 상 조연상 후보에 들면서 인기를 끌기 시작했다. 이 영화에서 던컨은 놀라운 치유능력과 온화한 성격을 가진 사형수 존 캐피 역을 맡아 간수역을 맡은 톰 행크스와 함께 열연을 펼쳤다.

그는 이후 ‘그린마일’의 캐피 역에 그를 추천했던 배우 브루스 윌리스와 함께 ‘아마게돈’, ‘나인 야드’, ‘신 시티’ 등에 출연했고, 이후 액션, 코미디, 에니메이션 등 장르를 가리지 않고 수많은 작품에서 활약해왔다.