Film and TV actor with cerebral palsy who played Walter White Jr in Breaking Bad and was a staunch disability rights campaigner

The actor RJ Mitte was a natural choice to play Walter White Jr, the son of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), the high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealer, in the television series Breaking Bad (2008-13), generally regarded as one of the greatest shows of the streaming era.

Walt Jr, also known as Flynn, was modelled by the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, on the son of a friend who had cerebral palsy. Mitte had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, and told the Guardian in 2015 that when he read the character summary he thought it “pretty much described me. ‘Dark hair, big eyebrows, cerebral palsy … ’ I was, like, ‘I have this covered.’”

Actor who played Walter White Jr and who advocated for disability representation is remembered by Bryan Cranston as ‘my sweet son’

• RJ Mitte – a life in pictures

The actor RJ Mitte, whose personal experience living with cerebral palsy informed his role as Walter White Jr in the television series Breaking Bad, has died aged 34 in Brownsville, Texas.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” Mitte’s representatives said in a statement. “Drawing from his own experience living with cerebral palsy, Mitte brought authenticity to the role and built a platform on disability awareness and inclusion.”