Dean Joseph Norris (born April 8, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for playing DEA agent

Hank Schrader Henry R. Schrader ASAC is a fictional character in the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' and its spin-off series '' Better Call Saul''. He is portrayed by Dean Norris and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan. Hank's character developm ...

on the AMC series ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited h ...

'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off '' Better Call Saul'' (2020). He also portrayed town councilman James "Big Jim" Rennie on the CBS series '' Under the Dome'' (2013–2015) and played mob boss Clay "Uncle Daddy" Husser on the TNT series '' Claws'' (2017-2022). Throughout his career, Norris has acted in nearly 50 movies and more than 100 different TV shows. Norris has appeared in films such as '' Lethal Weapon 2'' (1989), ''

Hard to Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the Law'', it features him as Mason Storm, a de ...

'' (1990), '' Total Recall'' (1990), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''

The Firm The FIRM (stylized as The FIRM) is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. The original "The FIRM" videos are best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Ben ...

'' (1993), ''

Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...

'' (1997), ''

The Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

'' (2000), ''

Little Miss Sunshine ''Little Miss Sunshine'' is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. The film s ...

'' (2006), '' Evan Almighty'' (2007), and ''

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

'' (2015), and has more recently starred in films such as '' The Book of Henry'' (2017), ''

Death Wish Death Wish or Deathwish may refer to: Common meanings *Suicidal ideation, term for thoughts about killing oneself *Death drive, term in Freudian psychiatry Arts and entertainment Radio *"Death Wish", a 1957 episode of the radio series ''X Minus ...

'' (2018), and '' Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' (2019).

Early life

Dean Joseph Norris was born in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

. He graduated from Clay High School in 1981, where he was the class valedictorian. While in high school, he was a member of the award-winning student-produced comedy show '' Beyond Our Control'', which ran on

WNDU-TV WNDU-TV (channel 16) is a television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Elkhart-licensed Heroes & Icons affiliate WSJV (channel 28). Both stations share studios on the ca ...

. He is a 1985 graduate of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, where he studied the interdisciplinary concentration of Social Studies and was a member of

Hasty Pudding Theatricals The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, known informally simply as The Pudding, is a theatrical student society at Harvard University, known for its burlesque crossdressing musicals. The Hasty Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the United S ...

. He also earned a diploma from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987.

Career

Norris starred in '' Tremors: The Series'' and the film ''

Without Limits ''Without Limits'' is a 1998 American biographical sports film. It is written and directed by Robert Towne and follows the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded ...

''. He has had guest spots in other television series including ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', '' The West Wing'', and ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'', and has appeared in films including '' Gattaca'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. He played

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

(DEA) agent

on ''

'' from the show's

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its fi ...

in 2008 to its final season in 2013. Norris' performance on ''Breaking Bad'' has received critical acclaim.Johns, Nikara
"'Gravity,' 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' Lead Saturn Awards Noms: 'Breaking Bad,' 'Falling Skies,' and 'Game of Thrones' lead on TV,"
''Variety'' (FEBRUARY 25, 2014).Blake, Meredit

''Los Angeles Times'' (JAN. 18, 2014). Norris also starred in the CBS series '' Under the Dome''. He plays selectman James "Big Jim" Rennie, the only town council member in the area which is cut off from the rest of the United States. As of June 2017, he plays mob boss Clay "Uncle Daddy" Husser in the TNT series '' Claws''. In 2020, Norris reprised the role of Agent Hank Schrader on-screen in the ''Breaking Bad'' prequel '' Better Call Saul'' during the show's fifth season. Norris was cast in a lead role for the CBS sitcom ''

United States of Al ''United States of Al'' is an American television sitcom created by David Goetsch and Maria Ferrari. It stars Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young, with Elizabeth Alderfer, Kelli Goss, Dean Norris, and Farrah Mackenzie in supporting roles. The seri ...

''.

Personal life

Norris and his wife, Bridget, a former entertainment attorney, live with their five children in

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a ...

. In 2018, the couple opened the Norris Performing Arts Center in

Murrieta Murrieta is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population of Murrieta was 110,949 as of the 2020 census. Murrieta experienced a 133.7% population increase between 2000 and 2010, making Murrieta one of the ...

. Norris was accused of sexually assaulting a 32-year-old woman from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, in June 2017 in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. However, in February 2018, the New Orleans police declined to charge him, citing "insufficient evidence." Norris is a fan of his hometown team the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In 2019, he helped launch Schraderbräu, Hank Schrader's in-universe home-brewed craft beer, as an official product. In 2022, Dean and Bridget Norris purchased The Swing Inn Cafe, a long-standing restaurant in Old Town, Temecula, for $6 million.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Dean Norris discusses ''Breaking Bad'' at AMCtv.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Dean 1963 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from South Bend, Indiana Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American male television actors American male film actors American people of English descent American people of Hungarian descent American people of Scottish descent Harvard College alumni Living people Male actors from Indiana