10 Best Bryan Cranston Movie & TV Roles, According To IMDb

Bryan Cranston is, perhaps, one of the best-known and awarded actors of a generation. While he’s most known for his roles on Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle, the long-time actor has delivered consistently engaging and captivating performances in both television and film.

From fantastic voice work in animated series and movies to minor roles in well-known films, Cranston proved his abilities as an actor several times over in his decades-long career. IMDb took note of these projects that Cranston appeared in, ranking these series and films into the top ten of his career.

SuperMansion (2015 – 2019) – 7.6

Fresh off of his five-year-long role as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston starred in a series that is a lot more upbeat and lighthearted, SuperMansion. Cranston stars as Titanium Rex, an old superhero who is the leader of a team of super-powered individuals, named the League of Freedom.

SuperMansion ran for three seasons and featured an impressive supporting cast, such as Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Pine, and Yvette Nicole Brown. With crude humor akin to Robot Chicken, SuperMansion is also executive produced by Cranston, with the series’ stop-motion animated format allowing for many bizarre situations.

Detachment (2011) – 7.7

Released in 2011, Detachment starred Adrian Brody who plays a substitute high school teacher who interacts with numerous other teachers and students, including Bryan Cranston’s Mr. Dearden. Despite being such a recognizable talent, Cranston is criminally underused.

Cranston’s character only appears in the movie for one brief scene, which is arguably a disservice to his interesting character that seemingly had some promise. Cranston, in conversation with HitFix, opened up about his on-set feud with the director, Tony Kaye, who he believed did not honor Carl Lund’s script correctly. This perhaps suggests why Cranston’s role is so limited.

Argo (2012) – 7.7

Argo follows director and star Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez, an undercover CIA agent posing as a Hollywood movie producer who seeks to embark on a rescue mission for Americans who are in a hostage situation in Iran. Cranston plays Mendez’s CIA connection who is crucial to his mission.

Argo was the Best Picture winner at the 2012 Oscars. Despite some controversy regarding its historical inaccuracies, the film is highly-regarded for Ben Affleck’s direction. Cranston praised Affleck’s work highly, finding him to be one of the greatest directors he has ever worked with (per IndieWire).

Isle Of Dogs (2018) – 7.8

In 2018, Bryan Cranston starred in Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs as Chief, a dog who, along with other dogs, befriends 12-year-old Atari who is searching for his dog, Spots. Atari must search Trash Island, after his uncle Kenji Kobayashi banished all dogs, including Spots, to the wasteland.

Not only was the Isle of Dogs nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 2019 Oscars, but Cranston won an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production. With impressive stop-motion animation, and a well-known cast, including Edward Norton, Bill Murray, and Scarlett Johannson, Isle of Dogs is a delight from start to finish.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – 7.8

One of Bryan Cranston’s best roles is Stan Grossman in Little Miss Sunshine. Despite being a minor character in the film, Cranston’s Stan is integral to the arc of Greg Kinnear’s Richard Hoover, who seeks Stan’s assistance in his quest to become a successful motivational speaker and life coach.

In Cranston’s few scenes, he makes his presence felt through his deeply layered performance. Richard believes that Stan is essential in moving to the next stage of his career, but Stan ignores him and ultimately rejects him. He argues that Richard is not cut out for the career that he is desperate to have.

Drive (2011) – 7.8

Midway through Bryan Cranston’s run as Walter White in the hit series Breaking Bad, Cranston starred alongside Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, and Albert Brooks in Drive. While Drive is highly regarded for Gosling’s performance, Cranston is equally as compelling as Shannon.

Cranston’s final scene in the movie sees him being killed by Brooks’ character. According to IndieWire, Cranston changed the original script to make his death more meaningful. Cranston suggested that as the two characters were fond of one another, it would resonate emotionally for Brooks’ character to murder Shannon quickly and reassure him during it. This is proof of Cranston’s connection with the material he is given, and his desire to be creatively involved.

Sneaky Pete (2015 – 2019) – 8.1

In 2015, Bryan Cranston co-created and starred in Sneaky Pete for Amazon Prime. The series follows Marius, played by Giovanni Ribisi, who is a conman that, after being released from prison, is on the run from the man he once robbed- gangster Vince Lonigan, played by Cranston.

Despite only appearing in the first season of the series, Cranston remained an involved producer for the remainder of the series. The actor did not submit himself in acting categories for the 2016 Emmys, citing that he was not looking for one himself and wanted his castmates to receive credit (per IndieWire). Given that Cranston won 4 awards for his turn as Walter White, his reasoning is understandable.

Malcolm In The Middle (2000 – 2006) – 8.1

For 7 seasons and 151 episodes, Bryan Cranston portrayed Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, an immature but loving father to five boys, including Malcolm, the titular character. According to many fans, Hal is the most likable character in Malcolm in the Middle.

Hal is undoubtedly Cranston’s second most famous role, and he is integral to Malcolm in the Middle‘s legacy. The series is truly important in the way that it changed the trajectory of sitcoms. Following the popularity of such multi-camera shows as Friends and Seinfeld, Malcolm in the Middle came along as an entirely different viewing experience, the effect of which can be seen on modern sitcoms such as The Office and Modern Family.

Seinfeld (1989 – 1998) – 8.8

Bryan Cranston appeared on the hit sitcom, Seinfeld, along with numerous other Breaking Bad actors. Cranston’s role in Seinfeld was a recurring one, as he portrayed Tim Whatley, Jerry’s dentist and also, nemesis. Despite only appearing in five episodes out of 172, he certainly made an impact.

From 1994 to 1997, Cranston occasionally appeared in the series with an impeccable comedic performance, which arguably contributed to his casting as a leading man in Malcolm in the Middle. One of the most well-known episodes to feature Cranston’s character is “The Yada Yada” in season 8, which saw Dr. Whatley convert to Judaism, which Jerry believes was a decision that was purely based on being able to tell jokes about the religion.

Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013) – 9.4

Bryan Cranston’s most famous role, and undeniably his career-best, is Walter White in the five-season-long drama series, Breaking Bad. Created by Vince Gilligan, the series begins with mild-mannered Chemistry teacher Walter White learning of his fatal cancer diagnosis, and making a decision that will impact him and his family’s lives, forever.

Cranston won four Emmys for his portrayal of Walter’s transformation into a drug kingpin, which the majority of people would argue is well-deserved. Cranston could showcase Walt’s fear, anger, sadness, and several other emotions through his facial expressions alone, and his powerhouse performance no doubt contributed to Breaking Bad being, not just Cranston’s highest-rated role, but the highest-rated long-running television series of all time.

About The Author

Ross Phillip
(44 Articles Published)

Ross Phillip is a freelance writer and video editor based in Scotland. As a university graduate in English Literature and Film Studies, he is an experienced writer, particularly in film analysis. In addition to this experience, Ross is utterly passionate about film and television, with a particular love of Breaking Bad and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ross’s love of cinema led to him writing a 10,000-word dissertation on the ability of the movies to provoke a visceral reaction, allowing the viewer to feel what they see on screen.

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