RJ MITTE, R.I.P.

The death of young, perennial good guy, and universally liked and respected actor, RJ Mitte, is so shocking. And absolutely heartbreaking. I did not know him well, but we met several times over the years, and he always had a smile on his face. He greeted everyone warmly, and was consistently willing to chat.

I cannot begin to understand why he chose to end what seemed to be his happy and productive life. (I’m certain that none of us can.) But at least I can pay this small tribute to him by telling you about a few of the times we met.

The very first time was in the summer of 2012 at a luncheon for the Emmys. I had never seen Breaking Bad, so I was not at all familiar with RJ, but we were introduced and got along right away. It was a brief meeting, but we did make time for a quick pic.

And then, just a month later, I saw him again at the Media Access Awards, which is an intimate event. As I wrote then, “I was so happy to run into presenter RJ Mitte again. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this adorable guy from Breaking Bad was happy to see me, too, because we had recently hung-out at Doris Bergman’s gifting suite. Most actor types are too self-involved to remember anyone else, so he really impressed me with his enthusiasm, (which matched mine, even though I’ve never seen that show!) I met his lovely mom, too. (Interesting note: When I first met him, I hadn’t realized that he has cerebral palsy; I looked him up because I thought he was so nice, and was surprised to discover that fact. It’s the reason he was here to present an award named for him.)” That award was titled the “RJ Mitte Diversity Award,” because of his ongoing advocacy for authentic representation of performers with disabilities in Hollywood.

Then just one year later, RJ himself won an award at the next Media Access Awards. He received the Harold Russell Award, (named for the first actor with a disability to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor in The Best Years of Our Lives,) which “honors a performer, writer, or industry professional with a disability who has significantly advanced disability awareness, authentic media representation, and cultural pride.”

As he and I were mingling in the pre-awards VIP room at this lovely event, we spied each other and had our usual happy reunion. He enthusiastically told me that he was joining the cast of Switched At Birth. I was so happy for him. And for that show, as well, to have someone as pleasant as RJ on it!

When we saw each other at yet another pre-Emmys luncheon the following year, I wrote that “Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte” is “one of the nicest young actors around.”

Here’s one tiny example of how I can attest to his goodness: One time, at a different very casual private luncheon, I walked over to say hi to him, and his obnoxious PR woman tried to stop me, which was insane to begin with because everyone who was invited to that event was on a professional par with each other. But, to RJ’s extreme credit, he sort-of shooed her away and gave me a big hug and told me it was great to see me again. What a gent!

I hadn’t seen RJ in about a decade, and then I was invited to the premiere of his new film, Talking To Strangers, which took place less than two weeks before his passing. I’ll forever regret that I was already committed elsewhere, so I couldn’t make it to this one, but I said to tell him hi for me, and I figured I’d see him again soon at one event or another while he was promoting the project. No one could have ever suspected that we would be receiving this devastating news just twelve days later. (I’m planning to honor RJ by seeing this film, as soon as I can handle it.) [The image at the top is of RJ at that premiere on September 30, 2026.]

My heart goes out to his family, his fiancee, his friends, his very many fans, and to all of us who were lucky to have been even slightly acquainted with him.

R.I.P., RJ Mitte. I really do hope that you’re at peace now.