<P> Walter Hartwell White Sr. , also known by his clandestine alias Heisenberg , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Breaking Bad . He is portrayed by Bryan Cranston . A graduate of the California Institute of Technology , Walt was once a promising chemist who cofounded the company Gray Matter Technologies with his close friend Elliot Schwartz and his then - girlfriend Gretchen . He left Gray Matter abruptly , selling his shares for $5,000 ; soon afterward , the company made a fortune , much of it from his research . Walt subsequently moved to Albuquerque , New Mexico , where he became a high school chemistry teacher . Breaking Bad begins on Walter 's 50th birthday , when he is diagnosed with Stage IIIA lung cancer . After this discovery , he resorts to manufacturing methamphetamine and drug dealing to ensure his family 's financial security after his death . He is pulled deeper into the illicit drug trade , becoming more and more ruthless as the series progresses , and later adopts the alias `` Heisenberg '' , which becomes recognizable as the kingpin figure in the local drug trade . Series creator Vince Gilligan has described his goal with Walter White as `` turning Mr. Chips into Scarface '' , and deliberately made the character less sympathetic over the course of the series . Walt 's evolution from mild - mannered school teacher and family man to ruthless criminal mastermind and murderer is the show 's central focus . </P>
<P> Walter Hartwell White Sr. , also known by his clandestine alias Heisenberg , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Breaking Bad . He is portrayed by Bryan Cranston . A graduate of the California Institute of Technology , Walt was once a promising chemist who cofounded the company Gray Matter Technologies with his close friend Elliot Schwartz and his then - girlfriend Gretchen . He left Gray Matter abruptly , selling his shares for $5,000 ; soon afterward , the company made a fortune , much of it from his research . Walt subsequently moved to Albuquerque , New Mexico , where he became a high school chemistry teacher . Breaking Bad begins on Walter 's 50th birthday , when he is diagnosed with Stage IIIA lung cancer . After this discovery , he resorts to manufacturing methamphetamine and drug dealing to ensure his family 's financial security after his death . He is pulled deeper into the illicit drug trade , becoming more and more ruthless as the series progresses , and later adopts the alias `` Heisenberg '' , which becomes recognizable as the kingpin figure in the local drug trade . Series creator Vince Gilligan has described his goal with Walter White as `` turning Mr. Chips into Scarface '' , and deliberately made the character less sympathetic over the course of the series . Walt 's evolution from mild - mannered school teacher and family man to ruthless criminal mastermind and murderer is the show 's central focus . </P>
who played walter white in the amc series breaking bad
who played walter white in the amc series breaking bad
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston