Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell

Campbell in November 2009
Born Bruce Lorne Campbell
June 22, 1958 (1958-06-22) (age 52)
, U.S.
Occupation Actor, author, producer, writer, director
Years active 1976–present
Spouse Christine Deveau (m. 1983–1989) «start: (1983)–end+1: (1990)»"Marriage: Christine Deveau to Bruce Campbell" Location: (linkback:http://localhost../../../../articles/b/r/u/Bruce_Campbell_86b5.html)
Ida Gearon (m. 1991–present) «start: (1991)»"Marriage: Ida Gearon to Bruce Campbell" Location: (linkback:http://localhost../../../../articles/b/r/u/Bruce_Campbell_86b5.html)
Website
http://www.bruce-campbell.com/

Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. A legendary B-Movie actor, Campbell is most famous for his starring roles in cult films like The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-Tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. He stars in a spoof of his B-movie cult status in the 2007 film My Name Is Bruce. He has starred in mainstream cinema as well, most notably Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Congo and McHale's Navy. Campbell has had an extensive working relationship with director Sam Raimi, starring as Ash in Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy of horror-slapstick as well as cameos in Raimi's Spider-Man series and Darkman. He is currently starring as Sam Axe in Burn Notice on the USA Network.

Contents

Personal life

Background

Campbell was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of Joanne Louise (née Pickens), a homemaker, and Charles Newton Campbell, an amateur actor and traveling billboard inspector.[1] He has an older brother, Don, and an older half-brother, Michael Rendine.[2]

Family

Campbell's first wife was Christine Deveau, whom he married in 1983. They had two children, Rebecca and Andy, before their divorce in 1989. Campbell currently lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, with his second wife, costume designer Ida Gearon, whom he met in the set of the movie Mindwarp.

Career

Early years

Campbell signing a VHS copy of The Evil Dead at a fan meet-and-greet

Bruce Campbell began acting as a teenager and soon began making small Super 8 movies with friends. After meeting Sam Raimi in Wylie E. Groves High School, the two became very good friends and started making movies together. Campbell would go on to attend Western Michigan University while he continued to work on his acting career. Campbell and Raimi collaborated on a 30-minute Super 8 version of the first Evil Dead film, titled Within the Woods, which was initially used to attract investors.

Major film roles

A few years later, Campbell and Raimi got together with other family and friends and began work on The Evil Dead. Campbell starred and worked behind the camera, receiving a "co-executive producer" credit. Raimi wrote, directed and edited, while fellow Michigander Rob Tapert was producer.

Following an endorsement by horror writer Stephen King, the film slowly began to receive distribution. Four years following its original release, it became the number one movie in the UK. It then received distribution in the U.S., spawning two sequels: Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. The first two films in the series are considered horror classics and are credited with spawning the "horror comedy" genre.

He has appeared in many of Raimi's films outside of the Evil Dead series, notably including all the Spider-Man film series. Bruce Campbell also joined the cast in Raimi's Darkman and The Quick and the Dead, though having no actual screen time in the latter film's theatrical cut.

Campbell often takes on quirky roles, such as Elvis Presley in the film Bubba Ho-tep, and appears in B-Movies. Along with Bubba Ho-tep, Campbell played a supporting role in the 2005 film Sky High, and stars in My Name Is Bruce. He also was in the Jim Carrey drama The Majestic.

Campbell also had a key supporting role in the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy. He appeared in the Coen Brothers film Fargo as well.

He also starred in the Michael Crichton adaptation Congo. He starred in the much anticipated McHale's Navy remake as well as John Carpenter's sequel to his classic film Escape From New York, Escape From L.A.

Campbell was also the star of the Maniac Cop B-Movie franchise.

Campbell had a starring voice role in the hit film 2009 animated adaptation of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

In January 2010 told in a Interview that his new film project called Bruce vs. Frankenstein.[3] The film is directed and produced by his friend Mike Richardson.[4]

Television roles

Outside of film, Campbell has appeared in a number of television series. He starred in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. a boisterous sci-fi comedy western created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse that ran for one season. He played a lawyer turned bounty hunter who was trying to hunt down John Bly, the man who killed his father. He starred in the television series Jack of All Trades, set on a fictional island, occupied by the French in 1801. Campbell was also credited as co-executive producer, among others. The show was directed by Eric Gruendemann, and was produced by various people, including Sam Raimi. The show aired for two seasons, from 2000 to 2001. He had a recurring role as "Bill Church Jr." on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

In 1996-1997, Campbell was a recurring guest star on the show Ellen as Ed Billik, who becomes Ellen's boss when she sells her bookstore in season four. He is also known for his supporting role as the recurring character Autolycus ("the King of Thieves") on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which reunited him with producer Rob Tapert. Campbell played Hercules/Xena series producer Tapert in two episodes of Hercules set in the present. He directed a number of episodes of Hercules and Xena, including the Hercules series finale.

Campbell made a critically acclaimed dramatic guest role as a grief-stricken detective seeking revenge for his father's murder in a two-part episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. Campbell later played the part of a bigamous demon in The X-Files episode, "Terms of Endearment". He also starred as Agent Jackman in the episode "Witch Way Now?" of the WB series Charmed, as well as playing an FBI agent in an episode of the short-lived series American Gothic titled "Meet the Beetles".

Campbell presently stars on the TV series Burn Notice, which has aired since 2007 on USA Network. He portrays Sam Axe, a beer-chugging, womanizing former Navy SEAL now working as an unlicensed private investigator and occasional mercenary with his old friend Michael Westen, the show's main character.

Voice acting

Campbell is featured as a voice actor in several video game titles. He provides the voice of Ash in the three games based on the Evil Dead film series; Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick and Evil Dead: Regeneration. As well as titles such as Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, Spider-Man: The Movie, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

He provided the voice of main character Jake Logan in the PC title, Tachyon: The Fringe, the voice of main character Jake Burton in the PlayStation game Broken Helix and the voice of Magnanimous in Megas XLR. Campbell voiced the pulp adventurer Lobster Johnson in Hellboy: The Science of Evil and has done voice-over work for the Codemaster's game Hei$t, a game which was announced on the 28 January 2010 to have been "terminated". Most recently he provided the voice of The Mayor in the 2009 film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Writing

Autobiography

If Chins Could Kill

In addition to acting and occasionally directing, Campbell has become a writer, including authoring an autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. The autobiography was a successful New York Times Best Seller.[5] The paperback version of the book adds a chapter about the reaction of fans at book signings.

"Whenever I do mainstream stuff, I think they're pseudo-interested, but they're still interested in seeing weirdo, offbeat stuff. And that's what I'm attracted to."

If Chins Could Kill... was published in 2002 and follows Campbell's career to date as an actor in low-budget films and television, providing his insight into "Blue Collar Hollywood".

Comedy

Campbell has also written a book titled Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, a comical novel featuring himself as the main character struggling to make it into the world of A-list movies. He later recorded an audio play adaptation of Make Love with fellow Michigan actors including long time collaborator Ted Raimi. This radio drama styled interpretation of the novel was released through independent label Rykodisc and spans 6 discs with a 6 hour running time.

In addition to his novels, Campbell also wrote a column for X Ray Magazine in 2001, an issue of the popular comic series The Hire, comic book adaptations of his Man With The Screaming Brain and most recently he wrote the introduction to Josh Becker's The Complete Guide To Low Budget Feature Film Making.

He was also drawn in the Marvel Zombie comics as his character, Ash from the Evil Dead. He is featured in 5 comics all the series Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. In the comics he fights along side the Marvel heroes against the heroes and people who have turned into zombies (deadites) while in search of the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead.)

Blog

Campbell maintains a blog on his official website, where he posted mainly about politics and the film industry.[6]

Cameo roles

Filmography

Movies

Year Film Role Director Notes
1981 The Evil Dead Ashley J. "Ash" Williams Sam Raimi
1983 Going Back Brice Chapman Ron Teachworth
1985 Crimewave Renaldo 'The Heel' Sam Raimi
Stryker's War Video newscaster Josh Becker
1987 Evil Dead II Ashley J. "Ash" Williams Sam Raimi
1988 Maniac Cop Jack Forrest William Lustig
1989 Intruder Officer Howard Scott Spiegel
Moontrap Ray Tanner Robert Dyke
The Dead Next Door Voice J.R. Bookwalter
1990 Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Robert Van Helsing Anthony Hickox
Maniac Cop 2 Jack Forrest William Lustig
Darkman Final Shemp Sam Raimi Cameo
1991 Lunatics: A Love Story Ray Josh Becker
1992 Eddie Presley Asylum Attendant Jeff Burr
Waxwork II: Lost in Time John Loftmore Anthony Hickox
Mindwarp Stover Steve Barnett
Army of Darkness Ashley J. "Ash" Williams Sam Raimi
1994 The Hudsucker Proxy Smitty Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
1995 Congo Charles Travis Frank Marshall
The Demolitionist Raffle Winner Robert Kurtzman
1996 Fargo Soap Opera Actor Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Tornado! Jake Thorne Noel Nosseck Television film
Escape from L.A. Surgeon General of Beverly Hills John Carpenter
Assault on Dome 4 Alex Windham Gilbert Po Television film
1997 In the Line of Duty: Blaze of Glory Jeff Erickson Dick Lowry
Menno's Mind Mick Dourif, Rebel Leader Jon Kroll
Running Time Carl Josh Becker
McHale's Navy Virgil Bryan Spicer
The Love Bug Hank Cooper Peyton Reed Television film
Goldrush: A Real Life Alaskan Adventure Pierce Thomas 'PT' Madison John Power Television film
1998 The Ice Rink Actor Jean-Philippe Toussaint
1999 From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money Barry Scott Spiegel
2000 Icebreaker Carl Greig David Giancola
Timequest William Roberts Robert Dyke
2001 Hubert's Brain Thompson Phil Robinson Voice-only
The Majestic Roland the Intrepid Explorer Frank Darabont
2002 Spider-Man Ring Announcer Sam Raimi Cameo
Bubba Ho-tep Elvis Presley Don Coscarelli
Serving Sara Gordon Moore Reginald Hudlin
Terminal Invasion Jack Sean S. Cunningham Television film
2003 Drugs Bruce Chad Peter Direct-to-video
Intolerable Cruelty Soap opera actor on TV Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
2004 The Ladykillers Humane Society Worker Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Spider-Man 2 Snooty Usher Sam Raimi Cameo
2005 Alien Apocalypse Dr. Ivan Hood Josh Becker Television film
Man with the Screaming Brain William Cole Bruce Campbell
Sky High Coach Boomer Mike Mitchell
2006 The Woods Joe Fasulo Lucky McKee
Touch the Top of the World Ed Weihenmayer Peter Winther Television film
The Ant Bully Fugax John A. Davis Voice-only
2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Chicken Bittle Matt Maiellaro, Dave Willis Voice-only, Cameo
Spider-Man 3 Maître d’ Sam Raimi Cameo
2008 My Name is Bruce Himself Himself
2009 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Mayor Shelbourne Phil Lord, Chris Miller Voice-only
White on Rice Muramoto Dave Boyle Voice-only

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1987 Knots Landing Joel Benson 9.07 "Say Uncle"
1989 Generations Alan Stuart
1993 The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Brisco County Jr. Series Lead (1993–1994)
1995 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Autolycus 1995–1999
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Bill Church Jr. 2.20 "Individual Responsibility"; 2.21 "Whine, Whine, Whine"; 3.01 "We Have a Lot to Talk About"
American Gothic Lt. Drey 1.07 "Meet the Beetles"
1996 Ellen Ed Billik 7 episodes (1996–1997)
Xena: Warrior Princess Autolycus 1996–1999
Homicide: Life on the Street Jake Rodzinsky 4.13, 4.14 "Justice Parts 1 & 2"
1997 Weird Science Gene the Genie 5.11 "I Dream of Gene"
1998 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Rob Tapert 4.15 "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hercules"
Timecop Agent Tommy Maddox 1.09 "The Future, Jack, the Future"
1999 The X Files Wayne Weinsider 6.07 "Terms of Endearment"
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Rob Tapert 5.09 "For Those of You Just Joining Us.."
2000 Jack of All Trades Jack Stiles / Daring Dragoon Series Lead (2000–2001)
2001 Beggars and Choosers Jack 2.20 "The Long Goodbye"
The Legend of Tarzan Max Liebling 1.28 "Tarzan and One Punch Mullargan"
2002 Charmed FBI Agent Jackman 4.22 "Witch Way Now?"
2003 Duck Dodgers Pork Piggler 1.06 "K-9 Kaddy/Pig of Action"
My Life as a Teenage Robot Himcules 1.11 "Daydream Believer/This Time with Feeling"
2004 Megas XLR Magnanimous 1.03 "Battle Royale"; 2.02 "The Return"
2006 Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! Captain Shuggazoom 4.49 "Golden Age"
The Replacements Phil Mygrave 5 episodes (2006–2009)
2007 Burn Notice Sam Axe A Main Character (2007–Present)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bruce Campbell Biography
  2. ↑ Bruce Campbell Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  3. ↑ Bruce Campbell Vs. Frankenstein! Gimme Some Stitches, Baby!
  4. ↑ Listen up, screwheads! Bruce Campbell has a message for ya'!
  5. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/07/08/bsp/besthardnonfiction.html
  6. ↑ http://www.bruce-campbell.com/blog.asp

External links

Interviews