Born: September 6th, 1990
Died: April 7th, 2026
Michael Campbell, who has died aged 35, was a successful and pioneering Belfast writer and actor who confronted his terminal motor neuron disease diagnosis with grace and stoicism, exploring his illness to create two profound and moving plays.
Campbell was a brilliant straight-As student who attended St Bride’s primary school and Rathmore grammar school in south Belfast, earning a place at the University of Cambridge where he studied physics. Already in thrall to the lure of the stage, he made sure to complete his degree in physics and material science while also taking every opportunity to pursue his dream.
It was at Cambridge that he met his writing partner Oisin Kearney from Warrenpoint, Co Down, who was studying politics. They were involved in several productions including Frank McGuinness’s Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. They ran the college’s Irish Society and were part of the famous Cambridge Footlights which before them produced the likes of John Cleese, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
