Aaron Paul

Actor

• Born: August 27, 1979
• Birthplace: Emmett, Idaho

Contribution: Aaron Michael Paul is an Emmy Award–winning actor, best known for his roles on the television series Big Love (2007–11), Breaking Bad (2008–13), and the film Smashed (2012).

Background

Aaron Paul Sturtevant was born on August 27, 1979, in Emmett, Idaho, the youngest of five children. Born in his parents’ bathroom, he was a month premature. Paul’s father, Robert Sturtevant, was a Christian Baptist minister. As a child, Paul often took part in church programs, including plays.

Paul decided he wanted to become an actor at a young age. When he attended Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho, he joined the high school’s theater department, which strengthened his desire to pursue a career in entertainment.

After graduating high school, Paul moved to Los Angeles, California, where he dropped his last name. In 1996, he entered the International Modeling and Talent Association competition and signed with a manager. In 1998, Paul landed his first television gig incidentally, as a contestant on the game show The Price Is Right (1972–). He made it to the final stage of the show, but lost in the “Showcase Showdown.”

Career

Before getting television and film work, Paul appeared in several commercial and music videos. He appeared in commercials for Juicy Fruit chewing gum, Corn Pops breakfast cereal, and the Coca-Cola Company’s Vanilla Coke soda.

Paul’s television acting debut occurred in 1998, when he appeared in the television movie Even the Losers. The following year, he had small roles on the drama series Beverly Hills, 90210, in an episode called “Fortune Cookie,” and Melrose Place, in an episode titled “The Daughterboy.” In 2000, Paul made his film debut with a small role in the teen comedy Whatever It Takes.

Paul worked steadily in both film and television during the early 2000s, typically in small roles. He appeared in the television series The X-Files (2001), NYPD Blue (2002), and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2002). In the film K-PAX (2001), Paul played a young version of Jeff Bridges’s character, Dr. Mark Powell. In the 2006 blockbuster film Mission Impossible III, Paul played Rick Meade, the brother-in-law of Ethan Hunt, played by actor Tom Cruise.

In 2007, Paul began appearing on the drama series Big Love (2006–11). He played the role of faithful husband Scott Quittman on the series between 2007 and 2011. Paul also auditioned for a new drama series called Breaking Bad (2008–13) in 2007.

Breaking Bad premiered in January 2008 to critical acclaim; it went on to be one of the most widely praised series of the 2000s, even landing on lists of the best television shows of all time. Paul costars as Jesse Pinkman, an emotional underachiever who starts producing and selling methamphetamine with his former chemistry teacher, played by actor Bryan Cranston. Cranston portrays Walter White, an antihero character whose attitude toward life changes dramatically after he diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the original script of Breaking Bad, Paul’s character was slated to be killed during the first season. However, series creator Vince Gilligan was impressed by the on-camera chemistry between Paul and Cranston, and changed the show’s storyline so that Pinkman remained a main character.

In addition to commercial and widespread critical success, Breaking Bad has won several nominations and awards since its 2008 debut. Paul has received many accolades for his work on the show. He was nominated for a 2014 Golden Globe award and won the Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 2010, 2012, and 2014, after being nominated in 2009. He received an additional nomination in his category in 2013. He also won the Saturn Award for best supporting actor on television in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Paul has additionally won the 2013 Satellite Award for best supporting actor and the 2014 Critics Choice Television Award.

Paul’s success on Breaking Bad led to more film roles. In 2009, he starred in the horror film Last House on the Left, which he followed up with another horror film, Wreckage, in 2010.

In 2012, Paul starred alongside actor Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the independent drama film Smashed. Paul played Charley Hannah, an alcoholic writer whose wife (Winstead) is an alcoholic who gets sober. The film received mainly positive reviews and the majority of critics praised Paul and Winstead’s performances.

In a 2013 episode of the The Simpsons (1989–) titled “What Animated Women Want,” Paul voiced an animated version of Jesse Pinkman with his Breaking Bad costar Cranston portraying an animated Walter White.

After Breaking Bad's final season in 2013, Paul appeared in a number of films. In the 2014 muscle-car thriller Need for Speed, based on the videogame series, Paul stars as street racer Tobey Marshall. Tobey went to jail after he was framed by a rival racer, Dino Brewster, for the death of his friend Pete. After serving his time, Tobey enters a cross-country road race and looks for a way to avenge Pete's death. When Dino hears that Tobey is out and racing again, he places a bounty on his head. Paul's other post-Breaking Bad films include A Long Way Down (2014), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Eye in the Sky (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), Come and Find Me (2016), American Woman (2018), and The Parts You Lose (2019). In 2019, Paul reprised his role as Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Paul also found success in television series during the mid-to-late 2010s, including in The Path (2016–18) and the animated series BoJack Horseman (2014–19).

Impact

The popularity of Breaking Bad has made Paul one of the most recognized actors in the entertainment industry. After a decade of small roles in film and television, he became one of the biggest young actors in the industry. However, fame has not gone to his head—Paul is known for his sense of humor and down-to-earth attitude.

Personal Life

Paul proposed to Lauren Parsekian in Paris, France in January 2012. They were married on May 26, 2013, and have a daughter, Story Annabelle (b. 2018).

Principal Works

Film

K-PAX, 2001

Mission Impossible III, 2006

The Last House on the Left, 2009

Wreckage, 2010

Smashed, 2012

Need for Speed, 2014

A Long Way Down, 2014

Exodus: Gods and Kings, 2014

Eye in the Sky, 2015

Central Intelligence, 2016

Come and Find Me, 2016

American Woman, 2018

The Parts You Lose, 2019

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Film, 2019

Television

Big Love, 2007–11

Breaking Bad, 2008–13

BoJack Horseman, 2014–19

The Path, 2016–18

Bibliography

Braxton, Greg. “Aaron Paul Will Be A ‘Sobbing Mess’ When Breaking Bad Ends.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 12 Jul. 2012. Web. 27 June 2013.

Itzkoff, Dave. “Character and Career, Both Alive.” New York Times. New York Times, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 June 2013.

Riley, Daniel. “The Dirt on Aaron Paul.” GQ. Conde Nast, Aug. 2012. Web. 27 June 2013.

Rosenblum, Emma. “The Ascent of Jesse Pinkman: How Aaron Paul saved his life on Breaking Bad.” New York Magazine. New York Media, 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 June 2013.

Spitznagel, Eric. “Q&A: Aaron Paul, Great Onscreen Drunk, on Smashed.” Esquire Magazine. Hearst Communications, 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 June 2013.