Heisenberg

Lore & Background

The alias 'Heisenberg' became synonymous with a kingpin figure in the Southwestern drug trade. Bryan Cranston contributed to the character's physical appearance, dyeing his natural red hair highlights brown and collaborating with costume designer Kathleen Detoro on a wardrobe of neutral green and brown colors to appear bland. He also worked with makeup artist Frieda Valenzuela to create a mustache described as 'impotent' and like a 'dead caterpillar'. Cranston drew inspiration for Walter's physicality from his own father, adopting a hunched posture as if carrying the weight of the world.

In Their Own Story

On his 50th birthday, during a surprise party, Walter watched news of Hank Schrader arresting meth dealers. The next day, he was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and told he had two years to live. After a ride-along where Hank busted a lab, Walter recognized his former student Jesse Pinkman fleeing the scene. He tracked Jesse down, blackmailed him into selling the meth Walter would cook, and used his life savings to buy an RV as a rolling lab. During their first cook, they were discovered by Emilio Koyama and Krazy-8. After killing Emilio with toxic phosphine gas, Walter struggled with whether to kill the captive Krazy-8. Realizing Krazy-8 had hidden a broken plate piece, he feared for his life, unlocked the U-lock, and garroted him when Krazy-8 grabbed the shard to attack.

Reader's Guide

Walter White, born Walter Hartwell White, worked at Sandia National Laboratory where his research on proton radiography helped win a 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He founded Gray Matter Technologies with Elliott Schwartz and Gretchen but left after an Independence Day party, selling his interest for $5,000. At age 50, he taught chemistry and worked at a car wash in Albuquerque while caring for his son Walter Jr., who has cerebral palsy, and his wife Skyler, who was pregnant with their daughter Holly. He hid his drug business from his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, a DEA agent. The character's arc was designed by creator Vince Gilligan to turn 'Mr. Chips into Scarface,' shifting from sympathetic to unsympathetic. Bryan Cranston won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and reprised the role in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and the sixth season of Better Call Saul.

Did You Know?

• Creator Vince Gilligan cast Bryan Cranston based on his performance as an antisemite with a terminal illness in The X-Files episode 'Drive'.
• Bryan Cranston wrote Walter's backstory himself when the development team left it unexplained.
• Walter founded Gray Matter Technologies but sold his financial interest for only $5,000 before his partners made billions from his research.