Born William Oliver Campbell on July 7, 1959 in Charlottesville, VA, Campbell grew up in the southern city, attending Western Albemarle High School as a teenager. The youngster also happened to be an heir to the Champion spark plug fortune – and poised to receive a substantial inheritance by age 18. Relocating to Chicago to be near his father after high school, Campbell attended the American Academy of Art. Intent on working as a comic book artist, he studied illustration during college. After taking an acting class at the suggestion of a friend, Campbell switched passions, developing an interest in drama. Deciding to pursue the craft seriously, he studied at the Ted Liss Studio for the Performing Arts, as well as at the Players Workshop of Second City in Chicago. After appearing in Chicago regional theater, Campbell headed to Los Angeles to pursue screen acting. While auditioning for roles, the handsome actor continued his dramatic studies at Howard Fine.
Making his television debut in as a guest star on the sitcom “Family Ties” (NBC, 1982-1989) in 1984, Campbell went on appear on “Hotel” (ABC, 1983-88) before landing his first series regular role that same year – that of Luke Fuller, the gay lover of Steven Carrington (then played by Jack Coleman) on the popular ABC primetime soap “Dynasty” (1981-89) from 1984-85. While his character did not survive the infamous "Moldavian massacre" cliffhanger, Campbell went on to distinguish himself as a stalwart player capable of projecting heroic qualities. For two seasons (1986-88), he played rookie Chicago detective Joey Indelli on the stylish NBC cop drama "Crime Story." He then made the leap to the big screen in the role of a mysterious man who seemingly survived from prehistoric times in "Call from Space" (1989) before landing a starring role as reluctant superhero Cliff Secord in Disney’s “The Rocketeer” (1991). Cast opposite a young Jennifer Connelly, Campbell began to date the stunning raven-haired actress off-screen. Together for five years, the pair later ended their relationship in 1995.
Campbell went on to work with Francis Ford Coppola in the film adaptation of Bram Stoker's “Dracula” (1992) and appeared as Lieutenant Pitzer in the lavish Civil War epic “Gettysburg” (1993). Returning to stage work, Campbell appeared as Laertes in Stephen Lang’s 1993 production of “Hamlet.” That same year, Campbell landed a starring role on the short-lived romantic detective series “Moon over Miami” (ABC, 1993) and received critical acclaim for his role as gay gynecologist, Dr. Jon Fielding in Armistead Maupin's “Tales of the City” (PBS, 1993). Alternating between stage work and TV, Campbell went on to star in the Los Angeles production of “Fortinbras” for which he won a 1997 Ovation Award for Best Lead Actor, and reprised his “City” role in “More Tales of the City” (PBS, 1998) and “Further Tales of the City” (PBS, 2001).
Landing the lead role of Rick Sammler on the ABC drama “Once & Again” (1999-2002), Campbell and the series quickly received critical acclaim. Campbell’s earnest and touching performance as a divorced father trying to find love earned him a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a Television Series as well as a Golden Globe nomination in 2000. Though the series struggled with ratings, it managed to find an audience and Campbell appeared on the series for three seasons, giving the actor some much deserved exposure and dependable paycheck.
A diverse actor, Campbell went on to appear as an abusive husband opposite Jennifer Lopez in the thriller “Enough” (2002) and landed a supporting role in the Civil War-era drama, “Gods & Generals” (2003). Returning to series television in 2004, Campbell joined the cast of the USA Network’s sci-fi series “The 4400” (2004- ), a drama that centered on the stories of 4,400 people who mysteriously disappeared over a period of 50 years. The following year, Campbell added to his varied resume by appearing in a multi-episode arc on FOX’s popular drama “The OC” (2003- ), portraying magazine editor Carter Buckley. Though Campbell’s “4400” character, Jordan Collier, was killed off due to Campbell taking 13 months off from acting in 2005 to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat, he was later written back into the show and returned to the series in 2006.