ACTOR · BORN 1956

Bryan Cranston

Born: 7 March 1956, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Known for: Breaking Bad (2008), The Upside (2017), Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022), Last Flag Flying (2017)

31 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Bryan Cranston (born 7 March 1956) is an actor best known for Breaking Bad, The Upside and Jerry & Marge Go Large.

Bryan Cranston over the years

31 Interesting Facts About Bryan Cranston

Interesting Facts (3)

#001
Always grew a beard and mustache during his hiatuses from Malcolm in the Middle (2000).
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#002
Has run in four marathons.
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#003
Produced his KidSmartz (2003) safety video with his Malcolm in the Middle (2000) crew during one of their weeks off.
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Production Story (3)

#004
He produced his KidSmartz (2003) safety video with his Malcolm in the Middle (2000) crew during one of their weeks off.
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#005
The Newhart-inspired alternate ending to Breaking Bad was based on a joke Cranston made to the producers, about how he thought the show could end with it being Hal Wilkerson's nightmare. A year later, executive producer Melissa Bernstein told him that Vince Gilligan and Sony really liked his idea.
Bryan Cranston: VinceImage: Wikimedia Commons · Thomas Attila Lewis from Pittsfield, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0
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#006
The Newhart-inspired alternate ending to Breaking Bad was based on a joke Cranston made to the producers, about how he thought the show could end with it being Hal Wilkerson's nightmare. A year later, executive producer Melissa Bernstein told him that Vince Gilligan and Sony really liked his idea.
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Behind the Scenes (2)

#007
He saw the face of his daughter Taylor Dearden projected onto Krysten Ritter in a pivotal scene on Breaking Bad (2008) as her character lay dying, which made him cry -- but he snapped back into character and the image went away.
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#008
His favorite episode of Malcolm in the Middle (2000) is the first-season episode "Rollerskates" (2000). He spent six weeks before filming learning how to roller-skate.
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Characters & Cast (1)

#009
He played Erik Per Sullivan's character's father on Malcolm in the Middle (2000) and wrote recommendation letters for his college applications.
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Easter Eggs & References (1)

#010
The last name of the first Blue Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) was named after him. He did various crew work, such as voice-overs, so the Blue Ranger's full name became Billy Cranston.
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Career & Awards (13)

#011
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter's Matt Belloni which one of his movies he would most like to have deleted from his IMDb filmography, Bryan was quick to nominate Amazon Women on the Moon (1987).
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#012
He once did voice acting for the English dubbing of Japanese animation (or anime), under the name Lee Stone.
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#013
He began his acting career appearing in commercials for Preparation H, Shield Deodorant and Coffee-Mate.
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#014
Shortly after losing to Brad Garrett for the second year in a row at the 2004 Emmy Awards, he impersonated Garrett's Everybody Loves Raymond (1996) voice. The crowd laughed hysterically, as did Garrett himself.
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#015
In the original Armitage III: Poly-Matrix (1996) episode home video version (also known as OAV), he was listed as "Lee Stone". However, in the movie edition of the same name, he was listed under his real name.
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#016
He has appeared in three films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Argo (2012). The latter won in the category.
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#017
He was singled out by frequent Malcolm in the Middle (2000) director Todd Holland during his Emmy Award speech in 2001. Cranston had been overlooked that year, and Holland proclaimed that he would "stand up here soon". Cranston was subsequently nominated for the first time the next year.
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#018
With his fourth Emmy Award victory for his performance on Breaking Bad (2008), he tied the record of Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue (1993)) for the most wins in the category "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series". Peter Falk also won four Emmys for his lead performances as Columbo (1971), three of them as "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" (in 1972 known as "Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series") and one as "Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series".
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#019
He did not seriously pursue acting until he was in his late 20s, as his parents, who were both actors, did not want him to follow them into the business.
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#020
Is a part-owner of the independent theater Cinemas Palme d'Or in Palm Desert, CA.
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#021
Honored as Grand Marshal of the 2006 Sherman Oaks, CA, Street Fair by the Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in the community and his protection of children through KidSmartz (2003).
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#022
He called Mark Rylance a major influence. Both actors won Tony Awards in 2014: Cranston for "Best Actor in a Play" for "All the Way" and Rylance for "Best Featured Actor in a Play" for his performance in "Twelfth Night". One of Cranston's competitors for the award was Rylance for his performance in "Richard III".
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#023
Worked as Alfred Hitchcock's personal security guard at an awards ceremony, spending the evening watching the director's car in the parking lot.
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Life & Family (8)

#024
He spent part of his youth on a farm with his grandparents in Yucaipa, as his family lost their home in foreclosure.
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#025
He is such a huge baseball fan that his wife threw him a surprise 40th birthday party at Dodger Stadium.
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#026
In a 2015 interview, he named On the Waterfront (1954) as his favorite movie.
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#027
He became an ordained minister when he was in college as a part-time job.
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#028
He worked as Alfred Hitchcock's personal security guard at an awards ceremony, spending the evening watching the director's car in the parking lot.
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#029
When asked what his favorite thing is about his wife Robin Dearden, he replied, "She still gets giddy when she sees a firefly."
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#030
He met his wife, Robin Dearden, on the set of Desperate Monday (1986). He was playing the villain of the week, and she was his hostage held at gunpoint.
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#031
In his younger years, he spent two years traveling around the United States by motorcycle with his brother.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Bryan Cranston comes up in the facts on that page
Skyler White — Bryan Cranston comes up in the facts on that page
Argo — Bryan Cranston comes up in the facts on that page

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Breaking Badas Walter White

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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