Actor built disability-rights platform after cerebral palsy diagnosis informed role

US actor RJ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. in the Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad, has died at age 34 in Brownsville, Texas, his representative told the BBC.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his representative Sean Reilly told the BBC. No immediate cause of death was provided.

Mitte, who lived with cerebral palsy, drew on his own experience for his role as the son of Bryan Cranston’s chemistry-teacher-turned-methamphetamine-kingpin in the AMC series, which ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013. He earned a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014 for his work on the show.

“Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion,” Reilly said in a statement to the BBC.

Beyond acting, Mitte served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s. He created The Mitte Foundation to support philanthropic efforts and community initiatives, using his platform “to challenge stereotypes and promote greater representation for people with disabilities,” Reilly said.

Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, earned 58 Primetime Emmy nominations and won 16, including two for Outstanding Drama Series in 2013 and 2014. The series, which also starred Aaron Paul, is widely credited as one of the best US television dramas of the 21st century.

Cranston plays a New Mexico high school chemistry teacher who turns to manufacturing methamphetamine after a cancer diagnosis. As he descends deeper into the drug trade, he drifts further from his son, Walt Jr., whose displeasure with his father’s choices was expressed through levity across much of the series.

Mitte grew up in Louisiana and moved to Los Angeles as a young teen in 2005 to support his younger sister’s acting career. He previously said his first audition in the city was for a California state public service announcement for an anti-methamphetamine commercial.

“Fast forward to auditioning for Breaking Bad, which is still, in my opinion, an anti-meth thing because it doesn’t end well for anyone,” he said earlier this month on the Joe Vulpis Podcast.

His character was based on Gilligan’s late friend, who had a more severe case of cerebral palsy and used forearm crutches, which Mitte did not require.

Mitte’s other on-screen credits include Hannah Montana, Switched at Birth, Westhampton, and Talking to Strangers, which came out earlier this year.