The actor from "Game of Thrones" Michael Patrick. Biography

It became known about the death of Irish actor and screenwriter Michael Patrick (real name — Michael Campbell), known for his role in the TV series "Game of Thrones". He passed away on April 7 in a hospice in Northern Ireland at the age of 35 after three years of battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). About his life, work and courageous struggle with an incurable disease — in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and education

Michael Patrick (Michael Campbell) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He graduated from Cambridge University, where he studied physics and was a member of the famous comedy troupe Footlights. After Cambridge, he continued his acting studies at London's Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Career

After graduation, Patrick worked actively in the theater. He has performed in several productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, including Measure for Measure and The Taming of the Shrew, as well as classic plays such as Othello.

On television, Michael Patrick gained fame for his episodic but memorable role as a Wildling Rioter in the sixth season of the cult series Game of Thrones. In addition, he starred in the BBC series "This Town", "Blue Lights", as well as in "Soft Border Patrol" and the German TV movie "Mordlichtern".

Personal life and the fight against the disease

The first alarming symptoms appeared in Patrick in 2022 during a performance at a theater festival in Dublin. During the dance, he constantly fell and stumbled, at first blaming it on uncomfortable shoes. Later, he had problems lifting his right leg, he could not lift his toes up.

In February 2023, Michael Patrick was officially diagnosed with ALS, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that gradually deprived him of the ability to walk and move independently. The actor had a rare familial form of the disease: his father also died of ALS, being diagnosed in February and passing away in October of the same year.

Despite a serious diagnosis and a progressive illness, Patrick did not give up his work. He continued to go on stage, performing in a wheelchair. In 2024, he played the title role in a production of Richard III at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, becoming the first actor with a disability to perform this role in Ireland. The play was adapted to his personal experience of fighting the disease. This work earned him the prestigious Stage Awards theater award in January 2025.

Michael Patrick was also a talented screenwriter. Together with his creative partner Oisin Kearney, he wrote the play and the BBC series of the same name, My Left Nut, based on his teenage experiences. And in 2025, he presented a deeply personal 70-minute one-man show "My Right Foot" at the Dublin Theater Festival, in which he explored his experience of living with ALS.

In February 2026, two months before his death, Michael Patrick announced that doctors had given him about a year to live. He decided to give up tracheostomy in order to spend the rest of his time outside the hospital, near his loved ones.

Death and recognition

Michael Patrick died on April 7, 2026 in a hospice in Northern Ireland, where he was admitted 10 days before his death. In his last moments, he was surrounded by family and friends. The actor's death was announced on social media by his wife Naomi Sheehan.

"Last night, Mick passed away peacefully in a hospice in Northern Ireland. He was diagnosed with motor neuron disease on February 1, 2023. He was hospitalized 10 days ago, and he was cared for by an incredible team of specialists. He left peacefully surrounded by family and friends. It is impossible to put into words how much it hurts us," the widow wrote.

She called her husband a "red-haired titan" who lived a life as full as possible, filled with joy, abundance of spirit and infectious laughter. Naomi also shared the actor's favorite quote from the poems of the Irish poet Brendan Behan: "The most important thing in this world is to have something to eat, something to drink and someone to love. So don't bother. Eat up. Drink up. Love me."

Jimmy Faye, executive producer of the Lyric Theater, called Patrick in a statement "a great artist who lost these islands, and the sky became brighter tonight thanks to his star." He also noted the tremendous strength of spirit and dignity with which the actor came face to face with his illness.

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