Bruce Campbell
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Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958, Royal Oak, Michigan) is an American actor of Scottish descent. Campbell is very well-known for his starring role as Ash in the Evil Dead trilogy of horror/slapstick movies. He is a B-movie icon.
Early career
Campbell began acting as a teenager and soon began making small Super 8 movies with friends. After meeting Sam Raimi in 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. A few years and at least fifty movies later, they 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 directed. Four years later the movie became a cult hit in England, leading to American success and two sequels: Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness.Film career
Major roles
Campbell's best-known roles are as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films, and he has appeared in many of Raimi's films outside of the Evil Dead series. Campbell often takes on quirky roles, such as Elvis Presley in the film Bubba Ho-Tep, and appears in films that go straight to video or cable TV. Along with Bubba Ho-Tep, Campbell played a supporting role in the 2005 film Sky High, and is starring in the upcoming My Name is Bruce.Campbell was supposed to star in Darkman, but the studio reportedly insisted on Liam Neeson, unsure of Campbell's ability to play the role [link]. Campbell stayed on behind the scenes, credited as "additional voice recording", and appears as the true face of Darkman in the film's final shot. He was also one of the final contenders for the role of The Phantom, but it ultimately went to Billy Zane instead [link].
Cameos
Campbell undertakes numerous cameo appearances in films, and is known to pop up in all genres of film, often to serve as a comic relief. He has made cameo appearances in both Spider-Man films. In the first he played the wrestling announcer who dubbed Peter Parker "The Amazing Spider-Man". In the sequel, he played a snooty usher who criticized Peter Parker's appearance at length before refusing to let him into the theater, thereby causing a rift with Mary-Jane. He appears as a demonic plastic surgeon in John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.. Campbell has also had several small parts in the movies of Joel and Ethan Coen, appearing as an actor in a TV soap opera in Fargo, as well as bit parts in Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers.Acting style and personality
Many people consider Campbell to be the greatest "B-movie" star of all time. His acting style is an "over-the-top" machismo that lends itself well to roles such as that of Ash Williams, whom Campbell himself has dubbed "an idiot and a jerk like the rest of us" [link]. This style is parodied in the film The Majestic where Campbell appears as Roland the Intrepid Explorer in the B Movie Pirates of the Sahara written by Jim Carrey's screenwriter character. Campbell also excels at "reverse acting", a frequent filming technique of Raimi's where action sequences are filmed in the reverse sequence of how they will appear in the film.
Over the years, Bruce has developed a huge fanbase and he is a favorite at film conventions. Campbell has a reputation as being one of the nicest people in the business, featuring heavily in the opening chapter's of Sean Astin's autobiography as a friendly cult hero, and offers advice about getting into the film industry on his Web site.
Television and video games
Outside of film, Campbell has appeared in a number of television series. He starred in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. a boisterous comedy western created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse (who now writes/produces ABC's LOST) that ran for one season and Jack of All Trades, a similarly themed series set in the early days of American Independence. He is perhaps better known for his supporting role as the recurring character Autolycus ("the King of Thieves") on the fantasy series ' and . He also directed a number of episodes of Hercules and Xena., including the "Hercules" Series Finale. In addition to these more light-hearted roles, Campbell also had a well-received dramatic guest role as a grief-stricken detective seeking revenge for his father's murder in a two-part episode of '.
Campbell is featured as a voice actor in several video game titles. He provides the voice of Ash in the three latest Evil Dead-themed games, as well as titles such as ' ' and Spiderman 2. He also provides the voice of main character Jake Logan in the PC title, and the voice of Magnanimous in Megas XLR. He has had many appearances in other television shows, including Robot Chicken as himself, endorsing "Morning Wood".
Books
Campbell's autobiography, , traces his career as an actor in low-budget movies and television. The paperback version of the book adds a chapter about the reaction of fans at book signings. Campbell has also written a book entitled Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, a comedic novel featuring himself as the main character struggling to make it into the world of A-list movies.He later recorded an "audio-movie" version of his book Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way 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.
Trivia
- Campbell wrote an ongoing column for the short-lived X-Ray Magazine in Cincinnati, Ohio called "Off the Chin."
- Campbell currently lives in Medford, Oregon with his wife, Ida Gearon.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2006 | My Name is Bruce | Bruce Campbell | Filming |
| The Woods | Joe Fasulo | ||
| 2005 | Sky High | Coach Boomer | |
| Man with the Screaming Brain | William Cole | Also Directed and Co-wrote | |
| Alien Apocalypse | Dr. Ivan | ||
| 2002 | Serving Sara | Gordon Moore | |
| Bubba Ho-tep | Elvis Presley/Sebastian Haff | ||
| Timequest | William Roberts | ||
| 2001 | The Majestic | Roland the Intrepid Explorer | |
| 1999 | Icebreaker | Carl Greig | |
| 1998 | The Ice Rink | Actor | |
| 1997 | McHale's Navy | Virgil | |
| Running Time | Carl | ||
| 1996 | Menno's Mind | Mick Dourif, Rebel Leader | |
| 1995 | Congo | Charles Travis | |
| 1994 | The Hudsucker Proxy | Smitty, Argus Reporter | |
| 1993 | Army of Darkness | Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams | |
| 1992 | John Loftmore | ||
| 1987 | Evil Dead II | Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams | |
| 1983 | Going Back | Bruce Chapman | |
| 1981 | The Evil Dead | Ashley 'Ash' J. Williams | |
| 1979 | Within the Woods | Bruce |
References
- If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor (ISBN 0312242646),
- Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way (ISBN 0312312601)
External links
- [The Official Bruce Campbell Website]
- [Bruce Campbell] at the All Music Guide
- [Salon Interviews Bruce Campbell]
- [Kittenpants.org interview]
- [Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way] - Book Signing Photo Gallery @ TheGATE.ca
- [Bruce Campbell Interview] (fan interview)
- [Pixelsurgeon Interview]
- [Interview: Bruce Campbell] (Badmouth.net)
- [Bruce Campbell Facts] - a la Chuck Norris Facts style.
- [Interview with Bruce Campbell] on Slice of SciFi
- [SoundBoard] The Bruce Campbell Soundboard
| Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series |
|---|
| Films: The Evil Dead | Evil Dead II | Army of Darkness |
| Videogames: The Evil Dead | ' | ' | |
| Comic books: Army of Darkness: Ashes to Ashes | Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop Dead |
| Other topics: Ash Williams | Within the Woods | Bruce Campbell | Robert Tapert |
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