Dean Norris is an American actor, best known for his roles as DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC drama series Breaking Bad and as town councilman James “Big Jim” Rennie on the CBS drama series Under the Dome.
Norris was born in South Bend, Indiana, on April 8, 1963, the son of Rosemarie “Rosie” (née Zapalac) and Jack B. Norris, Sr. His father was of Irish descent and his mother was of German and Polish ancestry. He has two older sisters, Andrea and Nikki. Norris graduated from Clay High School in South Bend in 1981. He attended Harvard University, where he was a member of the Harvard Lampoon, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1985.
Norris began his acting career in the early 1990s with guest roles on television shows such as The Equalizer, Roseanne, and NYPD Blue. His first film role was in the 1992 film Lorenzo’s Oil. In 1996, he had a recurring role as Detective Ed Green’s partner on the NBC police drama Homicide: Life on the Street.
Norris gained widespread recognition for his role as DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, which ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013. He has since reprised the role in the spin-off series Better Call Saul.
Norris has also had leading roles on the CBS drama series Under the Dome (2013-2015) and the ABC action series Last Resort (2012-2013).
A Call to Action on Afghanistan, From a ‘United States of Al’ Writer – The Hollywood Reporter https://t.co/UfB1cekOFd
Norris has been married to actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras since 2004. They have two children together.
Norris has a net worth of $8 million. He earns a salary of $125,000 per episode of Breaking Bad and $150,000 per episode of Under the Dome.
General Info
Full Name
Dean Norris
Date Of Birth
April 8, 1963
Height
1.7 m
Profession
Film producer, Actor
Education
Harvard College, Clay High School, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Nationality
American
Family
Spouse
Bridget Norris
Parents
Rosie Norris, Jack Norris
Accomplishments
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Nominations
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television
Movies
Secret in Their Eyes, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Total Recall, Men, Women & Children, Lethal Weapon 2, The Frozen Ground, Starship Troopers, The Counselor, Get the Gringo, Small Time, Remember, The Negotiator, Without Limits, Desperate Hours, The Lawnmower Man, Linewatch, Evan Almighty, Gattaca, Th...
My dad's era believed that there was something noble in being a good guy - the kind of guy that lived straight and narrow, told the truth, and stood up for what he believed was right.
2
The best thing I ever learned from my dad was he knew he wasn't the best of singers, but he always knew he was a great entertainer, and I always thought that was a good concept to bring along, that ultimately acting is an entertainment art and you have to be aware of the fact that you want people to be excited to be watching you.
3
To survive in a lot of male-dominated situations - the police, the military, what have you - you put on a bit of the crass, blowhard thing, because you just can't survive being the nice guy in those environments.
4
When my kids started preschool, the teachers had to take away all the fake bananas because all the boys would pick them up and pretend that they were guns. Boys find sticks to play swords and anything that looks like a gun to shoot. It's just inside of them. It's who they are.
5
When you're a stand-up, you play in front of 600 people, and it's all about timing. I could never do stand-up comedy; it would be way too hard for me.
6
Look, we're in the time of the anti-hero.
7
The way I look at it, I'm a guy who acts to live.
8
Well, I was a drama kid.
9
When I was in college I did a lot of comedy.
10
You go into any donut shop and look at three cops having coffee, I guarantee I look like one of them.
11
You know, I'm from the Midwest, man - that shapes my personality much more than having gone to Harvard.
12
As a matter of fact, I am an uncle. I have nine nephews and nieces. I'm not sure if they think I'm all that quick with a quip. But I'm quick with a spank.
13
I never had trouble getting an agent. I went out and got my first couple roles, and literally within six months I never had to have another job other than acting.
14
Investment banks started recruiting at Harvard back in the day, and they'd fly me down to New York City and I was so poor so I would take advantage of the free flight, the per diem, the hotel. And then I would go audition for stuff.
15
My dad was a singer in a band and neither of my parents went to college, and I ended up getting into Harvard and was the first person in my family that went to college and it happened to be Harvard.
16
Actors like to play bad guys because they're more fun. They also win more awards.
17
Actually, I went from doing a lot of movies early on in my career, then to doing TV, and I don't know whether we'll get back to some movies or not.
18
For an actor, playing one character and transitioning to a completely different one is a dream come true.
19
I don't have a lot of downtime.
20
I earned a black belt when I was in high school. And I did a lot of boxing and full contact karate in college.
21
I never had a month or so go by where I haven't had a job, but you always worry that someone will turn off the tap.
22
I play DEA, CIA, FBI, LAPD; I got 'em all.
23
I think actors who take things too far are funny.
24
If I have a day off I will play golf.
25
If you force yourself to smile, within a couple minutes, you feel happy.
Facts
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Fact
1
His father had English, Irish, and German ancestry. His maternal grandparents were of Hungarian origin.
