The biggest man in every room got his only Oscar nomination for playing the gentlest character in it.
At a glance
- Known for
- Oscar-nominated role as John Coffey in *The Green Mile* (1999)
- Before fame
- Worked as a celebrity bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Notorious B.I.G.
- Off-screen
- Became a vegetarian at 51 and lost 35 pounds as a PETA spokesperson
Rise to Fame
A bodyguard shift swap saved his life. He let a friend cover for him the night Notorious B.I.G. was shot in 1997, and quit the security business entirely. His early film roles were what a 6'5", 315-pound frame dictates: bouncers and background muscle.
The break came through Bruce Willis, who befriended him on the set of Armageddon. Willis read The Green Mile, told him to buy the book, and called Frank Darabont to pitch him for John Coffey. Darabont has said his ability to project kindness was something he couldn't get out of his head. The Oscar nomination that followed proved the former bodyguard could do more than fill a doorframe.
In the Spotlight
Hollywood didn't know what else to do with a 315-pound man who could cry on cue. He played Kingpin in Daredevil (2003), the first Black actor in the role, and faced immediate fan backlash over the race-blind casting. His response: "Get past that and just see the movie for what it is and see me for what I am, an actor." The performance aged better than the film.
After that, the parts got smaller. Voice work in Kung Fu Panda and Green Lantern. A one-season Fox series, The Finder, cancelled in 2012. He kept working, but nothing came close to the career that The Green Mile seemed to promise.
Side Notes
His mother wouldn't let him play football, fearing he'd get hurt. For a 315-pound kid from the South Side of Chicago, that says everything about how she saw him.
Before Hollywood, he dug ditches for a gas company and dropped out of Alcorn State when his mother got sick. At 51, he went vegetarian and lost 35 pounds. PETA made him a spokesperson. He kept 11 animals at home, including six cats. The gentlest person in every room happened to also be the largest, which is the whole reason anyone ever gave him a chance.
Final Chapter
A private funeral in Los Angeles on September 10, 2012 brought Tom Hanks and Jay Leno. Stevie Wonder appeared via video, playing piano and singing the opening verses of "As". Mark Henry, a professional wrestler, carried the casket. His sister Judy hired a lawyer to investigate whether his fiancee Omarosa Manigault had influenced changes to his will made months before his cardiac arrest.