Breaking Bad Cast
Breaking Bad tells the story of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He turns to a life of crime, partnering with former student Jesse Pinkman to secure his family's financial future by manufacturing and selling crystallized methamphetamine. The series explores how a desperate man's choices lead him down a dark path of moral corruption.
Main Cast of Breaking Bad
Bryan Cranston
Walter White / Heisenberg
Aaron Paul
Jesse Pinkman
Anna Gunn
Skyler White
Dean Norris
Hank Schrader
Betsy Brandt
Marie Schrader
RJ Mitte
Walter White Jr.
Bob Odenkirk
Saul Goodman
Giancarlo Esposito
Gus Fring
Complete Cast List
| Actor Name | Character Name | Role Description | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Cranston | Walter White | High school chemistry teacher turned meth cook | 1-5 |
| Aaron Paul | Jesse Pinkman | Former student and partner | 1-5 |
| Anna Gunn | Skyler White | Walter's wife | 1-5 |
| Dean Norris | Hank Schrader | DEA agent, Walter's brother-in-law | 1-5 |
| Betsy Brandt | Marie Schrader | Skyler's sister, Hank's wife | 1-5 |
| RJ Mitte | Walter White Jr. | Walter and Skyler's son | 1-5 |
| Bob Odenkirk | Saul Goodman | Criminal defense attorney | 2-5 |
| Giancarlo Esposito | Gustavo Fring | Drug kingpin and businessman | 2-4 |
| Jonathan Banks | Mike Ehrmantraut | Fixer and enforcer | 2-5 |
| Laura Fraser | Lydia Rodarte-Quayle | Madrigal executive | 5 |
| Jesse Plemons | Todd Alquist | Vamonos Pest employee | 5 |
| Krysten Ritter | Jane Margolis | Jesse's girlfriend | 2-3 |
| Charles Baker | Skinny Pete | Jesse's friend | 1-5 |
| Matt Jones | Badger | Jesse's friend | 1-5 |
| Raymond Cruz | Tuco Salamanca | Drug distributor | 1-2 |
| Mark Margolis | Hector Salamanca | Former cartel member | 2-4 |
| Michael Mando | Nacho Varga | Tuco's associate | 1 |
| Steven Michael Quezada | Steven Gomez | DEA agent, Hank's partner | 1-5 |
| Carmen Serano | Carmen Molina | School principal | 1-3 |
| David Costabile | Gale Boetticher | Chemist | 3 |
About Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. Created by Vince Gilligan, the show aired on AMC from January 20, 2008, to September 29, 2013. The series follows Walter White's transformation from a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher to a ruthless drug kingpin known as "Heisenberg."
The show won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, including four for Bryan Cranston as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and three for Aaron Paul as Outstanding Supporting Actor. Breaking Bad is praised for its writing, acting, cinematography, and its exploration of moral consequences.
Legacy and Spin-offs
Breaking Bad's success led to the creation of the prequel series "Better Call Saul," focusing on the transformation of Jimmy McGill into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. The franchise also includes "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," which follows Jesse Pinkman after the series finale.
Cultural Impact
The series has had a lasting impact on popular culture, with Walter White becoming an iconic television character. The show's themes of moral decay, family, and the American Dream resonated with audiences worldwide, making it a defining series of the modern television era.
Related Cast Lists
About Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is the AMC drama created by Vince Gilligan that follows Walter White, a chemistry teacher in New Mexico who, after a cancer diagnosis, begins manufacturing methamphetamine to provide for his family. The show traces his transformation across five seasons into a figure he could not have imagined at the start.
Tone and format
The series is known for its careful, almost geological pacing. Episodes spend time on small details — the chemistry, the desert light, the silences in negotiation scenes — and the writing is structured so that consequences from early decisions land much later, often without warning. Action set pieces are infrequent but heavily weighted when they occur.
Casting
Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, with Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, Anna Gunn as Skyler White, Dean Norris as Hank Schrader, Betsy Brandt as Marie, RJ Mitte as Walt Jr., Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo Fring, and a deep supporting cast that grew across the run.
Spin-offs and connected work
Breaking Bad is part of a wider universe that includes the prequel series Better Call Saul and the sequel film El Camino. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould developed Better Call Saul as a parallel piece that recontextualises several of the original show's supporting characters.
Where to watch
Breaking Bad streams on Netflix in many regions, with availability also on AMC+ in the United States. The series and its spin-offs are catalogue stalwarts and rotate through different services depending on Sony Pictures Television's licensing arrangements.
Related cast pages
Viewers who hold Breaking Bad in mind as a benchmark for prestige drama often also look up the Yellowstone cast, the Severance cast, and the The Bear cast.
Cast.biz reference guides
If you want background on how the cast lists on this site are put together, the following short guides cover the basics:
- How TV show casts are built — series regulars, recurring, and guest roles.
- Understanding billing order — what “top-billed” really means.
- Ensemble vs. lead-driven casts — how each shapes a show.
- How casts evolve across seasons — promotions, departures, and recasts.
- Casting directors explained — the people who choose who gets in the room.
- Glossary of cast credits — what each credit term means.
- How streaming changed TV casting — shorter seasons, film actors, global auditions.
- TV show pilots vs. series cast — why pilot casts often differ from the show that airs.
- Editorial standards — how Cast.biz verifies and updates its pages.