Breaking Bad certainly made its cast famous and rich beyond their wildest dreams. What started as a little show on AMC quickly blossomed into one of the most beloved and popular dramas of all time. What made the show so popular is hard to say, although it undoubtedly comes down to a variety of factors. The writing, cinematography, and of course the performances all contributed.
Breaking Bad was constantly showered with acting awards and nominations, as various institutions and academies recognized the incredible and dexterous work on display. Let's see how rich that work made them.
10 RJ Mitte - $2.5 Million
Starting the list is RJ Mitte, who played Walter Jr. throughout all five seasons. Mitte moved to Hollywood in 2006 and almost immediately landed the role of Walter Jr. In this role, he helped give prominence to cerebral palsy, as, like Walter Jr., Mitte also suffers from the disease.
However, his isn't as bad as Walter Jr.'s, as Mitte does not require crutches to walk. Despite his strong performance, Mitte wasn't in Breaking Bad as much as his co-stars, resulting in a lower net worth. However, at a solid $2.5 million, it's certainly nothing to scoff at.
9 Betsy Brandt - $4 Million
Betsy Brandt received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Harvard, signaling a very successful and prosperous career. Despite graduating in the late '90s, Brandt didn't receive recognition or critical attention until 2008 when she appeared in Breaking Bad as Marie.
She has also enjoyed a solid post-Breaking Bad career, starring as Heather Hughes in CBS's Life in Pieces. The show ran for four seasons and 79 episodes between 2015 and 2019. The solid TV work has generated a net worth of $4 million for Mrs. Brandt.
8 Dean Norris - $5 Million
Playing Betsy Brandt's fictional husband is Dean Norris. Norris also attended Harvard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts. Norris appeared in numerous popular films before Breaking Bad, albeit in a small capacity.
Before winning hearts worldwide as Hank Schrader, Norris appeared in the likes of Terminator 2, Starship Troopers, and Little Miss Sunshine. However, it was Hank that made him a star, and he won a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble alongside his numerous co-stars. His net worth is an estimated $5 million.
7 Jonathan Banks - $5 Million
Jonathan Banks has enjoyed a storied career. In the late '80s, he was known for playing Frank McPike in CBS's Wiseguy. Before that, he appeared in many high-profile movies, including Airplane!, 48 Hrs., and Beverly Hills Cop. He enjoyed a late-career resurgence as Mike, one of the greatest additions to the Breaking Bad cast of characters.
His role proved so popular that he was asked back for the famous prequel, Better Call Saul, where he's one of the main protagonists of the series. Riches and fame are better late than never, and Banks is currently worth an estimated $5 million.
6 Giancarlo Esposito - $6 Million
Esposito has enjoyed a similar career trajectory. Like Banks, Esposito has appeared in numerous beloved movies, including The Usual Suspects in 1995. He is also known for his work with Spike Lee, appearing in his movies School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Malcolm X.
Like Banks, he enjoyed a career resurgence playing Gus on Breaking Bad. And like Banks, he too was asked back for Better Call Saul. He also has a very similar net worth, coming in just above Banks at $6 million.
5 Anna Gunn - $7 Million
Anna Gunn has been acting since 1992, with her most prominent pre-Breaking Bad role being that of Martha Bullock on HBO's Deadwood. She later reprised her role as Martha for the 2019 film. Aside from that, Gunn has remained relatively quiet in recent years, with her most substantial roles being found in Gracepoint and Shades of Blue.
Instead, Gunn has been primarily focusing on theater, starring in various Off-Broadway and West End productions (in 2019 she starred in Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana). She is currently worth an estimated $7 million.
4 Jesse Plemons - $8 Million
Jesse Plemons was most well known for playing Landry Clarke in Friday Night Lights before starring as Todd in Breaking Bad. It was thanks to this role that many fans lovingly referred to him as Meth Damon (owing to his resemblance to Matt Damon).
Since leaving Breaking Bad, Plemons has starred in a ton of great material, including El Camino, The Post, Game Night, The Irishman, Fargo, and Black Mirror. All this great work has inflated his net worth, which currently sits at an estimated $8 million.
3 Bob Odenkirk - $16 Million
Odenkirk was primarily known as a comedian before starring as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad. Even then, he was primarily used in a comedic capacity, offering up many fantastic moments of levity and comic relief.
This role was taken far more seriously in Better Call Saul, which greatly allowed Odenkirk to flex his dramatic acting chops (a challenge he stepped up to wonderfully). This has been a great decade for Odenkirk, judging by his estimated net worth of $16 million.
2 Aaron Paul - $20 Million
Before Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul was just a kid from the small town of Emmett, Ohio. He moved to Los Angeles in the late '90s and subsequently appeared on an episode of The Price Is Right.
However, it wasn't until Breaking Bad that Paul became a star, and this helped launch a career that has since encompassed BoJack Horseman, The Path, and Westworld. He is currently worth an estimated $20 million.
1 Bryan Cranston - $40 Million
Of course, Bryan Cranston is the richest member of the Breaking Bad cast. He's the protagonist after all, and he was showered with awards (which probably increased his salary quite a hefty sum).
He has also enjoyed solid pre and post Breaking Bad careers, starring in the likes of Malcolm in the Middle, Godzilla, Sneaky Pete, Drive, and Argo. He's not just the star of Breaking Bad - he's a genuine movie star. All this stellar has accumulated in a very solid net worth of $40 million.
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