Learn about Bryan Cranston's career ahead of 'All My Sons'

The Breaking Bad star and two-time Tony winner returns to the West End in the Arthur Miller classic.

Summary

• Bryan Cranston's early stage performances took place in his native California
• He made his Broadway debut and won his first Tony as Lyndon B Johnson in 'All the Way'
• He won an Olivier and a Tony for 'Network'
• Cranston returns to London as Joe Keller in 'All My Sons' directed by Ivo van Hove

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1956 to actor parents, Bryan Cranston decided to pursue acting after completing an associate degree in police science. His career has been something of a slow burn, with an explosive payoff.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Cranston played many minor and guest roles on TV, as well as the recurring role of dentist Dr Whatley on Seinfeld (1994-97). He also had small roles in numerous films, including That Thing You Do!, Saving Private Ryan, and Little Miss Sunshine. His mainstream breakthrough came with the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000-06), in which he played Hal, the loving but immature father of the titular child genius.

Cranston came to major stardom in Vince Gilligan’s series Breaking Bad (2008-13) when he was cast as Walter White, a chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal lung cancer who teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to manufacture and produce crystal meth in order to ensure his family’s financial security after his death. Cranston won four Emmy Awards for his unforgettable performance.

Cranston was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Hollywood blacklist drama Trumbo (2015) and he has worked with Wes Anderson on Isle of Dogs, Asteroid City, and The Phoenician Scheme. Coming up, he appears in Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair and the films The Sheep Detective and Lone Wolf.

As a stage actor, Cranston has won two Tonys and an Olivier. He returns to London this autumn to play Joe Keller in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons directed by Ivo van Hove. Read on to learn more about his theatrical career thus far.

Book All My Sons tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Early stage work (1980s-1992)

Cranston’s early stage appearances included playing Paul Bratter in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (the role played by the late Robert Redford in the film adaptation) at Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara. He also won a Drama-Logue Award for his performance in The Steven Weed Show at Hollywood’s Theater/Theater.

A few years later in 1992, he performed with Shakespeare Santa Cruz, playing the supporting roles of Christopher Sly/Pedant in The Taming of the Shrew, and Torvald Helmer (Nora’s husband) in A Doll’s House. Shakespeare Santa Cruz existed between 1981 to 2013 and also provided early opportunities for Colman Domingo, Carrie Preston, and Caitlin FitzGerald (who can currently be seen in the West End in Othello), among others.

The God of Hell and Chapter Two (2006-07)

Fourteen years later and now a well-known TV presence thanks to Malcolm in the Middle, Cranston returned to the stage to play Mr Welch, an ultra-patriotic government agent, in Sam Shepard’s black comedy The God of Hell at Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse. The play, which is set on a Wisconsin dairy farm, is in part a response to the aggressive jingoism peddled by George W Bush’s government.

The following year, Cranston appeared in a revival of Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical play Chapter Two at the Pollak Theater, located on the campus of New Jersey’s Monmouth University. He and his real-life spouse Robin Dearden played tentative couple George and Jennie.

All the Way (2014)

After the completion of Breaking Bad, Cranston made his Broadway debut as a bona fide star in the mighty role of president Lyndon B Johnson in Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan’s historical play. The play focuses on the year between John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and Johnson’s election (his campaign slogan was “All the way with LBJ”), in which he attempted to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer observed that “Cranston captures Johnson's glee in storytelling that smacks of bourbon and branch in a smoky back room. At the same time, he gives us a Johnson with warts — the most powerful man in the free world, who bruises like a Romanoff”. Cranston won his first Tony Award for his performance and Schenkkan won Best Play.

Network (2017-19)

Cranston made his London debut at the National Theatre as Howard Beale in Lee Hall’s adaptation of director Sidney Lumet’s 1976 media satire film Network. Ivo van Hove directed and the production featured immersive audio-visual technology, including a live onstage television studio and an onstage restaurant titled Foodwork, where audience members could enjoy a three-course meal during the play. The bells and whistles of the production didn't upstage Cranston, who won the Best Actor Olivier Award.

The production transferred to Broadway in November 2018. New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer remarked, “My measure of how good a show is, is would I go see it again. I would. I don't know how Cranston gets into that state eight shows a week”. He earned his second Tony for his efforts.

Power of Sail (2022)

Cranston returned to the Geffen Playhouse to lead Paul Grellong’s play Power of Sail. In this campus drama, Cranston played Charles Nichols, a Harvard professor who makes waves when he invites a white supremacist to the university for a debate. When the play received its UK premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2023, Julian Ovenden played Cranston’s role.

All My Sons (2025)

Cranston reunites with Network director Ivo Van Hove to play Joe Keller in Arthur Miller’s postwar drama All My Sons. It’s a characteristically morally knotty role for Cranston: during the war, Keller was charged with shipping defective aircraft equipment and was exonerated after pinning the blame on his business partner. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu co-star as his wife Kate and son Chris.

Says Cranston: “Arthur Miller, Ivo Van Hove, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Paapa Essiedu… If there is something that I know beyond a shadow of doubt, is to surround yourself with the most talented people. This group of creative artists has got me so excited to be a part of the All My Sons company.”

Book All My Sons tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: The cast of All My Sons. (Photo by Oliver Rosser)