Why Mr. Fonda From Evil Dead Rise Looks So Familiar
This year, horror fans got a bloody surprise with "Evil Dead Rise," the fifth and latest film installment of the beloved "Evil Dead" franchise. As with any "Evil Dead" entry, "Rise" doesn't hold back from presenting its gnarly kills in a gleefully gory fashion. Amongst the stalwarts whose sacrifices brought smiles to the faces of horror fans is none other than Mr. Fonda — who is played by someone you're bound to have seen elsewhere.
Acting as a standalone entry, "Evil Dead Rise" sees a new crop of bloodthirsty deadites who center their attack on estranged sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland) and their families. Within their Los Angeles apartment complex lives their neighbor, Mr. Fonda, who manages to shoot down a possessed Ellie when confronting her in the hallways. The relief is short-lived, however, as Ellie rises back and viciously attacks Fonda. When Beth comes back to the hallway and tries to shoot Ellie with Fonda's gun, he regains conciseness and joins in chanting with the other deadites. While Fonda may have not been able to directly take down Ellie, the array of machinery he keeps around the building such as the wood chipper and chainsaw end up being useful tools in the long run to both protect Beth and defeat Ellie.
The fate of Mr. Fonda in "Evil Dead Rise" was anything but fortunate. Thankfully, his actor, Mark Mitchinson, has led a far more fruitful professional life that has — mostly — been free of the living dead.
Mitchinson loved his experience on The Hobbit films
After smaller roles in such films as "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" and "Mr. Pip," Mark Mitchinson received a more substantial role in an equally notable franchise. The New Zealand actor stars in the last two installments of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" trilogy — "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" — in the role of Braga.
Braga acts as the captain of the guard of Lake-Town. Ever loyal to the Master of Lake-Town (Stephen Fry), Braga and his men keep a close eye on Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) and his company of dwarves. Thanks to Bard's wit, they are usually able to avoid the wrath of the brutish guard, but that does little to stop Braga. He comes close to nabbing them, even imprisoning Bard at one point. However, all doesn't end well for Braga, as their plan to escape Smaug's (Benedict Cumberbatch) attack via boat is foiled when the body of the defeated dragon falls on and destroys the vessel.
While "The Hobbit" trilogy remains polarizing for many viewers, Mitchinson only had good things to say about his experience in the trilogy, particularly when it came to working with Jackson. "Peter is... a very likable human being," Mitchinson says in an interview with NZ On Screen. "He's down to earth and very attentive... I'd work with him again in a heartbeat." Mitchinson later starred 2018's "Mortal Engines," which Jackson co-wrote.
His first encounter with the deadites came in Ash vs the Evil Dead
Before going up against the newest army of darkness in "Evil Dead Rise," Mark Mitchinson played a very different role on the hit TV series "Ash vs. Evil Dead." Mitchison makes an appearance as Crosby in the Season 1 episode "Fire in the Hole," along with an uncredited voice role in the previous episode.
Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his team come across Crosby and his armed militia after Lem (Peter Feeney) turns into a deadite. Suspicious of Ash's crew and their request for ammunition, Crosby and the others imprison and hold the group hostage. It doesn't take long for things to take a turn, however, as Lem returns and makes quick work of much of the militia team. Ash similarly takes down one of the resurrected militiamen, which helps Crosby finally realize what's taking place.
Unlike his ill-fated "Evil Dead Rise" role, Mitchison's character in "Ash vs. Evil Dead" makes it out at the end, being one of the few characters in Season 1 to achieve such a status. It's also worth noting that along with Mitchinson, Bruce Campbell himself also has a part in "Evil Dead Rise," playing an uncredited recorded voice.
He has voiced too many Power Rangers villains to count
Many of Mark Mitchinson's roles straddle the line between being truly villainous and simply burdensome. But to see Mitchinson unleash true terror, look no further than his many antagonistic voice roles within the long-running "Power Rangers" series.
The first "Rangers" project Mitchinson took part in was 2009's "Power Rangers RPM," in which the actor voiced the role of General Shifter. The skilled fighter and designer appears in 23 episodes of the show's run, with his strength, mind-controlling, and enlargening powers making him a tough opponent for the Rangers. After portraying two more minor enemies, Trickster and Armadeevil, in "Power Rangers Samurai," Mitchinson took on the role of a more formidable foe in "Power Rangers Megaforce."
In the show, Mitchinson voices Creepox, one of the Insectoid members of the intergalactic organization Warstar that seeks to conquer the Earth. He has an especially strong rivalry with the Red Ranger (Andrew Gray) as the two have sworn each other true enemies. Creepox turns out to be a handful when going up against the entire team, only being defeated when the Rangers are able to form the Ultra Gosei Great Megazord.
With additional roles on "Power Rangers Dino Super Charge," "Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel," "Power Rangers Beast Morphers," and "Power Rangers Dino Fury," Mitchinson has more than left his mark on this iconic franchise. Whether he's playing Insectoids or power-up mechs, the actor brings a level of delectable energy to his parts that can't be matched.