Aaron Paul

Early life and education

Aaron Paul was born Aaron Paul Sturtevant, in Emmett, Idaho, on August 27, 1979, the youngest of four children born to Darla (née Haynes) and Baptist minister Robert Sturtevant. He was born a month premature in his parents' bathroom. after which he drove to Los Angeles in his 1982 Toyota Corolla with his mother and $6,000 in savings. Soon after arriving in Los Angeles, he appeared on an episode of the CBS game show The Price Is Right, which aired on January 3, 2000. Appearing under his birth name, he played and lost his pricing game and overbid on his Showcase. He also worked as a movie theater usher at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Career

In 1996, Paul went to Los Angeles for the International Modeling and Talent Association competition. He won runner-up and signed with a manager. He starred in the music videos for Korn's song "Thoughtless" and Everlast's song "White Trash Beautiful". He was also featured in television commercials for Juicy Fruit, Corn Pops, and Vanilla Coke. He appeared in the films Whatever It Takes (2000), Help! I'm a Fish (2001), K-PAX (2001), National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), Bad Girls From Valley High (2005), Choking Man (2006), Mission: Impossible III (2006), The Last House on the Left (2009), and Need for Speed (2014). He starred as "Weird Al" Yankovic in the Funny or Die short Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2010), and has guest starred on television shows such as The Guardian, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, ER, Sleeper Cell, Veronica Mars, The X-Files, Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds, and Bones.

Paul first became known for his role as Scott Quittman on HBO's Big Love, on which he appeared fourteen times. In 2008, he began playing Jesse Pinkman on the AMC series Breaking Bad. His character was originally meant to die during the first season, but after seeing the chemistry between Paul and the lead actor Bryan Cranston, the series creator Vince Gilligan changed his mind and modified the original plans to include Jesse as a main character. For his role in Breaking Bad, Paul was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014; he won the award in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Paul starred in the film Smashed, which was one of the official selections for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. In a 2012 interview with ESPN, he spoke about his childhood experience as a Boise State Broncos fan and discussed the challenges of portraying a meth addict in Breaking Bad. In 2012 and 2013, he made appearances on Tron: Uprising, voicing a character named Cyrus.

In 2013, he was featured on Zen Freeman's dance song, "Dance Bitch". He made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Lives 39th season opener as "meth nephew", a relative of Bobby Moynihan's popular "drunk uncle" character. In 2014, Paul starred in Need for Speed, as a street racer recently released from prison who takes revenge on a wealthy business associate. Paul stars alongside Juliette Lewis in the family drama Hellion, as the drunken father of two young vandals. Also in 2014, he co-starred in the biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, portraying the Hebrew prophet Joshua.

Paul was a cast member on the animated Netflix series BoJack Horseman portraying Todd Chavez. He appeared on WWE Raw to promote Need for Speed, by entering the arena in a sports car with Dolph Ziggler, providing commentary for Ziggler's match against Alberto Del Rio, and helping Ziggler win by distracting Del Rio. In 2016, Paul played the young Louis Drax's father who becomes the focus of a criminal investigation after his son has a near-fatal fall in The 9th Life of Louis Drax, a supernatural thriller based on a book of the same name."Aaron Paul to Co-Star in Miramax's Supernatural Thriller '9th Life of Louis Drax'" , The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 10, 2022

In 2016, Paul began playing Eddie Lane, a man who in a life crisis joins a cult but subsequently questions his faith, in the Hulu series The Path. That same year, Paul voiced the main protagonist, Nyx Ulric, in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Paul was a regular cast member of the Apple TV+ crime drama series Truth Be Told (2019–2023), opposite Octavia Spencer and Lizzy Caplan.

In 2018, Paul joined the cast of the HBO science fiction western series Westworld for the third season, portraying the character Caleb Nichols.

Paul starred in the sci-fi thriller Dual alongside Karen Gillan, which was filmed entirely in Tampere, Finland.

In 2023, Paul starred in a main role in the third episode of the sixth series of Black Mirror, "Beyond the Sea".

In 2025, Paul voiced Powerplex in the sixth episode of the third season of Invincible, "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry".

Paul stars as the lead voice acting role in the 2025 video game Dispatch, playing the role of Robert Robertson.

Activism and other ventures

In 2013, Paul helped organize a contest to raise $1.6 million for his wife's non-profit anti-bullying organization, the Kind Campaign. The winners of the contest won a trip to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery screening of the final episode of Breaking Bad.

Paul has spoken positively about the asexual community, as a result of portraying the asexual character Todd Chavez on BoJack Horseman. In 2019, Paul stated that he was "so proud to represent that community... it's so nice to have a character on TV—especially on a show so powerful as BoJack—that represents a community that should be represented."

In 2019, Paul attended the launch event for The Promise Armenian Institute Event at UCLA in support of Armenian studies and human rights, alongside other high-profile stars like Kim Kardashian and Christian Bale.

In 2019, Paul and Cranston released their own line of mezcal called Dos Hombres.

Filmography

Main article: Aaron Paul filmography

Personal life

Paul met actress and director Lauren Parsekian at the Coachella Festival, and they became engaged in Paris on January 1, 2012. They were married in a 1920s Parisian carnival-themed wedding in Malibu on May 26, 2013, with musicians Foster the People and John Mayer performing. Paul emailed the song "Beauty" by The Shivers to everyone on the guest list and asked them to learn the lyrics so they could sing along during the ceremony. They lived in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, having sold their previous home in West Hollywood, and own a second cabin-style home near McCall, Idaho. They have a daughter named Story Annabelle (born February 2018) and a son named Ryden Caspian (born April 2022). Paul's Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston is Ryden's godfather. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires in early 2025, the couple sold their undamaged residence and relocated with their children to Paris.

In April 2013, to commemorate the final episode of Breaking Bad, Paul and Cranston got Breaking Bad tattoos on the last day of filming; Paul had the phrase "no half measures" tattooed onto his biceps, while Cranston had the show's logo tattooed onto one of his fingers. In October that year, during a ceremony at the Egyptian Theatre in Boise, Idaho, Governor Butch Otter declared October 1 "Aaron Paul Sturtevant Day".

Paul legally dropped his birth surname of "Sturtevant" in November 2022 so that he, his wife, and their children would all officially share the "Paul" surname.

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (April 10, 2022). "'Better Call Saul': Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul Will Guest Star in Final Season".
2. "Aaron Paul". [[TV Guide]].
3. "Aaron Paul". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
4. (August 30, 2013). "Monitor".
5. Gajewski, Josh. (May 30, 2009). "Aaron Paul catches a couple of breaks in 'Big Love' and 'Breaking Bad'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. Samadder, Rhik. (October 6, 2019). "Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad changed my life'".
7. (March 26, 2025). "Hear from award-winning actor and Idaho native Aaron Paul at his movie premiere in downtown Boise".
8. Rodriguez, Richard. (December 18, 2024). "'Breaking Bad' actor Aaron Paul returns to his Idaho high school". [[KTVB]].
9. Kahn, Howie. (February 2014). "Aaron Paul: Beyond Breaking Bad". [[Details (magazine).
10. (February 18, 2014). "Aaron Paul: I Looked Like I Was on Crack During The Price Is Right". [[Us Weekly]].
11. (May 2012). "It's Evening In America". [[Vanity Fair (magazine).
12. Jacobs, Samantha. (September 29, 2013). "Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad's' Secret Weapon". [[Neon Tommy]].
13. Itzkoff, Dave. (March 18, 2010). "Character and Career, Both Alive". [[The New York Times]].
14. (July 24, 2010). "Juicy Fruit Commercial}} {{Cite web".
15. (March 25, 2012). "Corn Pops Commercial}} {{Cite web".
16. (October 19, 2011). "First Ever Vanilla Coke Commercial".
17. (June 1, 2010). "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story". [[Funny or Die]].
18. (September 19, 2011). "Aaron Paul: 'Breaking Bad' Dealer Isn't Dead ... Yet". [[NPR]].
19. "Emmy diary: Aaron Paul wins supporting actor". USA TODAY.
20. (September 24, 2012). "Emmy Awards 2012: Aaron Paul wins again for best supporting actor in a drama".
21. "Emmy Awards 2014: Wins Supporting Actor in a Drama Series". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
22. (November 30, 2011). "2012 Sundance Film Festival: First Wave of Programming Announced, 26 Films In Competition".
23. Neumyer, Scott. (October 16, 2012). "Aaron Paul talks new film and Boise State". [[ESPN]].
24. (October 1, 2013). "'Exclusive Song Premiere: Zen freeman Dance Bitch Featuring Aaron Paul'".
25. Couch, Aaron. (September 28, 2013). "'SNL' Recap: Aaron Paul Steals Show in Season Opener (Video)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
26. Labrecque, Jeff. (January 16, 2014). "Sundance 2014: Aaron Paul raises 'Hellion,' talks 'Need for Speed' – Exclusive Photos".
27. (February 24, 2014). "'Aaron Paul's Hellion Gets US Distribution'". Variety.
28. Gilman, Greg. (September 30, 2013). "'Breaking Bad': What's Next for Stars Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn and Creator Vince Gilligan". [[Yahoo! Movies]].
29. (December 11, 2013). "Only On Netflix: BoJack Horseman, A Tale Of Fear, Loathing and Animals, Coming Mid-2014". [[PR Newswire]].
30. (March 3, 2014). "WWE Monday Night Raw Results: 'Breaking Bad' star Aaron Paul arrives with Dolph Ziggler (GIF)".
31. Pedersen, Erik. "'The Path': First Images From Hulu's Aaron Paul-Michelle Monaghan Drama". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
32. Andreeva, Nellie. (June 13, 2018). "'Are You Sleeping': Aaron Paul, Elizabeth Perkins, Mekhi Phifer & More Join Apple Series". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
33. Andreeva, Nellie. (September 13, 2018). "'Westworld': Aaron Paul Joins HBO Sci-Fi Series For Season 3". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
34. Darwish, Meaghan. (April 13, 2020). "Is Aaron Paul's Caleb Human in 'Westworld' Season 3?".
35. (April 28, 2020). "Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Jesse Eisenberg Set For Sci-Fi Thriller 'Dual'".
36. Kay, Jeremy. (October 21, 2020). "Karen Gillan sci-fi 'Dual' starts production in Finland with Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale (exclusive)". [[Screen Daily]].
37. Mandalia, Bhavi. (October 22, 2020). "Movies A Hollywood film starring Marvel and Breaking Bad will be filmed in Tampere".
38. Ravindran, Manori. (July 13, 2022). "'Black Mirror' Cast Revealed: Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Paapa Essiedu, Kate Mara and Zazie Beetz Join New Season (Exclusive)".
39. Bythrow, Nick. (February 24, 2025). "Invincible Season 3, Episode 6 Trailer: Aaron Paul's Powerplex Debuts As Mark's Next Big Adversary".
40. Patches, Matt. (2025-10-18). "‘I’ve been wanting to do a game for a long time’: Aaron Paul talks his first big gaming role".
41. Couch, Aaron. (September 27, 2013). "'Breaking Bad': Aaron Paul's Finale Charity Contest Adds Extra Winners After Complaints". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
42. Mack, David. (October 24, 2019). "Aaron Paul Said "BoJack Horseman" Fans Have Realized Their Asexuality Because of Todd Chavez's Coming-Out".
43. (November 20, 2019). "Arron Paul and Tom Parsekian attend The Promise Armenian Institute...".
44. "Kim Kardashian, Christian Bale,Angela Sarafyan attend launching of The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA".
45. "The Promise Armenian Institute Event At UCLA - Getty Images".
46. Ramirez, Elva. "Aaron Paul And Bryan Cranston Debut New Mezcal, Dos Hombres".
47. Lotze, Katharine. (September 25, 2012). "Lauren Parsekian, Aaron Paul's Fiancée: Who Is She?'". [[HuffPost]].
48. Nudd, Tim. (July 15, 2012). "Aaron Paul Calls Fiancée 'The Greatest Woman That Has Ever Existed'". [[People (magazine).
49. Dowd, Kathy Ehrich. (May 26, 2013). "Aaron Paul Marries Lauren Parsekian". [[People (magazine).
50. (January 9, 2019). "Breaking Bad Star Aaron Paul Sells $2.2 Million L.A. House, Reportedly Once Home to Brad Pitt – See Inside!".
51. (February 11, 2020). "Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul Shows off His Rustic Family Cabin in Idaho: 'It's a Dream Come True'".
52. Paul, Lauren. (February 8, 2018). "There are no words that will ever be able to explain what just happened to my heart".
53. (February 9, 2018). "'Breaking Bad' actor welcomes new baby girl". [[ABC News (United States).
54. Martin, Annie (April 20, 2022) [https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/04/20/Aaron-Paul-Bryan-Cranston-godfather-son-reunion-Better-Call-Saul/7031650462435/ "Aaron Paul announces son's birth, says Bryan Cranston will be godfather"], [[UPI.com]]. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
55. Slater, Georgia. (April 20, 2022). "Aaron Paul Announces Birth of Baby Boy, Reveals 'Best Friend' Bryan Cranston Is the Godfather".
56. Reid, Will. (November 22, 2025). "Aaron Paul Shares Why He Moved His Family to France After LA Wildfires". [[E!.
57. (August 5, 2013). ""Breaking Bad" Bryan Cranston got new tattoo to shock wife". [[CBS News]].
58. Gelt, Jessica. (October 7, 2013). "Breaking Boise: Idaho governor proclaims Oct. 1 Aaron Paul Day". [[Los Angeles Times]].
59. Dicker, Ron. (November 4, 2022). "'Breaking Bad' Star Aaron Paul Legally Changes His Name".
60. (November 4, 2022). "Aaron Paul Legally Changes His Name to Aaron Paul".