Some actors play a role. A rare few turn that role into a platform that outlasts the show. RJ Mitte, who played the son of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White on the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad and became a disability-rights activist drawing on his own life with cerebral palsy, has died at age 34.

The Confirmation

Mitte’s representatives confirmed the news Monday, saying he died in Brownsville, Texas. No immediate cause of death was given. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his reps said.

From Walter Jr. to a National Voice

Mitte’s Breaking Bad character, Walter Jr., also had cerebral palsy. The series, which ran from 2008 to 2013, earned 58 Primetime Emmy nominations and won 16, including two for Outstanding Drama Series. Its popularity gave Mitte a platform, and he used it to build awareness around disability and inclusion. He was also part of the cast that won the then-SAG Awards’ Ensemble in a Drama Series trophy in 2014.

A Career That Kept Growing

The breakout role opened doors to film and television. In the 2021 drama Triumph, Mitte played a high school senior who tries, at extreme cost, to become a wrestler despite having cerebral palsy. He starred opposite Dove Cameron in 2024’s Love Me Dead and opposite Finn Wittrock in 2025’s Westhampton. His most recent credit, per IMDb, was the indie film Talking to Strangers, opposite Lin Yin.

Television and Voice Work

On the small screen, his credits included Switched at Birth, Now Apocalypse and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!). He also voiced a role in HCBS Final Rule: The Animated Series, a set of shorts designed to highlight changes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Community Based Services for people with intellectual disabilities in California.

Giving Back

The Louisiana-born Mitte served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, and as president of The Mitte Foundation, which supports philanthropic efforts and community initiatives.

A Request for Privacy

His representatives asked for the family’s privacy at this time.

For millions of viewers, Mitte will always be Walter Jr., the teenager at the kitchen table. For the disability community, he was something more: proof that visibility on screen can become advocacy off it.