RJ Mitte, ’Breaking Bad’ Star, Dead at 34
Mitte, who played Walter White Jr. on the Emmy-winning AMC drama, died Monday at his home in Brownsville, Texas. His representatives confirmed the death.
RJ Mitte, the actor who played Walter White Jr. on Breaking Bad, died Monday at his home in Brownsville, Texas. He was 34.
His representatives confirmed the death in a statement to Deadline. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” the statement said.
Cameron County Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa told USA Today that Mitte was pronounced dead at 1:32 p.m. local time. CNN reported that the justice of the peace’s office said the death was under investigation. No cause of death was announced.
Walt Jr. at 15
Mitte was 15 when he won the role of Walter “Flynn” White Jr., the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, in the show’s 2008 pilot. He stayed with the series through its final season in 2013, one of the few roles on television written for an actor with a disability.
A platform for disability rights
Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, like his character. He used his fame to push for disability representation in Hollywood, serving as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of his own charity, the Mitte Foundation.
Life after Breaking Bad
After the show, Mitte took guest roles on Switched at Birth, Vegas and Now Apocalypse, and appeared in films including Dixieland and Who’s Driving Doug. He starred in and executive produced Triumph, a sports drama about a wrestler with cerebral palsy. He shared three Screen Actors Guild ensemble nominations with the Breaking Bad cast and won one in 2014. In 2013, SAG-AFTRA gave him the Harold Russell Award, which honors work that brings understanding of disability to the public.
