Bruce Campbell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Bruce Campbell
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Campbell in June 2014
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Bruce Lorne Campbell
June 22, 1958 Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
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| Years active | 1972–present |
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| Children | 2 |
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is most famous for playing Ash Williams in the Evil Dead horror movie series, which was created by his friend, director Sam Raimi. Campbell started his career with the short film Within the Woods in 1978.
He is also known for appearing in many cult movies, which are films that have a dedicated group of fans. Some of these include Crimewave (1985), Maniac Cop (1988), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), where he played an elderly Elvis Presley.
On television, Campbell starred in the series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–1994) and Jack of All Trades (2000). He also had a fun, recurring role as Autolycus, the "King of Thieves," in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. From 2007 to 2013, he played Sam Axe in the popular TV show Burn Notice. He returned to his role as Ash Williams for the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead from 2015 to 2018.
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Early Life and Friendship with Sam Raimi
Bruce Lorne Campbell was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, on June 22, 1958. His father worked in advertising and also acted in local theater, which inspired Bruce. As a teenager, Campbell loved making short movies on Super 8 cameras with his friends.
In high school, he met Sam Raimi, who would become a famous director. They quickly became great friends and started making movies together. This friendship would shape both of their careers in Hollywood. After high school, Campbell went to Western Michigan University but continued to focus on acting.
Career Highlights
The Evil Dead Series
Campbell and Raimi's big break came from the Evil Dead series. They first made a short film called Within the Woods (1978) to get people to invest money in a full-length movie. With help from family and friends, they made The Evil Dead (1981). Campbell starred as the main character, Ash Williams, and also helped produce the film.
At first, the movie wasn't a huge hit. But after the famous horror author Stephen King said he loved it, the film gained popularity. It became a massive success in the United Kingdom and later in the United States. This led to two sequels, Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), which made Campbell a star among horror fans.
His character, Ash Williams, even appeared in a comic book series called Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, where he fought alongside Marvel superheroes.
Working with Famous Directors
Campbell has appeared in many of Sam Raimi's other films, often in funny short appearances called cameos. He had memorable cameos in all three of Raimi's Spider-Man movies. He also had a cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
He has also worked with other famous directors, like the Coen Brothers in The Hudsucker Proxy and John Carpenter in Escape from L.A..
Family-Friendly Roles
While known for horror, Campbell has also been in movies for all ages. He played Coach Boomer in the Disney movie Sky High (2005).
He has also done a lot of voice acting. He was the voice of the mayor in the animated movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009). He also voiced the secret agent car Rod "Torque" Redline in Pixar's Cars 2 (2011).
Television Success
Campbell has had a long and successful career in television. In the 1990s, he starred in the sci-fi western The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.. He also played the charming thief Autolycus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
His biggest TV role was Sam Axe in the series Burn Notice (2007–2013). Sam was a funny, retired Navy SEAL who helped his friends on spy missions. The character was so popular that he got his own TV movie, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011).
From 2015 to 2018, he returned to his most famous role in the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead, continuing the story of Ash Williams.
Writing and Other Projects
Besides acting, Campbell is also a successful writer. He wrote an autobiography called If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. The book was a bestseller and told the story of his career in a funny and honest way. He later wrote another book called Make ...! The Bruce Campbell Way, which was a comedy novel about his life.
He has also provided the voice for Ash Williams in several video games, including Evil Dead: The Game (2022).
Personal Life
Campbell was married to Christine Deveau from 1983 to 1989, and they have two children. In 1991, he married costume designer Ida Gearon, whom he met on a movie set. They live together in Jacksonville, Oregon.
Campbell is also an ordained minister, which means he can legally perform marriage ceremonies for people.
Selected Filmography
Here are some of Bruce Campbell's most well-known movies and TV shows.
Film
- The Evil Dead (1981) - as Ash Williams
- Crimewave (1985) - as Renaldo 'The Heel'
- Evil Dead II (1987) - as Ash Williams
- Maniac Cop (1988) - as Jack Forrest
- Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989) - as Robert Van Helsing
- Darkman (1990) - as Final Shemp (Cameo)
- Army of Darkness (1992) - as Ash Williams
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) - as Smitty
- Congo (1995) - as Charles Travis
- Escape from L.A. (1996) - as Surgeon General of Beverly Hills
- McHale's Navy (1997) - as Virgil
- Spider-Man (2002) - as Ring Announcer (Cameo)
- Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) - as Elvis Presley
- Spider-Man 2 (2004) - as Snooty Usher (Cameo)
- Sky High (2005) - as Coach Boomer
- The Ant Bully (2006) - as Fugax (Voice)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007) - as Maître d' (Cameo)
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - as Mayor Shelbourne (Voice)
- Cars 2 (2011) - as Rod "Torque" Redline (Voice)
- Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - as Winkie Guard (Cameo)
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) - as Pizza Poppa Guy (Cameo)
Television
- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–1994) - as Brisco County, Jr.
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1995) - as Bill Church Jr.
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) - as Autolycus
- Xena: Warrior Princess (1996–1999) - as Autolycus
- Ellen (1996–1997) - as Ed Billik
- The Love Bug (1997) - as Hank Cooper
- Jack of All Trades (2000) - as Jack Stiles
- Burn Notice (2007–2013) - as Sam Axe
- Fargo (2015) - as Ronald Reagan
- Ash vs Evil Dead (2015–2018) - as Ash Williams
- Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2018–2020) - as King Edmund (voice)
See also
In Spanish: Bruce Campbell para niños
