Home Alone star Ken Hudson Campbell, who played a grumpy Santa in the 1990 film, has been inundated with donations from fellow actors and fans after being diagnosed with cancer.
His daughter Michaela Campbell, who started the fundraising page, said he “burst into tears” after seeing people’s generosity.
“It was the first time he really got emotional about the whole situation. It was kind of a shock to him to feel so loved,” she told People magazine.
The Office star Steve Carell donated $10,000 (£7,952) to the fund, and Jeff Garlin, Tim Meadows and Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady also donated.
Campbell, who also had roles in Groundhog Day and Armageddon, was diagnosed with cancer on 27 October.
He played a disgruntled grotto Santa in Home Alone who got a parking ticket and gave lead character Kevin McCallister some Tic Tacs because he was out of candy canes.
A tumour had grown on the bottom of his mouth and was “encroaching on his teeth”, his daughter wrote on GoFundMe.
He had successful surgery on 7 December to remove the tumour and reconstruct his jaw using bone from his leg.
The fundraiser, which has surpassed its $100,000 target, was set up to cover costs for medical equipment, carers, transport, dental implants and other expenses.
Campbell will have radiotherapy after surgery and may need chemotherapy after a six-month recovery period.
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“In January of 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ken lost the SAG-AFTRA [Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists] health insurance that he had used for his whole career,” Ms Campbell wrote on the fundraiser.
She said he has new insurance and his physical therapy and speech therapy are covered but “we are anticipating huge out-of-pocket costs”.
She told People that the generosity of donors “really means the world”.
“My family’s been struggling for a long time financially. So just having my dad’s friends come together, this is just very overwhelming and it really takes a lot of stress off of my family’s shoulders.”
