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Home Alone and Armageddon Actor Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

Ken Hudson Campbell is facing a long recovery.
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Ken Hudson Campbell, a prolific actor and voice actor with roles going back to 1990’s Home Alone, is facing a cancer struggle. Michaela Campbell — seemingly his daughter, although she did not specifically identify as such — has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Campbell with medical expenses, and in doing so, gave the general public their first glimpse behind the curtain at his battle with the disease. According to the campaign, Campbell lost his SAG-AFTRA insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of not getting enough work to qualify for the program. That, in part, has resulted in his current troubles.

According to the campaign, which you can see here, Campbell was diagnosed in late October, and the medical fallout will involve removing part of his jaw bone and lymph nodes. The jaw will have to be reconstructed using some of his leg bone, and it will be about six months or recovery, give or take a little extra time for chemotherapy.

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“Even though physical therapy and speech therapy are covered [by his new insurance], weare anticipating huge out-of-pocket costs for caregivers/skilled nursing, insurance premiums, medical equipment, transportation, dental implants, denturesand who knows what else,” Michaela Campbell wrote.

Campbell was born in 1962 in Illinois, and joined the Player’s Workshop of The Second City in 1983, then became a member of Second City’s touring show shortly thereafter. Second City icons like John Candy and Catherine O’Hara appeared in Home Alone, where Campbell got his first screen role (as the Santa Kevin encounters).

From there, Campbell became a reliable character actor, appearing in movies like Groundhog Day and Armageddon and TV series like Herman’s Head and The Practice. His recent roles include appearances on Mike & Molly and Girl Meets World; the Christmas movie The Trouble With Mistletoe; and a featured animated role in Wonder Park.