Cranston was born in Canoga Park, California, the son of Peggy Sell and actor Joe Cranston.[1]He grew up in the Los Angeles area, graduating from Canoga Park High School. Cranston studied police science in college.[2] Cranston is married to Robin Dearden, whom he met on the set of the show Airwolf (1984). He was playing the villain of the week, and she was his hostage (held at gunpoint). They have a daughter, Taylor Dearden Cranston (born February 12, 1993). Cranston was previously married to Mickey Middleton, a writerPersonal Life
Cranston is a collector of baseball memorabilia and an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In accepting his third Emmy as best lead actor in a drama series, he thanked his wife and daughter and told them that he loves them "more than baseball."He began his acting career after college in local and regional theatres, getting his start at the Granada Theatre in the San Fernando Valley. Cranston has worked regularly since the late 1980s, mostly in minor roles. His advertising work includes commercials for Lay's potato chips,Excedrin, Honda Accord, and Coffee-Mate. His voice acting includes English dubbing of Japanese anime, under the name "Lee Stone". He was an original cast member of the ABC soap opera Loving, where he played Douglas (Doug) Donovan from 1983 to 1985. Cranston also starred in the short-lived series Raising Miranda in 1988.
His largest role prior to Malcolm in the Middle was as astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon. Cranston has also played astronaut Gus Grissom in the film That Thing You Do!, and appeared as Nick Wrigley, the irresponsible uncle who steals Santa's sleigh to have a crazy ride to practically destroy Christmas in 'Twas the Night, a Disney Channel Original Movie that was released in the winter of 2001. He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan as a one-armed military officer.
His recurring role as Dr. Tim Whatley, Jerry's dentist on Seinfeld, earned him fans. Several episodes focused upon his relationship with Jerry and his paranoia about the dentist, in bizarre situations such as when he becomes obsessed with the notion that Tim and his female assistant were molesting him while he was unconscious during dental surgery, or when Whatley converts to Judaism and starts tellingJewish jokes while retaining the right to tell Catholic jokes as well (according to Jerry, Tim is attaining "total joke-telling immunity").He has also had a recurring role on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens as Doug Heffernan's annoying neighbor, Tim Sacksky. He works in marketing then in a later episode as a water purifier salesman and recruits Doug to sell them as well.
Cranston directed several episodes of Malcolm in the Middle and received three Emmy nominations for his performance on the show. In a March 2009 interview on Anytime with Bob Kushell, Cranston discussed the episode "The Bots and The Bees" where he was covered in bees. Cranston stated that he was stung twice.[3] Cranston reprised his role in a cutaway gag in the Family Guy episode I Take Thee Quagmire, killing Lois with a refrigerator door because of her incessant babbling, thus "freeing" himself and the kids. Cranston also wrote and directed the 1999 movie Last Chance. He appeared in Little Miss Sunshine as a business colleague of Greg Kinnear. He also had a guest role in late 2006 on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, playing main character Ted's obnoxious co-worker and former boss Hammond Druthers. He recently had a role as Lucifer in the ABC Family miniseries, Fallen.
He has done voice acting for English dubbed anime series, including Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise, Macross Plus, andArmitage III Polymatrix.
Cranston has guest-starred in many television series, including The Flash where he plays a white-collar criminal searching for his estranged wife and daughter; Sabrina the Teenage Witch in which he was a lawyer attempting to free Sabrina from a contract; the sixth season episode of The X-Files, "Drive", playing a bigoted man who is being driven insane by high-pitched sonar waves; and Babylon 5 as Ericsson, the captain of a White Star vessel ordered into a suicide mission to plant misinformation within the enemy ranks.In September 2008, Cranston narrated a pre-teen adventure/fantasy audiobook called Adventures with Kazmir the Flying Camel.[4]
Currently, Cranston has the starring role on AMC's original series Breaking Bad in which he plays a high
school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He teams up with a former student, played by Aaron Paul, to manufacture methamphetamine. For his work on the series, Cranston has won the Emmy award for lead actor in a drama three consecutive times - one for each season of the show.
Cranston co-starred in Love Ranch, alongside Academy Award winners Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren. He was also cast in George Lucas' Red Tails, a fictional story inspired by the historic and heroic exploits of America's first all black aerial combat unit.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise | Matti Tohn | English dub of Japanese film |
| Amazon Women on the Moon | Paramedic #1 | ||
| 'Twas the Night | Nick Wrigley | ||
| Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama | Ram | English dub of Indo-Japanese film | |
| 1988 | The Big Turnaround | Unknown | |
| 1990 | Corporate Affairs | Darren | |
| 1991 | Dead Space | Darden | |
| 1994 | Erotique | Dr. Robert Stern | |
| Clean Slate | Club official | ||
| Macross Plus | Isamu Alva Dyson | English dub of Japanese film; released direct to video Credited as "Lee Stone" | |
| The Companion | Alan | Direct to video release | |
| 1996 | Time Under Fire | Braddock | |
| That Thing You Do! | Virgil 'Gus' Grissom | ||
| Street Corner Justice | Father Brophy | ||
| 1997 | Strategic Command | Phil Hertzberg | |
| Armitage III: Poly-Matrix | Eddie Borrows | English dub of Japanese film; direct to video release | |
| 1998 | Saving Private Ryan | War Department Colonel | |
| 1999 | Last Chance | Lance | Also writer, director and producer |
| 2000 | The Big Thing | Roberto Montalban | |
| Terror Tract | Ron Gatley | ||
| 2004 | Seeing Other People | Peter | |
| Illusion | David | ||
| 2005 | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Buzz Aldrin | |
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Stan Grossman | |
| Intellectual Property | CSE Radio Host | ||
| 2007 | Hard Four | Bryce Baxter | |
| 2010 | Love Ranch | James Pettis | |
| Red Tails | Major William Mortamus | In production | |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Dean | Post-Production |
| 2012 | John Carter of Mars | Civil War colonel | In production |
Television
| Year | Series | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | CHiPs | Billy Joe | Episode 6.9: "Return to Death's Door" | |
| 1983–1985 | Loving | Douglas "Doug" Donovan | Main cast member | |
| 1985 | Cover Up | Frank Lawler/Tommy Maynard | Episode 1.17: "Who's Trying to Kill Miss Globe?" | |
| One Life to Live | Dean Stella | |||
| 1986 | Airwolf | Robert Hollis | Episode 3.17: "Desperate Monday" | |
| North and South: Book II | Colonel Austin | Episode 1.6 | ||
| 1986 1990 1996 | Murder, She Wrote | Brian East Jerry Wilber Parker Foreman | Episode 2.20: "Menace, Anyone?" Episode 6.12: "Good-Bye Charlie" Episode 12.17: "Something Foul in Flappieville" | |
| 1987 | Hill Street Blues | Unknown | Episode 7.21: "A Pound of Flesh" | |
| The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman | Dr. Shepherd | TV film | ||
| 1987 1991 | Matlock | Brian Emerson Dr. Harding Fletcher | Episode 2.11: "The Gift" Episode 6.4: "The Marriage Counselor" | |
| 1988 | Raising Miranda | Uncle Russell | Appeared in nine episodes | |
| 1989 | Falcon Crest | Martin Randall | Episode 8.18: "Enquiring Minds" | |
| I Know My First Name Is Steven | Officer Dickenson | TV mini-series | ||
| Baywatch | Tom Logan | Episode 1.8: "Cruise Ship" | ||
| 1990 | Hull High | Mr. McConnell | Episode 1.8 | |
| Jake and the Fatman | Lyle Wicks/Miller | Episode 4.3: "Exactly Like You" | ||
| 1991 | The Flash | Philip 'Mark' Moses | Episode 1.13: "Be My Baby" | |
| Dead Silence | Professor Harris | TV film | ||
| 1992 | L.A. Law | Unknown | Episode 6.11: "All About Sleaze" | |
| 1993 | Moldiver | Launch Control Center Technician Additional voices | English dub of Japanese series; released direct to video | |
| The Disappearance of Nora | Unknown | TV film | ||
| Prophet of Evil: The Ervil LeBaron Story | Unknown | TV film | ||
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | Voice of Snizard Voice of Twinman | Episode 1.14: "Foul Play in the Sky" Episode 1.38: "A Bad Reflection on You" | ||
| Super Dimension Century Orguss 02 | Imperial Officer | English dub of Japanese series; released direct to video | ||
| 1994 | Armitage III | Eddie Borrows | English dub of Japanese series; direct to video release | |
| Men Who Hate Women & the Women Who Love Them | David | TV film | ||
| Days Like This | Benny | TV film | ||
| Tekkaman Blade | Sgt. Miles O'Rourke | English dub of Japanese series | ||
| Viper | Garrett Berlin | Episode 1.9: "Wheels of Fire" | ||
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Hank | Episode 2.18: "Deadly Vision" | ||
| 1994–1997 | Seinfeld | Dr. Tim Whatley | Appeared in five episodes | |
| 1995 | Extreme Blue | Ned Landry | TV film | |
| Kissing Miranda | Special Agent Falsey | TV film | ||
| Touched by an Angel | Dr. Tom Bryant | Episode 1.11: "The Hero" | ||
| Brotherly Love | Russell Winslow | Episode 1.2: "Such a Bargain" | ||
| Land's End | Matt McCulla | Episodes 1.1 and 1.2: "Land's End" Parts 1 and 2 | ||
| Nowhere Man | Sheriff Norman Wade | Episode 1.8: "The Alpha Spike" | ||
| 1996 | Eagle Riders | Joe Thax | Dub of Japanese series | |
| The Louie Show | Curt Sincic | Episode 1.1: "Take Two Donuts and Call Me in the Morning" | ||
| The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime | Patrick Dougherty | TV film | ||
| 1996 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | Walter Mason Martin Rutgers | Episode 3.10: "Living on the Streets Can Be Murder" Episode 6.5: "Blood Will Out" | |
| 1997 | Moloney | Unknown | Episode 1.12: "Clarity Begins at Home" | |
| Babylon 5 | Ericsson | Episode 4.5: "The Long Night" | ||
| Dogs | Unknown | Pilot | ||
| Goode Behavior | Record executive | Episode 1.20: "Goode Music" | ||
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Witch Lawyer | Episode 1.24: "Troll Bride" | ||
| Pearl | Isaac Perlow | Episode 1.21: "My So-Called Real Life" | ||
| Total Security | Jason Nichols | Episode 1.10: "Wet Side Story" | ||
| Alright Already | Robert | Episode 1.3: "Again with the Pilot" | ||
| 1998 | Brooklyn South | IAB Lt. Gordon Denton | Episodes 1.11: "Gay Avec" and 1.15: "Fisticuffs" | |
| From the Earth to the Moon | Buzz Aldrin | TV mini-series | ||
| V.I.P. | Colt Arrow | Episode 1.1: "Beats Working at a Hot Dog Stand" | ||
| The X-Files | Patrick Crump | Episode 6.2: "Drive" | ||
| Chicago Hope | Jesus | Episode 5.9: "Tantric Turkey" | ||
| Working | Larry Prince | Episode 2.8: "The Consultant" | ||
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Ronald 'Cheesy' Meezy | Episode 2.11: "Honey, I'm the Sorcerer's Apprentice" | ||
| 1999 | 3rd Rock from the Sun | Neil Diamondimpersonator | Episode 4.14: "Paranoid Dick" | |
| The Pretender | Neil Roberts | Episode 3.16: "PTB" | ||
| 1999–2001 | The King of Queens | Tim | Appeared in four episodes | |
| 2000–2001 | Clerks: The Animated Series | Additional voices | Appeared in three episodes | |
| 2000–2006 | Malcolm in the Middle | Hal | Main cast member; appeared in all 151 episodes Also directed seven episodes | |
| 2001 | 'Twas the Night | Nick Wrigley | TV film | |
| The Santa Claus Brothers | Santa Claus | TV film | ||
| 2003 | National Lampoon's Thanksgiving Family Reunion | Woodrow Snider | TV film | |
| Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Mr. Jameson | Episode 1.25: "Nosy: Experiment #199" | ||
| 2005 | American Dad! | Publisher | Episode 1.15: "Star Trek" | |
| 2006 | Special Unit | N/A | Director | |
| Big Day | N/A | Directed episode 1.5: "Stolen Vows" | ||
| Family Guy | Himself/Hal | Episode 4.21: "I Take Thee Quagmire" | ||
| 2006–2007 | How I Met Your Mother | Hammond Druthers | Episodes 2.6: "Aldrin Justice" and 2.13: "Columns" | |
| 2007 | Fallen | Lucifer The Light Bringer | TV mini-series | |
| 2008- | Breaking Bad | Walter H. White | Main cast member, also directed episode 2.1: "Seven Thirty-Seven" and "No Mas" From Season 3 Ep1 | |
| 2010 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Host, November 27th, 2010 |
Award and Nominations
- 2002 Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Malcolm in the Middle (nominated)
- 2003 Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television -Malcolm in the Middle (nominated)
- 2003 Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Malcolm in the Middle (nominated)
- 2006 Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Malcolm in the Middle (nominated)
- 2008 Emmy Award: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Breaking Bad (won)
- 2009 TCA Award: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama - Breaking Bad (won)
- 2009 Emmy Award: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Breaking Bad (won)
- 2010 SAG Award: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series - Breaking Bad (nominated)
- 2010 Emmy Award: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Breaking Bad (won)
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