Bruce Campbell

Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor, voice actor, producer, writer and director. One of his best-known roles is Ash Williams in Sam Raimi‘s Evil Dead trilogy (1981-1993), collectively with Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Richard Domeier, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, and Ian Abercrombie. He would also appear in Raimi’s Crimewave (1985), with Reed Birney, Sheree J. Wilson, Paul L. Smith, Brion James, and Louise Lasser; Darkman (1990), with Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand; the Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), with Tobey Maguire; Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), with James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, William Bock, and Tony Cox; and the Marvelentry Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2023), with Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams.

He’s gone on to appear in many low-budget cult films such as William Lustig’s Maniac Cop (1988), with Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z’Dar, and Sheree North; Anthony Hickox’s Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), with David Carradine, Maxwell Caulfield, Morgan Brittany, Jim Metzler, John Ireland, Deborah Foreman, and M. Emmet Walsh; Icebreaker (2000), with Sean Astin and Stacey Keach; and Don Coscarelli‘s Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), with Ossie Davis. He also made an appearance in Joel & Ethan Coen‘s The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), with Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Newman.

In television, Campbell had lead roles in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–94) and Jack of All Trades (2000), and a recurring role as Autolycus, King of Thieves, in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–99). He played Sam Axe on the USA Network series Burn Notice (2007–13) and reprised his role as Ash Williams on the Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015–18). Campbell started his directing career with Fanalysis (2002) and A Community Speaks (2004), and then with the horror comedy feature films Man with the Screaming Brain (2005) and My Name Is Bruce (2007), the latter being a spoof of his career. He can also be seen as the role of the father in The Escort (2015).

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

Oedipus Rex (1972) – directed by Josh Becker – short
Supa’ Bad (1973) – also director – short
D-Day (1973) – also director – short
Day of Violence (1973) – also director – short
Three on a Couch (1974) – also co-director with Scott Spiegel – short
Half-Wits’ Holiday (1974) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
Manhunt (1974) – also director – short
Curse of the Werewolf (1974) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
All the Worlds a Stooge (1974) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
No Dough Boys (1974) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
You Nazi Spy (1974) – directed by Sam Raimi – short
The Singing Nuts (1974) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
I’ll Never Heil Again (1975) – co-directed with Scott Spiegel – short
The James R. Hoffa Story (1975) – co-directed with Scott Spiegel – short
The James R. Hoffa Story Part II (1976) – co-directed with Scott Spiegel – short
James Bombed in Here Today… Gun Tomorrow (1976) – directed by Scott Spiegel – short
Uncivil War Birds (1976) – directed by Sam Raimi – short
It’s Murder! (1977) – directed by Sam Raimi – short
Shemp Eats the Moon (1978) – directed by John Cameron – short
Within the Woods (1978) – directed by Sam Raimi – short
Holding It (1978) – directed by Josh Becker – short
Attack of the Helping Hand! (1979) – directed by Scott Spiegel – uncredited – short
William Shakespeare: The Movie (1979) – directed by Sam Raimi – short
Stryker’s War (1980) – directed by Josh Becker – short
The Blind Waiter (1980) – directed by Josh Becker & Scott Spiegel – short
The Evil Dead (1981)** – directed by Sam Raimi
Torro. Torro. Torro! (1981) – directed by Josh Becker & Scott Spiegel – short
Cleveland Smith: Bounty Hunter (1982) – directed by Josh Becker & Scott Spiegel (uncredited) – short
Going Back (1984) – directed by Ron Teachworth
Crimewave (1985) – directed by Sam Raimi
Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except (1985) – directed by Josh Becker – uncredited – also co-story
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987) – directed by Sam Raimi
Maniac Cop (1988) – directed by William Lustig
Intruder (1989) – directed by Scott Spiegel
Moontrap (1989) – directed by Robert Dyke
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989) – directed by Anthony Hickox
The Dead Next Door (1989) – directed by J.R. Bookwalter – uncredited
Maniac Cop 2 (1990) – directed by William Lustig
Darkman (1990) – directed by Sam Raimi – cameo
Lunatics: A Love Story (1991) – directed by Josh Becker
Mindwarp (1991) – directed by Steve Barnett
Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) – directed by Anthony Hickox
Eddie Presley (1992) – directed by Jeff Burr
Army of Darkness (1992) – directed by Sam Raimi – also co-producer
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
The Quick and the Dead (1995) – directed by Sam Raimi – scenes deleted
The Demolitionist (1995) – directed by Robert Kurtzman – uncredited
Congo (1995)* – directed by Frank Marshall
Fargo (1996) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen – uncredited
Tornado! (1996) – directed by Noel Nosseck – TV movie
Escape from L.A. (1996) – directed by John Carpenter
Assault on Dome 4 (1996) – directed by Gilbert Po – TV movie
In the Line of Duty (1997) – directed by Dick Lowry – TV movie
Manno’s Mind (1997) – directed by Jon Kroll
Running Time (1997) – directed by Josh Becker
McHale’s Navy (1997)* – directed by Bryan Spicer
The Love Bug (1997) – directed by Peyton Reed – TV movie
Goldrush: A Real Alaskan Adventure (1998) – directed by John Power – TV movie
The Ice Rink (1998) – directed by Jean-Philippe Toussaint (as Ala Patinoire)
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) – directed by Scott Spiegel
Icebreaker (2000) – directed by David Giancola
Timequest (2000) – directed by Robert Dyke
Hubert’s Brain (2001) – directed by Phil Robinson & Gordon Clark – short
The Majestic (2001) – directed by Frank Darabont – cameo
Spider-Man (2002)* – directed by Sam Raimi
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)* – directed by Don Coscarelli
Serving Sara (2002)* – directed by Reginald Hudlin
Terminal Invasion (2002) – directed by Sean S. Cunningham – TV movie
Drugs (2003) – directed by Chad Peter
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)* – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen – uncredited
Comic Book: The Movie (2004) – directed by Mark Hamill – cameo as himself
The Ladykillers (2004) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen – uncredited
Spider-Man 2 (2004)* – directed by Sam Raimi
Bench Pressly (2004) – directed by Zhenia Delioussine & John Eng – short
Alien Apocalypse (2005) – directed by Josh Becker
Man with the Screaming Brain (2005) -also director, writer
Sky High (2005)* – directed by Mike Mitchell
The Woods (2006) – directed by Lucy McKee
Touch the Top of the World (2006) – directed by Peter Winther – TV movie
The Ant Bully (2006) – directed by John A. Davis
Spider-Man 3 (2007)* – directed by Sam Raimi
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)* – directed by Matt Maiellaro & Dave Willis
My Name is Bruce (2007) – also director
White on Rice (2009) – directed by Dave Boyle – uncredited voice
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) – directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011) – directed by Jeffrey Donovan – TV movie
Cars 2 (2011)* – directed by John Lasseter & Brad Lewis
The Color of Time (2012) – directed by Edna Luise Biesold, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Gabrielle Demeestere, Alexis Gambis, Shruti Ganguly, Brooke Goldfinch, Shripriya Mahesh, Pamela Romanowsky, Bruce Thierry Cheung, Tine Thomasen, Virginia Urreiztieta & Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo
Oz the Great and powerful (2013)* – directed by Sam Raimi
Evil Dead (2013) – directed by Fede Alvarez – uncredited
The Escort (2016) – directed by Will Slocombe
Highly Functional (2017) – directed by Marc Forby
Black Friday (2021) – directed by Casey Tebo
18½ (2021) – directed by Dan Mirvish
One December Night (2021) – directed by Clare Niederpruem – TV movie
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)* – directed by Sam Raimi
My Southern Family Christmas (2022) – directed by Emily Moss Wilson – TV movie
Evil Dead Rise (2023) – directed by Lee Cronin – uncredited voice

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