RJ Mitte suffered brain damage at birth, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 3. How did he strengthen his motor skills?

Roy Frank ‘RJ’ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr., the defiant son of ‘Breaking Bad's' protagonist Walter White, is no more. As per reports, the actor passed away on Monday. The Brownsville police department received a call at 12:50 p.m. local time and later discovered Mitte’s body at his residence, according to a report by People magazine. Later, his representative confirmed the actor had died by suicide to People. He was 34.

Just like his on-screen character Walter, Roy had a rather eventful life offscreen as well. He too had cerebral palsy, and living with this condition made the actor a passionate disability rights advocate as well.

Born Brain Damaged

As per a report by the Sun, RJ Mitte, when he was born in Mississippi, he was not breathing and suffered brain damage (also known as hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy). He was adopted by a couple – Roy Frank Mitte Jr. and Dyna Mitte, who later parted ways when he was two months old.

Diagnosed With Cerebral Palsy At Age Three

As per Sun, Mitte was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that impacts motor skills, movement, and muscles, when he was just three years old.

Real Life Forrest Gump?

Doctors put his legs in casts to strengthen his feet, and later he was provided leg braces, just like Forrest Gump. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, he said the diagnosis did not deter him but made him want to be stronger and more self-sufficient.

“I wore leg braces in childhood, but my diagnosis empowered me to be better: to work on my body and work on my mind, and to give me a different perspective on what we are as humans and how we interact with each other…” he said.

RJ improved his ability to walk through sports and exercise. He told Ability Magazine that playing soccer regularly made him get out of his braces. In an interview with Future Of Personal Health, he revealed he engaged in stretching exercises, hot showers, and baths to relax muscles and manage spasticity.

A Look At His Career

Following roles in various minor positions, such as an extra in the Disney teen sitcom Hannah Montana, Mitte cultivated an increasing passion for film and started attending acting classes. Shortly thereafter, he secured the part of Walter White Jr. in AMC’s celebrated crime series Breaking Bad. The character, similar to Mitte himself, has cerebral palsy.

During the 2013 Media Access Awards, Mitte received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award for his role as Walter White Jr. He also awarded the RJ Mitte Diversity Award, which bears his name, to deaf actor Ryan Lane.

In acknowledgement of his support for disability inclusion, the Screen Actors Guild designated Mitte as a representative for artists with disabilities. He also advocated for Inclusion in the Arts and Media of Performers with Disabilities, a group dedicated to advancing artists with disabilities.

Following Breaking Bad, the actor appeared in several shows such as Switched At Birth, This Close, Robot Chicken. He also starred in films such as Dixieland, The Recall, Mower Boy, The Oak Room, etc.