Bruce Campbell just revealed he has cancer
The 67-year-old actor and voice of Ash Williams announced his diagnosis on Monday. He stated the condition is treatable but not curable.
Actor and voice actor Bruce Campbell announced on March 2 that he has been diagnosed with cancer. The 67-year-old shared the news publicly and explained that his condition is treatable but not curable. According to TMZ, Campbell is stepping back from public appearances and convention commitments to focus on his medical treatment. He noted that he will be reducing his workload immediately.
Because I am from Ferndale, Michigan, Campbell is a hometown hero of mine. I first saw Evil Dead 2 late at night on a sleepover when I was probably way too young to watch it. Then in ninth grade, my buddies and I went to see Army of Darkness at the local theater. We had absolutely no idea it was a sequel to Evil Dead until the movie actually started. It was a fantastic surprise. I even ended up working on a few shows that Campbell was part of, though that is a story for another time. I am an enormous fan of everything he does.
Four decades of Ash Williams
Campbell has a massive footprint in the video game industry. He started voicing digital versions of Ash Williams in 2000 with Evil Dead: Hail to the King on the original PlayStation, Dreamcast, and PC. The survival horror game played a lot like Resident Evil, complete with tank controls and pre-rendered backgrounds. He kept returning to the character for A Fistful of Boomstick in 2003 and Regeneration in 2005. Both of those titles moved the franchise into more action-oriented, hack-and-slash territory on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
Most recently, he voiced Ash in the 2022 asymmetrical multiplayer title Evil Dead: The Game. Developed by Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games, that release launched on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A Nintendo Switch version was planned but was cancelled in September 2023. It pulled together characters and locations from the entire film and television franchise. Campbell recorded extensive voice lines for multiple different versions of Ash. It covered his appearances from the original 1981 film all the way through the Ash vs Evil Dead television series. He also brought the character to Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight in 2019 as a survivor.
Sarcastic tutorials and space combat
His voice work goes well beyond the horror genre. Campbell narrated the tutorial sections of the early 2000s Spider-Man movie tie-in games. He brought a dry sarcasm to the instructions, frequently mocking the player for failing basic tasks or taking too long to swing across gaps. Those tutorials became a beloved staple of the Neversoft and Treyarch superhero titles.
He also voiced lead characters in late-90s PC and console games. He played explosives expert Jake Burton in the 1997 PlayStation action game Broken Helix. That title was an early pioneer of branching storylines and 3D movement. A few years later, he voiced mercenary pilot Jake Logan in the 2000 space combat simulator Tachyon: The Fringe. NovaLogic developed that PC exclusive, and Campbell's performance gave the game a distinct personality in a crowded genre.
Canceling conventions to focus on treatment
Campbell plans to resume touring for his new film Ernie and Emma this fall. Until then, he is prioritizing his medical care. He has spent four decades entertaining us across film, television, and video games. Right now, he just needs time to focus on his health and his family.
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