# Aaron Paul
**Aaron Paul** (full name Aaron Paul Sturtevant) is an American actor best known for playing meth dealer [Jesse Pinkman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-pinkman) on the AMC drama *Breaking Bad*, a role that won him three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix) He was born in Emmett, Idaho.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | August 27, in Emmett, Idaho[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) |
| Breakthrough role | Jesse Pinkman on *Breaking Bad* (AMC, 2008–2013), a character originally not intended to survive the first season[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix) |
| Emmy record | Three wins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2010, 2012, 2014) and eight nominations overall[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) |
| Film sequel | Reprised Jesse Pinkman in *El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie*, streaming on Netflix from October 11, 2019, and was a nominated producer when it received a 2020 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/) • [1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) |
| Voice work | Todd Chavez on *BoJack Horseman*, where he also served as executive producer, earning Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program in 2019 and 2020[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) |
| First video game role | Robert Robertson (Mecha Man) in the superhero comedy *Dispatch* (2025); nominated for the 2026 BAFTA Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/breaking-bads-aaron-paul-has-always-wanted-to-be-in-a-game-but-the-boys-esque-superhero-comedy-dispatch-was-the-first-truly-irresistible-role-nothing-really-felt-like-the-right-fit/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666739/awards/) |
| Business venture | Dos Hombres, a mezcal brand co-founded with *Breaking Bad* co-star Bryan Cranston[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix) |
## Early life and early career
Paul grew up in Idaho in what he described as a religious household: his father was a Baptist minister who performed weekly in front of an audience, and the family read the Bible multiple times, with the children memorizing scriptures.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/aug/18/breaking-bad-aaron-paul-i-miss-jesse-pinkman) He headed to Hollywood right after his high school graduation at 17 years old.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul)
His first television appearance was an episode of *Beverly Hills, 90210* in 1990, followed by roles on shows including *Melrose Place*, *3rd Rock from the Sun*, *ER*, and *Sleeper Cell*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) On film he played the estranged son of [Jeff Bridges](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-bridges)'s character in *[K-PAX](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-pax-film)* (2001) and [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise)'s brother-in-law in *Mission: Impossible III* (2006).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666739/) He also played the recurring character Scott Quittman on HBO's *Big Love*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) Work remained insecure for years: he was squeezing his guest scenes into a single day for about $600 an episode, and at 27 he described the low point of his career, a year with six failed pilots in which he could not pay his bills.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix)
## Breaking Bad and Jesse Pinkman
The *Breaking Bad* audition reached Paul at that low point. The series, created by [Vince Gilligan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vince-gilligan), follows terminally ill chemistry teacher Walter White ([Bryan Cranston](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-cranston)) who begins producing methamphetamine with his former student Jesse Pinkman.[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/660444/breaking-bad-anniversary-interview-vince-gilligan/) Competition for the role was real: actor [Shawn Hatosy](https://www.edgepedia.org/shawn-hatosy) later said he had the chance to audition for the part of Jesse but skipped it.[9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-pitt-star-shawn-hatosy-reveals-he-blew-off-breaking-bad-audition/) Paul's path to the part was not smooth even after testing. "Even after I tested, no one wanted me," he told *The Independent*, adding that Gilligan "played his trump card and said, 'I'm not doing the show unless he's the guy.'"[10](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/breaking-bad-el-camino-aaron-paul-interview-jesse-pinkman-bryan-cranston-westworld-a9159976.html)
Jesse was not supposed to last. The character was not expected to survive the first season, but Gilligan, observing the growing chemistry between Paul and Cranston, adjusted his plan.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix) Ratings for the show started modestly, but reviews were exceptional, and when the first three seasons landed on Netflix the series became a global phenomenon.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix) Over its run *Breaking Bad* was nominated for 58 Primetime Emmys and won 18, and it ended on September 29, 2013, after five seasons.[11](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/5-ways-breaking-bad-changed-television-forever/) Its finale drew a record-breaking 10.3 million viewers.[12](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/)
Paul's Emmys came in 2010, 2012, and 2014, all for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with nominations in 2009 and 2013 in the same category, for a career total of 8 nominations and 3 wins at the Primetime Emmys.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) He later said Gilligan "gave me a career."[13](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/emmy-nominations-aaron-paul-breaking-bad-17233/) Asked how he built the performance, Paul said he had never taken an acting class; it was, in his words, "trial and error, learning from my mistakes."[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/)
## El Camino and returning to Jesse
In the series finale Jesse escapes captivity by driving an El Camino through a chain-link fence, laughing and crying as he speeds away.[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/) Gilligan then wrote *El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie*, a feature-length Netflix sequel that picks up moments after the finale and follows Jesse's desperate bid for freedom out of Albuquerque; it streamed from October 11, 2019.[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/) • [12](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/) Paul said returning felt like revisiting an old friend and that the role had been life-changing.[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/) He was a nominated producer when the film received a 2020 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) The show's following stayed strong: while promoting the film he hosted a scavenger hunt for screening tickets in [Boise, Idaho](https://www.edgepedia.org/boise-idaho), and described fan encounters there as chaos.[14](https://time.com/5697247/aaron-paul-on-kimmel/)
## After Breaking Bad
Paul's post-*Breaking Bad* screen work has ranged widely. He starred in *[The Path](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-path-tv-series)*, a Hulu series about a cult-like religion, and in *[Need for Speed](https://www.edgepedia.org/need-for-speed-film)* (2014), an action film based on the video game series; he joined *Westworld* for its third season.[3](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/) In animation he voices Todd Chavez on Netflix's *BoJack Horseman*, where he is also an executive producer; the show received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program in 2019 and 2020 with Paul nominated as producer.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul) He has continued in genre projects, including voicing the villain Powerplex in *Invincible* before returning for the show's upcoming season.[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/aaron-paul-is-back-in-invincible-just-months-after-admitting-he-didnt-want-to-play-powerplex-anymore/)
**Video games and recent work.** In 2025 Paul took his first videogame acting role, playing Robert Robertson, also known as Mecha Man, in the superhero comedy *[Dispatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/dispatch-video-game)*, a project he said he joined after years of wanting to be in a game; the game earned him a 2026 BAFTA Games Award nomination for Performer in a Leading Role.[4](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/breaking-bads-aaron-paul-has-always-wanted-to-be-in-a-game-but-the-boys-esque-superhero-comedy-dispatch-was-the-first-truly-irresistible-role-nothing-really-felt-like-the-right-fit/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666739/awards/) Away from acting, he and Bryan Cranston co-founded the mezcal brand Dos Hombres, a venture Paul described as the project he is most passionate about.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix)
## References
1. [Aaron Paul, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/aaron-paul)
2. [Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad changed my life', The Guardian (October 6, 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/oct/06/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-changed-my-life-tv-interview-film-netflix)
3. [Aaron Paul on Revisiting His 'Old Friend' Jesse Pinkman in El Camino, TIME (October 2, 2019)](https://time.com/5690489/aaron-paul-breaking-bad-el-camino-interview/)
4. [Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul has "always wanted" to be in a game, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/strategy/breaking-bads-aaron-paul-has-always-wanted-to-be-in-a-game-but-the-boys-esque-superhero-comedy-dispatch-was-the-first-truly-irresistible-role-nothing-really-felt-like-the-right-fit/)
5. [Aaron Paul, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666739/awards/)
6. [Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul: 'I miss Jesse Pinkman', The Guardian (August 18, 2014)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/aug/18/breaking-bad-aaron-paul-i-miss-jesse-pinkman)
7. [Aaron Paul, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666739/)
8. ['Breaking Bad' 10th Anniversary: Creator Vince Gilligan on the Show's Legacy, TV Insider (January 20, 2018)](https://www.tvinsider.com/660444/breaking-bad-anniversary-interview-vince-gilligan/)
9. ['The Pitt' Star Reveals He 'Blew Off' 'Breaking Bad' Audition, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-pitt-star-shawn-hatosy-reveals-he-blew-off-breaking-bad-audition/)
10. [Aaron Paul: 'Even after I tested for Breaking Bad, no one wanted me to play Jesse Pinkman', The Independent (October 19, 2019)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/features/breaking-bad-el-camino-aaron-paul-interview-jesse-pinkman-bryan-cranston-westworld-a9159976.html)
11. [5 Ways Breaking Bad Changed Television Forever, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/5-ways-breaking-bad-changed-television-forever/)
12. [Vince Gilligan Is Breaking Good, TIME](https://time.com/7328396/vince-gilligan-interview-pluribus/)
13. [Emmy Nominations: Aaron Paul on 'Breaking Bad', Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/emmy-nominations-aaron-paul-breaking-bad-17233/)
14. [Aaron Paul Talks Breaking Bad Cult Following on Jimmy Kimmel, TIME](https://time.com/5697247/aaron-paul-on-kimmel/)
15. [Aaron Paul is back in Invincible, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-shows/aaron-paul-is-back-in-invincible-just-months-after-admitting-he-didnt-want-to-play-powerplex-anymore/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames P to Ph*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license