Bryan Cranston is well known for his award-winning turns as Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and as Hal on Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle.”
With just those two roles, Cranston has earned three Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, a Television Critics Association award, three Golden Globe® nominations and three Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations.
On the big screen Cranston recently starred in Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion.” He will next star as the villain, Vilos Cohaagen, in the highly anticipated Len Wiseman remake of “Total Recall” and then in the big-screen adaptation of the musical “Rock of Ages.” He will also star in Ben Affleck’s “Argo” this fall.
His other feature-film credits include “Larry Crowne,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Seeing Other People” and “That Thing You Do!”
Cranston’s other television credits include a recurring role on “Seinfeld,” HBO’s “From the Earth to the Moon” and the miniseries “I Know My First Name Is Steven,” among others. He has also guest-starred on programs such as “Chicago Hope,” “Touched by an Angel,” “The X-Files” and many more.
Born to a show-business family and raised in Southern California, Cranston made his acting debut at the age of 8 in a United Way commercial; however, it wasn’t until he finished college that acting became a serious consideration. While on a cross-country motorcycle trip with his brother, he discovered community theater and began exploring every aspect of the stage. Soon, he was cast in a summer stock company.
Cranston returned to Los Angeles and quickly landed a role on the television movie “Love Without End,” which led to his being signed as an original cast member of ABC’s “Loving.”
He continues to pursue his love for theater as often as time permits. Cranston’s theatrical credits include starring roles in “The God of Hell,” “Chapter Two,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “A Doll’s House,” “Eastern Standard,” “Wrestlers,” “Barefoot in the Park” and “The Steven Weed Show,” for which he won a Drama-Logue Award.
Cranston is also a dedicated screenwriter and director. He wrote the original romantic drama “Last Chance” as a birthday gift for his wife, which he also starred in and directed. Additionally, Cranston directed several episodes of “Malcolm,” the Comedy Central pilot “Special Unit” and episodes of “Breaking Bad.”
Cranston has also produced an instructional DVD called “KidSmartz,” which is designed to educate families on how to stay safe from child abduction and Internet predators. “KidSmartz” raises money for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children by donating half the proceeds from sales.
Biography/Filmography courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures and the film, John Carter.
