He was born in Los Angeles to parents who were both actors. The year he turned 27, he joined the cast of the ABC soap opera Loving. The year he turned 38, he began a recurring role as the dentist Tim Whatley on Seinfeld. The year he turned 42, he appeared in an episode of The X-Files and played a one-armed Army colonel in Saving Private Ryan.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 44, Malcolm in the Middle premiered on Fox with him as Hal, the father.
The year he turned 50, the series ended after seven seasons. The year he turned 52, Breaking Bad premiered on AMC in January, and he won his first Emmy for it in September. The year he turned 54, he won a third consecutive Emmy for lead actor in a drama series. The year he turned 55, he was in Contagion and Drive while starring in Breaking Bad.
The year he turned 57, he played Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way at the American Repertory Theater. The year he turned 58, he won the Tony Award for lead actor in a play for the Broadway production. The year he turned 60, he was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor for Trumbo.
The year he turned 61, he won a SAG Award for All the Way. The year he turned 62, he won the Olivier Award for best actor for Network, which opened on Broadway in December. The year he turned 63, he won a Tony Award for Network.
The year he turned 64, Your Honor premiered on Showtime. The year he turned 65, the series was renewed for a second season. The year he turned 66, he was set to guest star in the final season of Better Call Saul.
The year he turned 68, he signed on to star in Chili Finger, and the Malcolm in the Middle revival was announced. The year he turned 69, The Studio premiered on Apple TV+, and he played Joe Keller in All My Sons in London. The year he turned 70, the Malcolm in the Middle revival premiered on Disney+.
Bryan Cranston began on the soap opera Loving in 1983, the year he turned 27, and became known on Jan 9, 2000, the year he turned 44, when Malcolm in the Middle premiered on Fox. Breaking Bad premiered on Jan 20, 2008, the year he turned 52, and he won his first Emmy for it in 2008, the year he turned 52.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
His parents were both actors.
Source 01 · Wikipedia · Bryan Cranston · opens in a new tabSource 02 · The Irish Times · The many lives of Bryan · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tab Birth date from Wikipedia; not confirmed in news reports. The birthplace is from The Irish Times; the parents’ work is from Men’s Journal.Played Douglas Donovan on the soap opera, a role he held until 1985.
Source 01 · Wikipedia · Bryan Cranston · opens in a new tabSource 02 · The Irish Times · The many lives of Bryan · opens in a new tab Years from Wikipedia; not confirmed in news reports. The Irish Times says he had done commercials for Coffee Mate and Honda and, in his late 20s, guest roles on CHiPs, Murder, She Wrote and other series.Played Tim Whatley, Jerry’s dentist, in several episodes.
Source 04 · GQ · Bad Man Rising! · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Wikipedia · Bryan Cranston · opens in a new tab Year from Wikipedia, which lists the role from 1994 to 1997; not confirmed in news reports.Appeared in an episode Vince Gilligan was casting. Gilligan later cast him in Breaking Bad.
Source 07 · The Hollywood Reporter · Bleak, Brutal, Brilliant Breaking Bad · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tab The Hollywood Reporter dates the guest appearance to 1998; the day is not given.Played a one-armed Army colonel in Steven Spielberg’s film.
Source 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tabSource 02 · The Irish Times · The many lives of Bryan · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Wikipedia · Bryan Cranston · opens in a new tab Year from Wikipedia; not confirmed in news reports.Played Hal, the father, in the family sitcom. Variety reported that it opened with Fox’s biggest opening sitcom ratings since The Simpsons, and that its second episode drew more than 23 million viewers.
The series finale aired on Fox. He had played Hal for seven seasons.
Source 28 · BBC News · Malcolm sitcom axed over ratings · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tab BBC News reported on Jan. 18, 2006, that Fox would broadcast the final episode on May 14, after seven seasons.Played Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who starts cooking crystal meth after a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Source 07 · The Hollywood Reporter · Bleak, Brutal, Brilliant Breaking Bad · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tabWon eight months after Breaking Bad premiered. He had been nominated three times for Malcolm in the Middle without winning.
Source 07 · The Hollywood Reporter · Bleak, Brutal, Brilliant Breaking Bad · opens in a new tabSource 09 · WorldScreen · Low Viewership for Emmy Ceremony · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tab The ceremony date is inferred: WorldScreen, dated Sept. 23, 2008, calls the ceremony Sunday night. The Hollywood Reporter gives the timing and the earlier nominations.Men’s Journal noted that no one else had won three in a row since Bill Cosby for I Spy in 1968.
Source 03 · Men’s Journal · Bryan Cranston, Breaking Badass · opens in a new tabSource 02 · The Irish Times · The many lives of Bryan · opens in a new tabSource 07 · The Hollywood Reporter · Bleak, Brutal, Brilliant Breaking Bad · opens in a new tab Year inferred from a first win in 2008 (The Hollywood Reporter) and three consecutive wins by 2011 (Men’s Journal, The Irish Times); neither gives the ceremony date.The Irish Times reported that he was in Contagion and Drive, two of the top three movies at the US box office the previous week, while starring in Breaking Bad.
Source 02 · The Irish Times · The many lives of Bryan · opens in a new tab Date is that of the article.The New York Times reviewed the American Repertory Theater production in Cambridge, Mass., in which he played Lyndon B. Johnson.
Source 11 · The New York Times · All the Way Stars Bryan Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson · opens in a new tab Date is that of the review.The production, with him as Johnson, opened at the Neil Simon Theater, according to Variety’s review.
Source 12 · Variety · Broadway Review: Bryan Cranston as LBJ in All the Way · opens in a new tab Opening date from the credits of Variety’s review, dated March 7, 2014.Won for All the Way, in his Broadway debut. The Guardian, using Associated Press copy, noted he was already a multiple Emmy winner for Breaking Bad.
Source 10 · The Guardian · Tony awards 2014: Cranston scoops best actor in Broadway debut · opens in a new tab The Guardian item, dated June 9, 2014, places the ceremony on Sunday.Nominated for Trumbo, Deadline reported on the day of the nominations.
Source 26 · Deadline · Oscar Nominations: Noms By The Numbers · opens in a new tabDiscussed Sneaky Pete, the Amazon crime drama he co-created.
Source 13 · Deadline · Bryan Cranston’s Amazon Series Sneaky Pete · opens in a new tabWon outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries for All the Way, The Hollywood Reporter’s winners list shows.
Source 27 · The Hollywood Reporter · SAG Awards: The Complete Winners List · opens in a new tabWon for Network, according to BBC News.
Source 14 · BBC News · Bryan Cranston opens up about Olivier win · opens in a new tab The BBC item is dated April 9, 2018; the ceremony date is not given there.The play, which had run in London, opened at the Belasco Theatre with Cranston as its star.
Source 15 · Playbill · A First Look at Bryan Cranston in Network on Broadway · opens in a new tab Playbill, dated Nov. 28, 2018, gave December 6 as the opening date.Beat Jeff Daniels and Adam Driver, among others.
Source 16 · Los Angeles Times · Tony winners · opens in a new tabPlayed Michael Desiato, a New Orleans judge whose teenage son is involved in a hit-and-run.
Source 23 · TVLine · Your Honor Gets Court Date · opens in a new tabSource 24 · Deadline · Your Honor Renewed For Season 2 · opens in a new tab TVLine, dated Oct. 22, 2020, announced the Dec. 6 premiere. The role description is from Deadline.Showtime ordered a 10-episode second season, and Cranston was set to return as Desiato.
Source 24 · Deadline · Your Honor Renewed For Season 2 · opens in a new tabCo-creator Peter Gould confirmed at PaleyFest that Cranston and Aaron Paul would appear in the final season of the Breaking Bad spinoff.
Source 17 · Variety · Better Call Saul: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul Will Guest Star in Final Season · opens in a new tabThe Hollywood Reporter said he, Judy Greer, Sean Astin and John Goodman had signed on to the dark comedy.
Source 25 · The Hollywood Reporter · AFM: Chili Finger · opens in a new tabDisney+ ordered a four-episode run, with Cranston among the original cast members returning.
Source 18 · Deadline · Malcolm in the Middle Revived For New Episodes On Disney+ · opens in a new tabPlayed Griffin Mill, the CEO of Continental Studios.
Source 19 · IndieWire · The Studio review · opens in a new tab IndieWire, dated March 25, 2025, said Apple TV+ would release the first two episodes on Wednesday, March 26.Played Joe Keller in the London production of the Arthur Miller play.
Source 20 · The Guardian · All My Sons review · opens in a new tab Date is that of The Guardian review; the opening date is not given there.Variety reported 8.1 million views globally in the first three days on Disney+ and Hulu. Cranston is in the cast and an executive producer.
Source 21 · Variety · Malcolm in the Middle Revival Trailer · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Variety · Malcolm in the Middle Revival Hits 8.1 Million Views in Three Days · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1956–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Film & TV · United States
Mar 7, 1956 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1956: the year of the event minus 1956, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.