Bruce Campbell plays Ash, the central character of the Evil Dead film franchise.
Ash’s full name is Ashley Joanna Williams, although he is almost always called Ash. Bruce Campbell first played the character in The Evil Dead, released in 1981 and directed by Sam Raimi. Ash begins as an ordinary young man visiting a remote cabin but becomes involved with the Deadites after the group discovers the Necronomicon.
Across the films, Ash changes from a frightened survivor into a wisecracking, heavily armed supernatural fighter. His chainsaw hand and sawed-off shotgun became defining visual elements of the character. Campbell returned as Ash in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness.
The character also anchors the television series Ash vs Evil Dead, which continued the film franchise’s story. The 2013 film Evil Dead focuses on different characters, and the 2023 film Evil Dead Rise also does not center on Ash, although both belong to the same broader franchise.