‘Breaking Bad’ actor RJ Mitte dead at 34
By Alli Rosenbloom, Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — RJ Mitte, the actor best known for his role on the Emmy-winning television show “Breaking Bad,” has died, according to a spokesperson from the office of Justice of the Peace Cyndi Hinojosa in Brownsville, Texas.
The spokesperson said Mitte died Monday, and that it’s an ongoing investigation.
The Brownsville Police Department told CNN they received an emergency call around midday local time on Monday. Mitte was already deceased when police arrived, they said. No foul play is suspected at this time.
In a statement shared by his representatives, Mitte’s family confirmed his passing and honored his philanthropy work as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, as well as through The Mitte Foundation. They also highlighted how he used “his platform to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities.”
Mitte – who lived with cerebral palsy – portrayed the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White across all five seasons of “Breaking Bad,” the TV hit that aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013, amassing many awards and accolades during its run including what was then known as a SAG Award for best ensemble.
A young start
Mitte was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1992, and moved to Hollywood at the age of 14 with his family in support of his sister, after she was discovered by an agent as a toddler in Houston, Texas.
He initially got work as an extra on shows like “Everybody Hates Chris” and “7th Heaven,” and his first listed job on IMDb is the uncredited role of school jock on TV’s “Hannah Montana” in 2007.
His first audition was a public service announcement for the state of California – “an anti-meth commercial,” he recalled on “The Joe Vulpis Podcast” earlier this month, noting the irony, considering his big break was on a show about a high school teacher who started making and selling methamphetamine.
In the same interview, Mitte reflected on starring on “Breaking Bad” during his teen years, noting, “back then we really didn’t realize how impactful the show was going to be.”
Acting wasn’t his plan, but in it, he found his “passion,” he said.
Mitte also posted a snippet of the podcast interview to his Instagram last week, in which he discussed how he felt that his storyline within the White family wasn’t over.
“I think there’s a lot of unanswered questions there that for them will probably never be answered,” he said. “I think there’s still a big step for the White family.”
He also alluded to his desire to “top ‘Breaking Bad’” in the future.
“I set a bar for myself as a young man that is kind of unobtainable. I tell people, I say, ‘Look, it’s a long way down from the top of the mountain.”
Working for representation
In 2021, Mitte starred in a film called “Triumph,” based on the real-life story of a high schooler with cerebral palsy who wanted to join the wrestling team. The actor said during an interview at the time that he could relate given his own journey with the condition.
“You know when you have a disability there’s these assumptions that you’re weaker, that you’re slower, that’ you’re fragile,” he said. “When I was a kid growing up with cerebral palsy there were a lot of times when [it was said] I would ‘never walk properly’ or I would ‘never talk properly.’ I would never have a normal life or career. That was the perception when I was a kid.”
“And my family was like ‘No, he’s going to go do things,’” he added.
Mitte told Able Magazine that the acting opportunities that were presented to him often related to his disability. “We want to see ourselves on TV and in films that represent us accurately while being entertaining,” he said.
The actor also had a recurring role on TV’s “Switched at Birth,” and this summer he starred opposite Finn Wittrock in the film “Westhampton.”
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