"Green Mile" star Michael Clarke Duncan dies at 54

 LOS ANGELES, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Michael Clarke Duncan, a prolific¹ actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for starring in "Green Mile," died in Los Angeles, the U.S. state of California, on Monday. He was 54.

Duncan had suffered from a myocardial infarction and had been hospitalized at the city's Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since July 13, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cited the actor's longtime manager Dan Spilo as saying.

Duncan, who was 6 feet four inches (1.95 meters) tall, was a former bodyguard² for Will Smith and a couple of other Hollywood actors. He later turned to acting³, beginning with minor⁴ roles in films and television series including "Bulworth" and "A Night at the Roxbury."

As his popularity soared, Duncan, at the recommendation of Bruce Willis, played John Coffey, a death row inmate⁵ opposite Tom Hanks as a correction officer at a 1930s prison in "Green Mile," a Stephen King novel adaptation. The drama won four nods for Academy Awards, including best actor for Duncan in a supporting role.

A prolific actor who appeared in several movies a year, Duncan also starred in films such as "Armageddon," "Planet of the Apes."

1 prolific   

adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的

参考例句：

• She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
• The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。

2 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。