- Duncan did bodyguard work for Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G.; he let a friend take over for him the night Notorious B.I.G. got shot, which prompted him to quit that line of work.
- Duncan supposedly gave $5.00 to anyone who recognized him on the street and knew what his full name was.
- Was hospitalized on July 13, 2012 in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest. His fiancée, Omarosa Manigault Newman, started CPR immediately and resuscitated him. Almost two months later, Michael died on September 3, 2012 from complications following the cardiac arrest.
- Duncan was a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu.
- Moonlighting as a bouncer and guard at various clubs on Chicago's South Side, he met one of the producers of the touring stage show, "Beauty Shop, Part 2" and was hired as the producer's personal security. Although he often asked for the opportunity to act in the play, the producer never gave him the chance.
- Was good friends with actor and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson.
- Duncan had five cats and a chinchilla named Chucky.
- Duncan had appeared in four films with Bruce Willis: Armageddon (1998), Breakfast of Champions (1999), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and Sin City (2005).
- He attended Alcorn State University in Mississippi, but dropped out to support his family when his mother became ill. Duncan had an older sister named Judith. Duncan also worked as a security guard for a theatre troupe.
- For his role as the criminal mastermind behemoth Kingpin in Daredevil (2003), Duncan put on 40 lbs. to his already-largely-built physique.
- While filming The Scorpion King (2002), Duncan was accidentally hit by Dwayne Johnson during a fight sequence. He leaned in too far for a hit and his chin connected with Johnson's elbow.
- He tried out for the Chicago Bears in the mid-1980s. He wanted to try out at for one of the linebacker positions but the coaches chose to see how he would perform at tight end.
- Engaged to Omarosa Manigault Newman from February 2012 until his death in September 2012.
- Considered becoming a police officer with the LAPD, which was revealed during an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark (1988).
- His Daredevil character, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, first appeared as an enemy of Spiderman until Frank Miller made him a major enemy of Daredevil. Duncan has played him opposite both characters, on the animated series Spider-Man (2003) and in Daredevil (2003).
- Following his death, he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
- On July 12, 1979, during the Disco Demolition Night fiasco at Comiskey park, Duncan ran onto the field and slid into third base.
- He narrated the 2005 Major League Baseball World Series Film, featuring the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox.
- He is survived by his mother, Jean; his sister, Judith; and by his fiancée, actress Omarosa Manigault Newman.
- Duncan had appeared in three comic book feature film adaptations, from three different comic book publishers: He played the DC Comics character Kilowog in Green Lantern (2011), the Dark Horse character, Manute in Sin City (2005), and the Marvel Comics character, Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin in Daredevil (2003).
- Duncan had played basketball at Kankakee Community College. After college, he spent several years digging ditches for the gas company in Chicago.
- Duncan shared two roles with Dennis Haysbert: Green Lantern, Kilowog and Manute in the "Sin City" films.
- Was in two different movies with Ben Affleck: Armageddon and Daredevil.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content