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Bruce Campbell

Date of Birth
22 June 1958, Birmingham, Michigan, USA

Birth Name
Bruce Lorne Campbell

Height
6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography
"Uncle Sam's favorite son" as the lyrics to the theme of "Jack of All Trades" (2000) go, was born June 22, 1958 (the youngest of 3 brothers) in Royal Oak, Michigan. As a child, Bruce watched "Lost in Space" (1965) on TV, and ran around dressed as Zorro. He got the acting bug at age 8; his dad was performing in local community theater. At 14, Bruce got to play the young prince in "The King and I" and even got to sing. He went on to appear in several community theater productions, including "South Pacific". However, he was also interested in directing, and shot super-8 flicks with a neighborhood pal.

Perhaps through fate, he met future director Sam Raimi in a high school drama class in 1975. Soon, along with Sam, and now a bunch of other high school pals, Bruce filmed about 50 super-8 movies. During the summer of 1976, he was an apprentice in northern Michigan at Traverse City's Cherry County Playhouse, a summer-stock company. Bruce worked 18-hour days putting up sets, being assistant stage manager, doing errands, etc. No money, but it was a learning experience (it was show biz). He attended Western Michigan University and took theater courses. Bruce became a production assistant for a company that made commercials in Detroit.

In the early part of 1979, with buddy Sam Raimi, he decided to become a pro filmmaker. Armed with a super-8 horror film Within The Woods (1978) which they showed potential investors, they raised $350,000 to make The Evil Dead (1981) which Bruce co-produced and starred in as "Ash". Four years later, the completed film became the best-selling video of 1983 in England, and New Line Cinema got it a US release. Around this time, he married his first wife, and they had 2 kids.

They raised 10 times as much cash for the sequel Evil Dead II (1987) again co-produced by Bruce and starring him as "Ash". He moved to L.A. In 1990, while filming Mindwarp (1992), he met his future second wife (costume designer Ida Gearon) on the set. In 1992, he rejoined Sam, and Bruce co-produced and starred as "Ash" in the 3rd of The Evil Dead trilogy, Army of Darkness (1992) for Universal Studios.

On TV, Bruce directed many episodes of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (1995). Bruce also acted as the recurring character "Autolycus", the King of Thieves; he portrayed this villain with zest in both "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (1995) and "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995). Bruce's latest television venture was starring as the title rogue of "Jack of All Trades" (2000). Everybody loves Jack. And everybody's heard of him -- "There ain't a French or pirate rogue who don't know Jack!"

Bruce currently stars in the TV series Burn Notice, and has recently directed his own film, My Name Is Bruce, where Bruce is invited to kill a legendary Chinese wizard who has risen from the grave and is killing off the locals



News | What members say | Filmography

Bruce Campbell - news / articles


  • Campbell: 'Evil Dead shoots were long and miserable' - 7 September 2010
    -Bruce Campbell is hesitant about cheering for another Evil Dead movie because working with director pal Sam Raimi is "long and miserable".- -The actor has starred in all three of Raimi's cult horror movies and there's forever talk of a fourth.- - Campbell insists he'd

Bruce Campbell - what members say


  • Evil Dead 2 - Dead by Dawn
  • Evil Dead 2 - Dead by Dawn review by TheBigLebowski from Great Britain
    Rated - 5.0 stars THIS IS THE DADDY!!!! 7 February 2005
    ...Whatever Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell do in the future-their careers will be always be defined by THIS movie..(And that includes Spiderman I,II..Darkman..Quick And The Dead.....   Read customer review
  • The Evil Dead
  • The Evil Dead review by russella0 from Aberdeenshire, Scotland
    Rated - 5.0 stars Still a fantastic watch ! 24 October 2005
    ...renting for the commentries from both the director / producer and the fantastic Bruce Campbell both are well worth listening to and very interesting. The film has a dated ...   Read customer review
  • Spider-Man
  • Spider-Man review by A customer from Newcastle
    Rated - 5.0 stars EXCELLENT, MUST SEE MOVIE! 17 May 2004
    ...nd screenwriter David Koepp joining forces was the result of superhero classic. Bruce Campbell [ from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead] has his own cameo in the movie too. see this movi...   Read customer review

Bruce Campbell - filmography


  • My Name Is Bruce on DVD (2007)
    Starring: Adam Boyd,  Bruce Campbell,  Mike Estes
    Director: Bruce Campbell
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 54% from 3,607 members
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  • My Name Is Bruce - Blu-ray (2007)
    Starring: Adam Boyd,  Bruce Campbell,  Mike Estes
    Director: Bruce Campbell
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Something evil is stirring in the small mining town of Gold Lick, and it's not happy. Guan-di, the Chinese protector of the dead with a strange affinity for bean curd, has been awakened by reckless teenagers, and now his bloody crusade to wipe out the town's entire population can only be stopped by ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 54% from 1,529 member
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  • The Woods on DVD (2006)
    Starring: Agnes Bruckner,  Patricia Clarkson,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Lucky McKee
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Equal parts Dario Argento and Henry James, Lucky McKee's brooding psychological horror film stars Agnes Bruckner as Heather, a young woman with a tendency to set things on fire. Her exasperated parents send her off to a remote boarding school in a mysterious wooded area, where it turns out the ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 51% from 3,021 members
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  • Sky High - Blu-ray (2005)
    Starring: Kurt Russell,  Michael Angarano,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Mike Mitchell
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    Most teenagers cringe at the thought of meeting their parents' high expectations good grades, well-behaved friends, and a plan for the future and none more so than Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), the son of legendary superheroes Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston). This ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 65% from 1,136 member
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  • Man with the Screaming Brain (2005)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ted Raimi,  Antoinette Byron
    Director: Bruce Campbell
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
    A story of greed, betrayal and revenge in the a small Bulgarian town. William Cole, wealthy industrialist, winds up with part of his brain replaced by that of a Russian cab driver Yegor. The two couldn't be more different, but they share one thing - both were killed by the same woman. Brought back ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 56% from 95 members
    Currently unavailable
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  • Sky High (2005)
    Starring: Kurt Russell,  Michael Angarano,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Mike Mitchell
    Certificate: Certificate: PG
    Most teenagers cringe at the thought of meeting their parents' high expectations good grades, well-behaved friends, and a plan for the future and none more so than Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano), the son of legendary superheroes Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston). This ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 64% from 17,998 members
    Not currently released
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  • Bubba Ho-Tep - Bonus Material on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ossie Davis,  Ella Joyce
    Director: Don Coscarelli
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Includes the following special features: -Joe R. Lansdale Reads From Bubba Ho-Tep. -Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Don Coscarelli And Bruce Campbell. -"The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep" -Featurette. "To Make A Mummy" -Featurette. "Fit For A King" -Featurette. "Rock Like An Egyptian" -..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 65% from 86 members
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  • Spider-Man on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Tobey Maguire,  Bruce Campbell,  Willem Dafoe
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Based on the classic Marvel Comics series, Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN deftly details the origin of the web-slinging superhero. When awkward New York City teenager Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) attends a class field trip to a laboratory, he gets bitten by a genetically altered spider while taking photos ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 69% from 57,427 members
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  • Serving Sara on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Matthew Perry,  Elizabeth Hurley,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Reggie Hudlin
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Fetching Sara Moore (Elizabeth Hurley) thinks that she is a happily married woman until process server Joe Tyler (Matthew Perry) shows up at her Manhattan apartment to serve her with divorce papers. Sara gives Joe a run for his money, fleeing to the Estee Lauder Salon (a nice touch for those who ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 51% from 2,017 members
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  • Bubba Ho-Tep - Blu-ray (2002)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ossie Davis,  Ella Joyce
    Director: Don Coscarelli
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Don Coscarelli's BUBBA HO-TEP finds Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) alive but not so well, living in a small Texas nursing home. Although he's preoccupied with his ailments and his memories, the elderly Elvis befriends another resident, John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), when they both begin to suspect ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 66% from 972 members
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  • Terminal Invasion on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Chase Masterson
    Director: Sean S. Cunningham
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Passengers for a charter flight are stranded in an airport during one of the worst blizzards. All phone lines are down, radios are only transmitting static and mobile phones rendered useless. The grounded passengers are joined by convicted murderer, Jack Edwards whose van skidded off the road en ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 49% from 267 members
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  • Spider-Man - Blu-ray (2002)
    Starring: Tobey Maguire,  Bruce Campbell,  Willem Dafoe
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Based on the classic Marvel Comics series, Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN deftly details the origin of the web-slinging superhero. When awkward New York City teenager Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) attends a class field trip to a laboratory, he gets bitten by a genetically altered spider while taking photos ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 71% from 71 members
    Due for release on 2nd July 2012
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  • Bubba Ho-Tep on DVD (2002)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ossie Davis,  Ella Joyce
    Director: Don Coscarelli
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Don Coscarelli's BUBBA HO-TEP finds Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) alive but not so well, living in a small Texas nursing home. Although he's preoccupied with his ailments and his memories, the elderly Elvis befriends another resident, John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), when they both begin to suspect ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 60% from 14,462 members
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  • Assault On Dome 4 on DVD (1997)
    Starring: Joseph Culp,  Bruce Campbell,  Jocelyn Seagrave
    Director: Gilbert Po
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    In this science-fiction action opus, intergalactic terrorist Alex Windham (Bruce Campbell) has seized control of Dome 4, a scientific outpost on another planet, after escaping from a penal colony on Mars. Windham is forcing the staff of Dome 4 to construct new weapons that he can use to destroy his ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 47% from 47 members
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  • Running Time on DVD (1997)
    Starring: Jeremy Roberts,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Josh Becker
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Carl, an ex-con who sets out to rob the prison laundry system where he worked for 5 years (while in the pen), has spent ten years in prison planning the ultimate heist. Upon his release, he meets up with a high school buddy, who's made all the arrangements for the job, and rented him a hooker for ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 62% from 126 members
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  • Escape From L.A. - Blu-ray (1996)
    Starring: Peter Jason,  Le,  Kurt Russell
    Director: John Carpenter
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    When John Carpenter and Kurt Russell teamed up for this sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, the idea was to kick butt and have fun. They do just that in ESCAPE FROM L.A., an explosive film that recalls the classic original in all the best ways. Infamous adventurer Snake Plissken gets another raw deal ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 61% from 560 members
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  • Escape From L.A. on DVD (1996)
    Starring: Peter Jason,  Le,  Kurt Russell
    Director: John Carpenter
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    When John Carpenter and Kurt Russell teamed up for this sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, the idea was to kick butt and have fun. They do just that in ESCAPE FROM L.A., an explosive film that recalls the classic original in all the best ways. Infamous adventurer Snake Plissken gets another raw deal ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 58% from 5,635 members
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  • Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
    Starring: Laurene Landon,  Bruce Campbell,  Robert Z'Dar
    Director: William Lustig
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    Surviving the attempts of his superiors to frame him and leave him for dead, a heroic cop teams up with a vicious serial killer to avenge his treatment. These unlikely allies mete out a new brand of justice and retribution across a city gripped by fear.
    2.5 stars out of 5 53% from 495 members
    Not currently released
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  • Darkman on DVD (1990)
    Starring: Liam Neeson,  Frances McDormand,  Colin Friels
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    Neglecting Julie (Frances McDormand), his lawyer lady friend, Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) works feverishly to perfect his latest invention -- artificial skin that could be used to treat burn victims. Peyton himself falls victim to an explosion when one of Julie's crooked clients sends his ..read more »
    3 stars out of 5 60% from 2,799 members
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  • Intruder on DVD (1989)
    Starring: Elizabeth Cox,  Renee Estevez,  Danny Hicks
    Director: Scott Spiegel
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    The ex-boyfriend of a check-out girl at a supermarket returns at closing time to make trouble. They quarrel and the boyfriend is ejected from the store. After they lock the building up to take inventory, the employees start dying off, and the survivors must eventually find a way to escape with ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 52% from 366 members
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  • Maniac Cop on DVD (1988)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Laurene Landon,  Tom Atkins
    Director: William Lustig
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    New York is being terrorised by a series of grim mutilation murders. The public is outraged when it is discovered that the killer is a cop. Innocent policemen are killed by a panic-stricken public. The city is in an uproar and needs to be rid of the menace...
    3 stars out of 5 56% from 1,068 member
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  • Maniac Cop - Blu-ray (1988)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Laurene Landon,  Tom Atkins
    Director: William Lustig
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    New York is being terrorised by a series of grim mutilation murders. The public is outraged when it is discovered that the killer is a cop. Innocent policemen are killed by a panic-stricken public. The city is in an uproar and needs to be rid of the menace...
    3 stars out of 5 58% from 17 members
    Currently unavailable
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  • Evil Dead 2 - Dead By Dawn - Blu-ray (1987)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Sarah Berry,  Dan Hicks
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Unavailable
    In this sequel-remake of the original EVIL DEAD, a group of people are trapped in a cabin while ancient evil lurks outside and threatens a fate worse than death. Can brawny wiseguy Ash save the day, or will his dead girlfriend come back to cause more trouble
    4 stars out of 5 77% from 1,236 member
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  • Evil Dead 2 - Dead by Dawn on DVD (1987)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Sarah Berry,  Dan Hicks
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    Watch now: Unavailable
    This high-octane semi-sequel to Sam Raimi's cult hit The Evil Dead has nearly eclipsed its predecessor's reputation thanks to an endless barrage of hyperkinetic camera acrobatics, rapid-fire editing and splatstick gore effects ... not to mention a truly goofy performance by Bruce Campbell. Nearly ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 72% from 11,198 members
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  • Crimewave on DVD (1985)
    Starring: Louise Lasser,  Brion James,  Bruce Campbell
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Fed up of his business partner, Ernest Trend hires the services of two exterminators. When things go drastically wrong and they murder the wrong man, the race is on to frame an innocent video surveillance man.
    3 stars out of 5 55% from 508 members
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  • The Evil Dead on DVD (1982)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ellen Sandweiss,  Betsy Baker
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
    Director Sam Raimi's first film has achieved legendary status since its 1982 release, and for good reason. Though perhaps not as widely seen as its two sequels, EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS, THE EVIL DEAD is arguably the best of the three. It is the story of five college-age friends who travel ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 70% from 12,374 members
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  • The Evil Dead - Blu-ray (1982)
    Starring: Bruce Campbell,  Ellen Sandweiss,  Betsy Baker
    Director: Sam Raimi
    Certificate: Certificate: 18
    Watch now: Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant
    Director Sam Raimi's first film has achieved legendary status since its 1982 release, and for good reason. Though perhaps not as widely seen as its two sequels, EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS, THE EVIL DEAD is arguably the best of the three. It is the story of five college-age friends who travel ..read more »
    4 stars out of 5 76% from 629 members
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Bruce Campbell facts

5 most recent films

Burn Notice - The Fall of Sam Axe - 3.5 stars
Burn Notice - Season 4 - 4.0 stars
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - 3D Blu-ray - 3.5 stars
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - 3.5 stars
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Blu-ray - 3.5 stars

5 highest-rated films

Burn Notice - Season 2 - 4.0 stars
Burn Notice - Season 3 - 4.0 stars
Evil Dead 2 - Dead By Dawn - Blu-ray - 4.0 stars
The Evil Dead - Blu-ray - 4.0 stars
Burn Notice - Season 1 - 4.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films

Gold Rush - 2.5 stars
Assault On Dome 4 - 2.5 stars
Maniac Cop - Blu-ray - 3.0 stars
Burn Notice - The Fall of Sam Axe - 3.5 stars
Burn Notice - Season 4 - 4.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Sharon Gless - 14 times - show films
Gabrielle Anwar - 14 times - show films
Jeffrey Donovan - 14 times - show films
Dan Hicks - 11 times - show films
Ted Raimi - 10 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Sam Raimi - 17 times - show films
Rod Hardy - 10 times - show films
Colin Bucksey - 10 times - show films
Josh Becker - 9 times - show films
Rick Jacobson - 7 times - show films