Roy Frank "RJ" Mitte III (; born August 21, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Born and raised in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
, Mitte was diagnosed with
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
when he was three. He moved to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
in 2006, and worked with a personal talent manager to find acting opportunities where his disability could educate viewers. After making
cameos in
sitcoms
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...
, he was cast in his
breakthrough role
A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the theatre, film and television industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of crit ...
as
Walter White Jr. on the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
series ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
'' (2008–2013).
Mitte has starred in the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
family drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
series
''Switched at Birth'' (2014) and the
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
animated
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
series ''
The Guardians of Justice'' (2022). He has appeared in films like ''
Who's Driving Doug
''Who's Driving Doug'' is a 2016 American independent drama road film directed by David Michael Conley, starring RJ Mitte, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Daphne Zuniga, and Ray William Johnson, and featuring Travis Flores. It was produced by David Katz and N ...
'', the
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
drama
''Time Share'' (2018), the
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
''
Standing Up for Sunny'' (2019), the thriller
''The Oak Room'' (2020), and the drama
''Triumph'' (2021), the lattermost of which he executive produced.
Mitte has advocated for cerebral palsy and other disabilities. He is a
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
spokesman for actors with disabilities, and a celebrity ambassador for
United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities. As one of the largest health nonpro ...
. He received the SAG-AFTRA
Harold Russell
Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran and actor. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946 ...
Award in 2013.
Early life
Mitte was born in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
. He was delivered by emergency
caesarean
Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because vaginal delivery would ...
and was not breathing at the time of his birth, which resulted in permanent
brain damage
Brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage.
A common ...
. He was adopted a few weeks later by Michael Scott Mitte and Dyna Mitte, who later separated. He was diagnosed with
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
at the age of three, and doctors put his legs in casts for six months in an attempt to straighten his feet.
Mitte was fitted with
leg braces
Orthotics () is a medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses, sometimes known as braces, calipers, or splints. An is "an externally applied device used to influence the structural and functional characteristics of ...
and used
crutch
A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the human leg, legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities.
Hi ...
es throughout most of his childhood; however, over time, his body became stronger through sports and exercise; he no longer needed any walking devices by his teenage years.
In 2006, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where his younger sister Lacianne Carriere had received an offer for a role in a film project.
Mitte was raised by his mother following his parents' separation. After she became paralyzed, Mitte assumed financial responsibility for his family at the age of 13, which by then also included his sister, who had been born when he was 11. As of 2015, he remained financially responsible for both his mother and sister.
Career
After receiving several roles as an extra, including in the Disney series ''
Hannah Montana
''Hannah Montana'' is an American teen sitcom created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll, and Barry O'Brien that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between March2006 and January2011. The series centers on Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cy ...
'',
Mitte became interested in films and decided to take acting lessons. Shortly after, he was offered the role of
Walter White Jr., a character who also has cerebral palsy, in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad''.
At the 2013 Media Access Awards, Mitte received the SAG-AFTRA
Harold Russell
Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran and actor. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (1946 ...
Award for his portrayal of Walter White Jr. on the series and also presented the eponymous RJ Mitte Diversity Award to deaf actor
Ryan Lane.
The
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
named Mitte as the spokesman for actors with disabilities and he is the representative of Inclusion in the Arts and Media of Performers with Disabilities, which employs artists with disabilities.
Mitte starred in the short horror film ''Stump'' in 2011. That same year, he worked as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of the documentary ''Vanished: The Tara Calico Story'', about the disappearance of
Tara Calico. Mitte was cast in the 2012
thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
film ''
House of Last Things''.
Mitte appeared in the 2013
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Dead Bite" by rapcore band
Hollywood Undead
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. All of the band members use pseudonyms and previously wore their own unique mask, most of which were based on the common goaltender mask, hockey goalten ...
. In January 2014, he began a recurring role on the
ABC Family
American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
drama series ''
Switched at Birth'' portraying Campbell, a premed student paralyzed from a snowboarding accident who uses a wheelchair.
Mitte modeled for a spring 2014
Gap ad campaign.
Mitte appeared on the cover of the February/March 2015 issue of ''Neurology Now'' (published by the
American Academy of Neurology
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is a professional society representing over 40,000 neurologists and neuroscientists. As a medical specialty society it was established in 1948 by A.B. Baker of the University of Minnesota to advance the a ...
). The issue included a short biography and his views on cerebral palsy, bullying, and his acting career. He was also named a celebrity ambassador for
United Cerebral Palsy
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is an international nonprofit charitable organization consisting of a network of affiliates. UCP is a leading service provider and advocate for adults and children with disabilities. As one of the largest health nonpro ...
in 2015.
Mitte went on to walk the catwalk for
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...
in June 2015. On 17 November 2015, Mitte was announced to be a presenter as part of British
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's coverage of the
2016 Rio Summer Paralympics. He appeared in the music video for "If I Get High" by
Nothing but Thieves
Nothing but Thieves are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in 2012 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Conor Mason, guitarist Joe Langridge-Brown, guitarist and keyboardist Dominic Craik, bassist Philip Bla ...
in 2016.
Personal life
Mitte revealed in an
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
post in 2023 that he has been in a relationship with Kennedy Blaire since October 2022.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
RJ Mitte discusses'' Breaking Bad''at
AMCTV.com
AMC (an abbreviation of the channel's original name, American Movie Classics) is an American basic cable television channel that is the flagship property of AMC Networks. Launched in late 1984, the channel aired classic films prior to the 197 ...
, 2009
RJ Mitte — ''Breaking Bad'' Is Good Interviewwith ''
ABILITY Magazine
''Ability'' is an American bimonthly magazine founded by Chet Cooper in 1990, and launched as the first newsstand magazine focused on issues of health and disability. ''Ability'' is ranked in the Top 50 Magazines in the World. It is distribute ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitte, Rj
1992 births
21st-century American male actors
American adoptees
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Living people
Models with disabilities
People with cerebral palsy
Male actors from Jackson, Mississippi
American actors with disabilities
Television presenters with disabilities