Initially a breakout star after the success of 1998's "Armageddon," the actor then earned acclaim and an Oscar nomination for his role as death row inmate John Coffey in "The Green Mile." He followed that film up with performances in "The Whole Nine Yards," Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" remake, "Daredevil," "Sin City," "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and "The Slammin' Salmon." He also lent his trademark voice to animated roles in "Kung Fu Panda" and last summer's "Green Lantern."
Armageddon" was the beginning of his friendship with Bruce Willis. They appeared in four films together. And it was Willis who called 'The Green Mile' director Frank Darabont to put in a good word for Duncan.
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."