Michael Edward Campbell Champion (November 3, 1946, in Anderson, Indiana – June 16, 2021[1][2]) was an American singer and actor who started his public career in Detroit. In 1967, with a short-lived band called 'The Abstract Reality', he released a 45 rpm single called "Love Burns Like A Fire Inside".[3][4] With Bob 'Babbitt' Kreinar, Ray Monette and Andrew Smith he formed Scorpion. His name appears as Mike Campbell on the album Scorpion and Meat Loaf's debut album Stoney & Meatloaf (1971). For this recording, apart from having co-written four songs, he played the harmonica on Lady Be Mine.[5][6]
He became an actor by the name of Michael Champion and since 1979 played in several TV series and films such as Diagnosis Murder (1993), Matlock (1989), and The Flash (1991, as Captain Cold), History of the World: Part I (1981), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Total Recall (1990) and Toy Soldiers (1991), and video game characters like the terrorist in Flash Traffic: City of Angels (1994) and 'Wolf' in Maximum Surge (1996).[7] Musician and record co-producer Ralph Terrana has been quoted: "He [Campbell] was a very talented writer. He also could be a little unusual. We called him Crazy Mike."[6]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | When a Stranger Calls | Bill | |
| 1979 | 10 | Party Guest #7 | |
| 1980 | Wholly Moses! | Sodom Sentry | |
| 1981 | History of the World: Part I | Prehistoric Man | |
| 1981 | The Woman Inside | Nolan | |
| 1984 | Beverly Hills Cop | Casey | |
| 1987 | Fatal Beauty | "Buzz" | |
| 1989 | Pink Cadillac | Ken Lee | |
| 1989 | One Man Out | Burkhardt | |
| 1990 | Total Recall | Agent Helm | |
| 1990 | False Identity | Luther | |
| 1991 | Toy Soldiers | Jack Thorpe | |
| 1992 | Leather Jackets | Costello | |
| 1992 | The Swordsman | Stratos | |
| 1995 | Evolver | Squad Leader | |
| 1995 | Aurora: Operation Intercept | Johann Wells |
References
edit- ^ "Obituaries: Pedry, Seger, Espinosa, Champion, Reed". June 24, 2021.
- ^ "'Lucky to have him here': Casper actor Michael Champion remembered". July 2021.
- ^ "Sport Records 104-A (1967 Detroit MI) label & song – side A: 'Love Burns Like A Fire Inside' (A. Williams, R. Monette, M. Campbell), The Abstract Reality". YouTube. Retrieved July 12, 2011. (Note: side B: ib. instrumental version)
- ^ "The Soul Discography (Volume 1 A–F)" (PDF). Eyeball Productions, West Vancouver, BC Canada. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Scorpion (album, band)". BadCat Records, Reston, VA, U.S. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Stoney and Meatloaf The Almost Complete Meat Loaf & Jim Steinman Lyric Archive (Retrieved July 2, 2011)
- ^ For the alias of Michael Campbell: Michael Champion The Internet Movie Database (Retrieved July 2, 2011)
Michael Champion Filmography Fandango (Retrieved July 2, 2011)
Note: This Fandango source also shows Michael Champion (corresponding to the above IMDb source) as composer of the music score for the documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007), which score may have been by another Michael Champion: IMDb Michael Champion II.