Actor Erik Jensen, best known for appearances in The Walking Dead, Mr Robot and For Life, has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.
Jensen’s recent diagnosis comes just a year and a half after he “miraculously” survived a brain aneurysm, his partner, fellow actor and playwright Jessica Blank, wrote on a GoFundMe campaign.
“The cancer has metastasised to his liver, but Erik is young and strong (cutting a film during chemo, working full-time as a director and writer throughout) and his doctors think they have a shot at shrinking the tumors enough to do two very major surgeries and get them all out,” Blank said.
“He can make it through this. But Erik and his family are in for the fight of their lives, and they need your support,” she continued, calling him a “deeply devoted father to 13-year-old Sadie” and “an incredible husband”.
The family is looking to raise $300,000 (£247,200) to help them through this difficult time. It was also noted that they are at risk of losing their SAG-AFTRA-funded health insurance due to the ongoing actors’ strike.
“The nonexistence of streaming residuals, and the fact that in a best case scenario, Erik may be recovering from major surgery during the exact earnings period to qualify for SAG insurance for 2025 – the family is facing a serious risk of losing their health insurance for 2025,” Blank said.
(L-R) Sadie, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen
(Getty Images for Audible)
“It goes without saying that continued cancer treatment without insurance would bring financial ruin.
“Stage IV is not a death sentence,” she added, “and Erik is working incredibly hard to stay positive and fight for the shot that his doctors say he has.”
Jensen, 54, portrayed Doctor Steven Edwards, a survivor of the zombie outbreak on AMC’s long-running The Walking Dead.
He also starred as right-wing conspiracy theorist Frank Cody on the Rami Malek-led series Mr Robot, before he landed his most recent recurring role as the villainous state prosecutor Dez O’Reilly on the two-season thriller For Life. It aired from 2020 to 2021.