- AMC’s hit drama “Breaking Bad” aired on the network from 2008 to 2013.
- The show starred Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, respectively.
- The actors from “Breaking Bad” have gone on to win Tony Awards, star on other series, and appear on the spin-off series called “Better Call Saul.”
- Paul and Cranston reprised their “Breaking Bad” roles for a 2019 film sequel called “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
“Breaking Bad” aired on AMC from January 2008 to 2013 and was a hit TV show, earning Emmys, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards during its five-season run.
The critically-acclaimed crime drama starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who turned to crystal meth-making to financially support his family after being diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. He forged a partnership with a former student named Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul), a drug dealer and user.
The success of “Breaking Bad” also led to a 2019 film sequel titled “El Camino,” which several familiar faces from the original series appeared in.
Here’s what the cast of “Breaking Bad” has been up to.
Bryan Cranston's portrayal of family man Walter White, who became a drug lord known as Heisenberg, was praised by fans and critics.
On the first episode of the series, Walter was told that he had two years to live, which prompted him to turn to drug dealing after realizing that it was a lucrative (though dangerous) business.
Lines like "I am the one who knocks" and "tread lightly" are just two of Walter White's most iconic lines, which have solidified his place as an iconic TV character.
Cranston's standout performance as Walter earned him one Golden Globe and four Emmys.
After "Breaking Bad," Cranston won a Tony Award for his performance as former president Lyndon B. Johnson in "All the Way."
"All the Way" was also turned into a TV movie, which led Cranston to receive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He won a SAG Award for the role, too. Cranston also earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the titular character in 2015's "Trumbo."
He scored a second Tony Award in June 2019 for his role as a broadcast journalist in the Broadway play "Network."
Cranston also created and appeared on an Amazon Prime Video series called "Sneaky Pete," which lasted for three seasons.
The versatile actor has showcased his comedic skills with guest-starring roles on shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "How I Met Your Mother." In addition, he has voiced characters on "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy."
Cranston reprised his "Breaking Bad" role during a 2016 episode of "Saturday Night Live," in which he mocked Donald Trump's cabinet picks.
He thrilled fans when he once again portrayed Walter White in 2019's "El Camino" during a flashback.
Aaron Paul starred as Jesse Pinkman, known for his excessive use of the words "yo" and "b----."
In his first scene on the show, Jesse was seen exiting a woman's house through her upstairs window, fumbling to put his pants on and falling down the roof in the process.
Paul won three Emmys for his supporting role on "Breaking Bad."
Paul reprised his "Breaking Bad" role for Netflix's film sequel.
"El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" hit the streaming service in October 2019.
The actor also starred on season three of HBO's "Westworld," playing an LA-based construction worker named Caleb.
After "Breaking Bad" ended, Paul starred in a few movies, like 2014's "Need for Speed" (which was inspired by the popular video game of the same name) and the 2016 comedy "Central Intelligence" (which was led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart).
He also starred on the Hulu drama "The Path" and voiced Todd Chavez/Henry Fondle on the Emmy-nominated animated Netflix series "BoJack Horseman."
In 2019, Paul teamed up with Cranston to release a Mezcal line called Dos Hombres.
Anna Gunn played Skyler White, Walter's wife.
At the start of the series, she wrote stories and sold things on eBay to try and earn some money. She later became involved in a money-laundering scheme.
Gunn won two Emmys for her supporting role on "Breaking Bad."
Gunn most recently reprised her role as Martha Bullock on "Deadwood" for a TV movie that aired on HBO in May 2019.
She's also starring in a production of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" at London's West End.
Following "Breaking Bad," Gunn went on to guest star on "The Mindy Project," "Portlandia," and Criminal Minds." She also starred alongside Tom Hanks in the 2016 movie "Sully" and appeared as a councilwoman named Julia Ayres on "Shades of Blue," which starred Jennifer Lopez.
RJ Mitte played Walter and Skyler's son, Walter White Jr.
Walter's side business resulted in a strained relationship with Walt Jr.
Mitte has appeared in several movies and shows since his "Breaking Bad" days.
He appeared on "Now Apocalypse" and also had a recurring role as Campbell Bingman on the drama "Switched at Birth."
Like his "Breaking Bad" character, Mitte also has cerebral palsy. He's an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and often speaks about his experience during interviews.
In addition, Mitte has modeled for Gap and walked the runway at a Vivienne Westwood menswear show in Milan in 2015.
Next, he'll star alongside Disney Channel actress Dove Cameron in a psychological thriller called "Isaac."
Dean Norris starred as Hank Schrader, a DEA agent and brother-in-law of Walter.
Hank took a long time to realize that Walter was actually Heisenberg.
Norris most recently appeared on season five of "Better Call Saul" and played a mob boss on TNT's "Claws."
He also played Roy Nicholls in the 2019 horror movie "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" and Russ on Hulu's "The Act." Norris has had recurring roles on several TV shows, too, from "Scandal" to "The Big Bang Theory."
Betsy Brandt played Marie Schrader, Skyler's sister.
She constantly wore purple outfits on the show.
Brandt appears as Stephanie Novak on USA's "Pearson," a "Suits" spin-off that premiered in July 2019.
Brandt also had roles on "Life in Pieces," "Parenthood," "Masters of Sex," and "The Michael J. Fox Show."
Bob Odenkirk portrayed lawyer Saul Goodman.
He had cheesy ads for his business, but was skilled at helping Walt and Jesse find loopholes in messy situations.
Odenkirk's "Breaking Bad" role led to a spin-off prequel series called "Better Call Saul."
The show premiered on AMC in 2015 and is currently in its fifth season. Odenkirk's performance on the series has resulted in three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for best performance by an actor in a drama TV series. He has also earned Emmy and SAG Award nominations.
Over the years, the actor has also appeared on "Fargo," "The Disaster Artist," "The Post," and "Drunk History."
He recently starred as President Chambers in the rom-com "Long Shot," which starred Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. He also portrayed Mr. March in the star-studded film adaptation of "Little Women."
Steven Michael Quezada starred as Steven Gomez, Hank's partner at the DEA.
Hank nicknamed him "Gomie."
Quezada is now the commissioner of New Mexico's Bernalillo County District 2.
He was previously the vice chair and chair of the commission.
After "Breaking Bad," Quezada starred in several movies, including "Light from the Darkroom," "Hermanos," "The Night Before," and "Wish Man."
Like Norris, he also guest-starred on season five of "Better Call Saul."
Giancarlo Esposito portrayed Gustavo "Gus" Fring, another major player in the drug dealing business.
He also cofounded a fast-food chain called Los Pollos Hermanos.
Esposito stars as Stan Edgar on Amazon Prime Video's "The Boys."
Esposito will reprise his role for season two of "The Boys," which premieres on the streaming service on September 4.
Esposito also portrayed Archie in the Disney+ film adaptation of the young adult book "Stargirl," starring alongside singer Grace Vanderwaal, who played the titular character in the movie.
The actor also appeared on the Cinemax series "Jett," Amazon's "The Boys," HBO's "Westworld," and ABC's "Once Upon a Time." He reprised his role as Gus Fring for "Better Call Saul," too.
In addition, Esposito has appeared in movies like "Okja," "Money Monster," "The Jungle Book," and "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials."
In 2020, he received Emmy nominations for his appearances on "Better Call Saul" and "The Mandalorian."
Jonathan Banks played Mike Ehrmantraut, a mob member, private investigator, and hit man.
He also worked for Gus Fring and later helped out Walt and Jesse.
Banks reprised his role for "Better Call Saul."
He earned four Emmy nominations for best supporting actor in a drama series for his part on the spin-off, in addition to one nod that he received during his time on "Breaking Bad."
Banks also voiced the character Quirin on "Tangled: The Series," an animated show based on the 2010 Disney movie.
The actor voiced characters on "Skylanders Academy," "Incredibles 2," and "Gravity Falls." You may have also seen him on "Community," "Parks and Recreation," and "Body of Proof."
He also appeared in "El Camino," in the form of flashbacks.
