Dean Norris

The American actor who played DEA agent Hank Schrader on Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013.

Dean Joseph Norris is an American actor best known for playing DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC series Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. His performance received critical acclaim, and he reprised the role in the fifth season of Better Call Saul in 2020.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Dean Joseph Norris
Born: 8 April 1963
Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Education: Harvard University (AB), Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (GrDip)
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1981–present
Spouse: Bridget Norris (2001)
Children: 5

Lore & Background

Hank Schrader was a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Norris portrayed him from the show's premiere in 2008 until its final season in 2013. In 2020, Norris returned to play Agent Hank Schrader on-screen during the fifth season of Better Call Saul.

Reader's Guide

Dean Norris has appeared in numerous films such as Lethal Weapon 2, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Little Miss Sunshine, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. He starred in the CBS series Under the Dome as James "Big Jim" Rennie and played mob boss Clay "Uncle Daddy" Husser in the TNT series Claws as of June 2017.

Did You Know?

Dean Norris graduated from Harvard College in 1985 as a first-generation college student.
He earned a diploma from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987.
In 2019, he helped launch Schraderbräu, Hank Schrader's in-universe home-brewed craft beer, as an official product.
In 2022, Norris and his wife purchased The Swing Inn Cafe in Old Town, Temecula, for $6 million.