Michael Clarke Duncan Grave 'Desecrated' with 'Sambo' Face: Family Fears Hate Crime
The family members of Michael Clark Duncan have requested a police investigation, after someone desecrated his grave.
The "Green Mile" actor suffered a heart attack in 2012, and was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. But family member recently visited the grave spot where Duncan was interred and discovered a small, black face stuck to the plot.
The family believes that the character resembles a "Sambo," according to TMZ, prompting them to believe that the act of sticking the figure to the tomb may have been a hate crime. In some languages, the term "Sambo" is used in a derogatory sense although in translation, it only refers to someone with African American and sometimes Native American heritage.
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Police "immediately" moved the black figurine from the grave, but the family has requested an investigation to discover who was behind putting the figure there in the first place. According to the report, "friends and family were shocked by the discovery" at the grave.
Duncan began his career as a bodyguard and worked for actors that include Will Smith and LL Cool J. He landed his first big role in "Armageddon" after doing small roles as bouncers or security in a handful of films. Following his official acting debut, he landed a role in "The Green Mile" for which he earned an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Duncan would go on to roles in more prominent films, including "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Daredevil." The actor eventually moved into television and appeared as a guest star on "Bones" in 2012 before landing a permanent role, playing the same character in the series spinoff "The Finder." His last television appearance before suffering a heart attack was in May on the "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."
