Alan Campbell (actor)
Bruce Alan Campbell (born April 22, 1957), credited professionally as Alan Campbell, is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Derek Mitchell in the 1987–1992 CBS series Jake and the Fatman and as E.Z. Taylor on the short-lived 1984–1985 Three's Company spin-off Three's a Crowd.[1]
Alan Campbell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bruce Alan Campbell April 22, 1957 Homestead, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 1 (Riley Rose Campbell) |
Early life and education
Campbell was born Bruce Alan Campbell on April 22, 1957 in Homestead, Florida, the son of Edward John Campbell, a farmer, and Audrey Carolyn Griner (1930–2015), a homemaker.[2] Campbell attended Tulane University and graduated with a BA in business from the University of Miami.
Career
On television, Campbell became known to viewers when he co-starred with John Ritter on the short-lived Three's Company spin-off Three's a Crowd (1984–1985) in which he played the comedic role of E.Z. Taylor, Jack Tripper's "surfer dude" assistant chef at his bistro. He also co-starred for five seasons with William Conrad and Joe Penny as Assistant District Attorney Derek Mitchell on the CBS crime drama Jake and the Fatman (1987–1992). Campbell has guest starred on numerous television shows including The Facts of Life, Matlock, All My Children, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Homicide: Life on the Street, as well as the web series, Submissions Only and Then We Got Help!.
Campbell was also an established stage actor having appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theater. In 1994, he made his Broadway debut in the New York premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard starring opposite Glenn Close and Alice Ripley, and received a Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award nomination for his performance as Joe Gillis, a role he reprised from the musical's 1993 US premiere in Los Angeles starring opposite Close, again, and Judy Kuhn. He also starred in Susan Stroman's 2000 Tony Award-winning musical Contact at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, and its final performance was broadcast by PBS as part of its Live from Lincoln Center series on September 1, 2002. His most current Broadway role was playing Sam Carmichael in the hit musical Mamma Mia! from 2014 until production ceased in September 2015.
His Off-Broadway credits include Adrift In Macao, Book of Days, Avow and Hello Again. He has appeared in several regional theatrical productions of Race, Death and the Maiden, 12 Angry Men, Hay Fever, Of Thee I Sing, Oleanna, Beauty and the Beast, Johnny Guitar, Bells Are Ringing, On Shiloh Hill, Boogie Woogie Rumble of a Dream Deferred and Breakfast at Tiffany's, and productions of I Love My Wife and The Nerd.
Personal life
Campbell was married to actress Nova Ball from 1987 to 1990. On October 10, 1999, he married actress Lauren Kennedy, with whom he appeared in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway. They are divorced and have one child, Riley Rose Campbell.
On April 24, 2008, Campbell and Kennedy opened the Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell Theater, which establishes a home for a burgeoning theater program at Barton College, a small liberal arts school in Wilson, North Carolina.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Final Terror | Kevin | a.k.a. Bump in the Night |
| 1986 | Weekend Warriors | Duckworth | a.k.a. Hollywood Air Force |
| 1989 | Tom, Dick and Harry | Tom | Short film |
| 1997 | A Simple Wish | Tony Sable | a.k.a. The Fairy Godmother |
| 2020 | Uncle Frank | Bernard | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | B.J. and the Bear | Young Officer | Episode: "Run for the Money: Part 1" |
| 1979 | The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Young Officer | Episode: "Run for the Money: Part 2" |
| 1981 | Red Flag: The Ultimate Game | Lt. Tommy Heinz | CBS TV film |
| 1983 | Another World | Evan Grant | |
| 1984–1985 | Three's a Crowd | E.Z. Taylor | 18 episodes |
| 1985 | The Facts of Life | Chuck | Episode: "Ballroom Dance" |
| 1986 | Matlock | Palmer | Episode: "The Don: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1987–1992 | Jake and the Fatman | Derek Mitchell | 103 episodes |
| 1998 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Dr. Sanford | Episode: "Lies and Other Truths" |
| 1998 | Encore! Encore! | Alan Bloom | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Live from Lincoln Center | Michael Wiley | Contact |
| 2004 | All My Children | Dr. Ellis Marshall | Recurring role |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mitchell Hissam | Episode: "Informed" |
| 2008 | Law & Order | Nolan Steele | Episode: "Driven" |
| 2009–2011 | Then We Got Help! | Thom | 20 episodes |
| 2011 | Submissions Only | Sam Moriarty | Episode: "Intersections" |
Theatre
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1997 | Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | Minskoff Theater |
| 2002 | Contact | Michael Wiley (replacement) | Vivian Beaumont Theater |
| 2014–2015 | Mamma Mia! | Sam Carmichael (replacement) | Broadhurst Theater |
Off-Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Avow | Father Raymond | Century Center for the Performing Arts |
| 2002 | Book of Days | James Bates | Signature Theater |
| 2007 | Adrift in Macao | Mitch | 59E59 Theater A |
| 2011 | Hello Again | The Senator | Transport Group, 52 Mercer Street |
Regional
| Year | Title | Role | Theater |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Boogie Woggie Rumble of a Dream Deferred | P.J. | Urban Arts Theater, New York City |
| 1982 | On Shiloh Hill | Johnny Reb | Westbeth Theater, New York City |
| 1984 | Many Thousand Gone | Tom | Ford's Theater, Washington, D.C. |
| 1985 | Almos' a Man | Jimmy | Soho Repertory Theater, New York City |
| 1993 | Sunset Boulevard | Joe Gillis | Shubert Theater, Los Angeles, California |
| 1998 | Bells Are Ringing | Jeff Moss | Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. |
| 1999 | Book of Days | James Bates | The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri |
| 2004 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | Chip | The Muny, St. Louis, Missouri |
| 2005 | Beauty and the Beast | The Beast | North Carolina Theatre, Raleigh, North Carolina |
| 2006 | Johnny Guitar | The Dancin' Kid | La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, California |
| 2007 | Hay Fever | Richard Greatham | Old Globe, San Diego, California |
| 2008 | Oleanna | John | Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples, Florida |
| 2008 | Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas | Russ, Pa | Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut |
| 2009 | Doubt | Father Flynn | Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples, Florida |
| 2010 | 12 Angry Men | Juror 8 | Pioneer Theater, Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 2010 | Death and the Maiden | Gerardo Escobar | Kennedy Theater, Raleigh, North Carolina |
| 2010 | Dracula | Dr. Seward | Carolina Ballet, Raleigh, North Carolina |
| 2012 | Race | Jack Lawson | Kennedy Theater, Raleigh, North Carolina |
| 2015 | Seminar | Leonard | Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (Cape Cod, MA) |
| 2016 | Alabama Story | Garth Williams | Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater (Cape Cod MA) |
| 2017 | The Christians | Pastor Paul | Guldshore Playhouse (Naples, FL) |
| 2017 | Rock and Roll Man | Alan Freed | Bucks County Playhouse (New Hope, PA) |
| 2019 | Rock and Roll Man | Alan Freed | Berkshire Theater Group/Colonial Theater (Pittsfeild, MA) |
| 2019 | Witness For The Prosecution | Sir Wilfred Robarts | Judson Theater (Pinehurst, NC) |
References
- The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2013. p. 599. ISBN 978-0-345-45542-0.
- Alan Campbell: Biography.
