'A fearless storyteller who helped shape a new generation': Tributes to Michael Campbell, who has died aged 35 - actor staged award-winning Shakespeare performance after Motor Neurone Disease diagnosis
Tributes have been paid to actor Michael Campbell, who has passed away around 18 months after his award-winning Shakespeare stage performance from a wheelchair following a diagnosis with Motor Neuron Disease.
The Belfast performer had appeared in hit shows such as ‘Blue Lights’ and ‘Game Of Thrones’, and in the last few months of his life masterminded a darkly funny short film about his diagnosis called ‘So You’re Going To Die’, starring James Nesbitt and Conor MacNeill.
Just last year he won a prestigious UK-wide theatre award for starring in the title role of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of Richard III’ in Belfast’s Lyric Theatre. The character was reframed as someone who had developed a disability as part of a terminal illness; by the time the production made it to the stage, Michael was himself in a wheelchair.
Described as “a landmark performance in a production that centred disability and disabled performers”, award judges from industry journal the Stage said: “Acting performances are regularly described as brave, but there can be very few performers who have displayed the fortitude on stage that Michael did in this production. It was truly astonishing.”
Known professionally as Michael Patrick, he studied science at Cambridge University and performed in its renowned Footlights comedy troupe, before gaining theatrical training in London.
Racking up an enviable number of stage, screen and radio credits, with regular collaborator Oisin Kearney he was behind a well-reviewed BBC3 comedy, ‘My Left Nut’. Drawing heavily on his teenage years, the 2020 series was described as a “male Derry Girls” carrying important health messages for adolescent boys.
Diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2023, Michael continuing working and in particular dedicated himself to writing.
After his death this week aged just 35, tributes have poured in from the creative community.
Industry body Northern Ireland Screen said its staff and board are “deeply saddened” by the passing of a man who “made a significant impact” on the province’s performance scene.
In a post on social media, the body stated: “Defined by honesty, courage and a distinctive voice, Michael’s work will continue to engage, educate and entertain audiences for years to come, ensuring his stories endure. He leaves a lasting legacy as a fearless storyteller who helped shape a new generation of Northern Ireland screen talent.”
It also described his short film ‘So You’re Going To Die’ as “a moving, darkly humorous piece inspired by his diagnosis”, while praising another film, ‘Helpless’, as “a powerful story drawn from his lived experience exploring love, prejudice and disability”.
Dublin arts centre Axis Ballymun had Michael as its artist in residence in 2024, and last autumn staged his play ‘My Right Foot’, about his diagnosis.
Stating he was “an extraordinary artist and an extraordinary man”, centre officials paid tribute to his “exceptionally rich career”, adding last year’s play was “a true testament to his spirit, creativity, love, and resilience”.
In a social media post, his wife Naomi said: “Mick was an inspiration to everyone who was privileged enough to come into contact with him, not just in the past few years during his illness but in every day of his life.
“He lived a life as full as any human can live. Joy, abundance of spirit, infectious laughter. A titan of a ginger-haired man.”