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Dean Norris

American actor (born 1963)

Field	Value
name	Dean Norris
image	Dean Norris by Gage Skidmore 4.jpg
caption	Norris at the 2024 Rose City Comic Con
birth_name	Dean Joseph Norris
birth_date
birth_place	South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
political_party	Democratic
education
occupation	Actor
years_active	1981–present
spouse
children	5

Dean Joseph Norris (born April 8, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Hank Schrader on the AMC series Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spinoff series Better Call Saul (2015–2022), James "Big Jim" Rennie on the CBS series Under the Dome (2013–2015), Clay "Uncle Daddy" Husser on the TNT series Claws (2017–2022), and Randall Stabler on the NBC series Law & Order: Organized Crime (2023–present). Throughout his career, he has amassed over 154 credits across film and television, including over 40 law enforcement roles.

Norris has appeared in films such as Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Hard to Kill (1990), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Firm (1993), Starship Troopers (1997), The Cell (2000), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), Sons of Liberty (2015), The Book of Henry (2017), Death Wish (2018), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) and Carry-On (2024).

Early life and education

Dean Joseph Norris was born on April 8, 1963, in South Bend, Indiana, in a family of Hungarian descent; his grandfather lived in Tiszadob. 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. He is a 1985 graduate of Harvard College, where he studied the interdisciplinary concentration of Social Studies and was a member of Hasty Pudding Theatricals. 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. He has had guest spots in other television series including NYPD Blue, The X-Files, The West Wing, and Lost, and has appeared in films including Gattaca and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He played Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Hank Schrader on Breaking Bad from the show's premiere in 2008 to its final season in 2013. Norris's performance on Breaking Bad has received critical acclaim.

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 when it 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.

Personal life

Norris and his wife, Bridget, a former entertainment attorney, live with their five children in Temecula, California. In 2018, the couple opened the Norris Performing Arts Center in Murrieta. 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.

Norris is a committed member of the Democratic Party and has denounced U.S. President Donald Trump. He is known to have attended the 2016 and 2024 Democratic National Conventions.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role
1985	Blind Alleys	Peter Brockway
1989	Police Academy 6: City Under Siege	Cop
Disorganized Crime	Deputy Joe
Lethal Weapon 2	Detective Tim Cavanaugh
1990	Montana	Foreman
When You Remember Me	Bill
Hard to Kill	Sergeant Goodhart
Total Recall	Tony
Gremlins 2: The New Batch	SWAT Team Leader
Desperate Hours	Maddox
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	SWAT Team Leader
1992	The Lawnmower Man	The Director
1993	The Firm	Squat Man
Full Eclipse	Fleming
Jailbait	Hershiser
1994	Playmaker	Detective Marconi
The Last Seduction	Shep
1995	Safe	Mover
Money Train	Guard
1997	Gattaca	Beat Cop
Starship Troopers	Commanding Officer
1998	The Negotiator	Scott
Without Limits	Dellinger
1999	Sonic Impact	Agent McGee
2000	3 Strikes	Officer Robert
The Cell	Cole
2001	The One	Sergeant Siegel
2005	American Gun	Terrence
2006	Little Miss Sunshine	State Trooper McCleary
2007	Evan Almighty	Officer Collins
The Heartbreak Kid	Jodi's Father
2008	Linewatch	Warren Kane
2010	How Do You Know	Tom
2011	Prom	Frank Prescott
2012	Get the Gringo	Officer Bill
2013	The Frozen Ground	Sergeant Lyle Haugsven
The Counselor	The Buyer
2014	Small Time	Ash Martini
Men, Women & Children	Kent Mooney
2015	Remember	John Kurlander
Secret in Their Eyes	'Bumpy' Willis
2017	Fist Fight	Principal Richard Tyler
The Book of Henry	Commissioner Glenn Sickleman
2018	Beirut	Donald Gaines
Death Wish	Detective Kevin Raines
2019	The Hustle	Howard Bacon
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark	Roy Nicholls
2023	Fool's Paradise	Studio Head
2024	Unfrosted	Nikita Khrushchev
The Six Triple Eight	General Halt
Carry-On	Phil Sarkowski
2025	The Parenting	John

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Beyond Our Control	Company Member	13 episodes
1987	The Equalizer	Martin	Episode: "Christmas Presence"
1988	Leap of Faith	Richard	Television film
Police Story: Gladiator School	Ralph Thomas
1989	Beauty and the Beast	Biggs	Episode: "A Kingdom by the Sea"
1990	Montana	Foreman	Television film
1991	Murderous Vision	Lieutenant Martin
Locked Up: A Mother's Rage	Mike
1992	Till Death Us Do Part	Matt Hobert
Secrets	Henderson
Homefront	Second Coworker	Episode: "Take My Hand"
1993	Barbarians at the Gate	Scientist	Television film
19931994	NYPD Blue	Father Jerry Downey	3 episodes
1994	Married... with Children	Rodent	Episode: "Dud Bowl"
Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee	Red Arrow	Television film
1995	The X-Files	Marshal Tapia	Episode: "F. Emasculata"
Fallen Angels	Allen	Episode: "Tomorrow I Die"
The Marshal	Tyler Dumas	Episode: "Kissing Cousins"
In the Line of Duty: Hunt for Justice	Levasseur	Television film
Texas Justice	Luke Wheeler	Television film
19951996	Murder One	Rusty Arnold	3 episodes
1996	Dark Skies	Clayton Lewis	Episode: "We Shall Overcome"
Innocent Victims	Frank Sarezin	Television film
It Came from Outer Space II	Dave Grant
Seduced by Madness	Detective Pike
Forgotten Sins	Detective Carl Messenger
Death Benefit	Rod Montgomery
After Jimmy	Ray Johnson
1997	Riot	Kalena
On the Line	Manny Denikolas
The Pretender	Tommy Larson	Episode: "Prison Story
Nash Bridges	William Robard	Episode: "Deliverance"
1998	V.I.P.	Jackson LaSarr	Episode: "Beats Working at a Hot Dog Stand"
ER	Clark	Episode: "They Treat Horses, Don't They?"
Walker, Texas Ranger	Deke Powell	Episode: "War Cry"
1999	Millennium	Del Boxer	Episode: "Seven and One"
Pensacola: Wings of Gold	'Spider' / Colonel Laweson	3 episodes
The Practice	Detective	Episode: "Free Dental"
Charmed	Dr. Stone	Episode: "They're Everywhere"
Nash Bridges	Frank Maddigan	Episode: "Smash and Grab"
2000	The Pretender	Sheriff Whalen	Episode: "Corn Man"
2001	Boston Public	Matthew Gordon	Episode: "Chapter Sixteen"
Six Feet Under	Detective Shea	Episode: "Familia"
The District	Charles N. Burke	Episode: "Bulldog's Ghost"
2002	JAG	Jury member	Episode: "Odd Man Out"
Philly	Detective Duff	Episode: "Mojo Rising"
20022004	American Dreams	Frank Moran	2 episodes
2003	24	General Bowden	2 episodes
Tremors	Agent W.D. Twitchell	Main role, 10 episodes
Dragnet	Leon Tate	Episode: "Slice of Life"
2004, 2011	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Bob Durham Jr. / Phil Baker	4 episodes
2004	NCIS	Gunnery Sergeant Vesta	Episode: "My Other Left Foot"
Crossing Jordan	Liam Moore	Episode: "Dead in the Water"
Medical Investigation	David Weiner	Episode: "Team"
Boston Legal	Byron Kaneb	Episode: "Catch and Release"
LAX	Danny	Episode: "Secret Santa"
2005	Without a Trace	Officer Tim Orley	Episode: "Penitence"
Medium	Detective Rickey	2 episodes
Over There	Mr. Parker	Episode: "Situation Normal"
The West Wing	Republican National Committee Chairman Steve Hodder	2 episodes
Mrs. Harris	Sporting Goods Clerk	Television film
Las Vegas	Ray Brennan	Episode: "Everything Old Is You Again"
2006	Cold Case	Wayne Nelson	Episode: "Death Penalty: Final Appeal"
Windfall	Damien's Father	4 episodes
Just Legal	Judge	Episode: "The Code"
Nip/Tuck	Mark Noble	Episode: "Shari Noble"
Justice	Jack Clark	Episode: "Crucified"
2007	Grey's Anatomy	Vince	2 episodes: "Walking on Water," "Drowning on Dry Land"
The Unit	Supervisor Marsh	2 episodes
20082013	Breaking Bad	DEA Agent Hank Schrader	Main role, 51 episodes
2008	Saving Grace	Ross Ford	Episode: "Have a Seat, Earl"
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	Nelson	2 episodes
Bones	Don Timmons	Episode: "The Finger in the Nest"
2009	Lost	Howard Grey	Episode: "Some Like It Hoth"
True Blood	Leon	Episode: "Shake and Fingerpop"
The Cleaner	Mr. Fisher	Episode: "Path of Least Resistance"
2010	Criminal Minds	Detective John Barton	Episode: "...A Thousand Words"
The Glades	Michael Nelson	Episode: "Doppleganger"
Lie to Me	Dawkins	Episode: "Darkness and Light"
Dark Blue	Cahill	Episode: "Jane Wayne"
Chase	Sheriff Keagan	Episode: "The Posse"
The Good Guys	Pike	Episode: "Cop Killer"
The Whole Truth	Mike Taylor	Episode: "Cold Case"
Medium	Paul Scanlon	2 episodes
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!	Shell Tong	Episode: "Chrimbus Special" (deleted scene)
2011	Fairly Legal	Coach Gardner	Episode: "Benched"
The Defenders	Donnie Barrett	Episode: "Nevada v. Donnie the Numbers Guy"
Off the Map	Morris Cooper	Episode: "It's a Leaf"
The Stoned Ages	Narrator	Documentary
Law & Order: LA	Bob Kentner	Episode: "Westwood"
CSI: NY	Lieutenant Mitchell Adler	Episode: "Officer Involved"
Castle	Captain Peterson	Episode: "Cops & Robbers"
The Mentalist	Sergeant Don Henderson	Episode: "Pink Tops"
2012	Body of Proof	Special Agent Brendan Johnson	2 episodes
Eagleheart	Deke	Episode: "Blues"
Key & Peele	Mexican Drug Cartel Leader	Episode: "When You Don't Know How to Count Money"
The Cleveland Show	Fire Chief	Voice; Episode: "Flush of Genius"
2013	Whitney	Wayne Miller	Episode: "Nesting"
20132015	Under the Dome	James 'Big Jim' Rennie	Main role, 39 episodes
2014	American Dad!	Head of Security	Voice; Episode: "Big Stan on Campus"
2015	Sons of Liberty	Benjamin Franklin	3 episodes
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	M. Le Loup	Episode: "Kimmy's In a Love Triangle!"
20152016	Sofia the First	Mazzimo	Voice; 2 episodes
2016	Mack & Moxy	Admirable Dean	Episode: "You're My Hero"
2016–2018	The Big Bang Theory	Colonel Richard Williams	6 episodes
2017	Girlboss	Jay Marlowe	5 episodes
Get Shorty	Bob Grace	Episode: "Grace Under Fire"
2017–2022	Claws	Uncle Daddy	Main role, 40 episodes
2017–2018	Scandal	Fenton Glackland	5 episodes
2019	The Act	Russ	Episode: "Two Wolverines"
2020	Better Call Saul	DEA Agent Hank Schrader	Episodes: "The Guy for This", "Namaste"
Superstore	Howard Fox	Episode: "Myrtle"
2021–2022	United States of Al	Art Dugan	Main role, 35 episodes
2021	Nova Vita	Devon Washington	10 episodes
2024	Law & Order: Organized Crime	Randall Stabler	Recurring role (season 4); main cast (season 5-)
Curb Your Enthusiasm	Judge Whittaker	Episode: "No Lessons Learned"
Ghosts	Frank	Episode: "Sam's Dad"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title
2011	Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor on Television	Breaking Bad
2012	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2013
2014
Saturn Awards	Best Supporting Actor on Television	Under the Dome

References

(October 17, 2017). "Breaking Bad's Dean Norris on Trump, NFL protests – and why Hank had to die".
Associated Press. (2014-03-31). "Celeb birthdays for the week of April 6–12". [[The Washington Times]].
"Dean Norris". TV Guide.com.
"Dean Norris: United States of Al profile".
"Obituary for Rosemarie (Lacay) Norris".
(June 21, 2023). "Tiszadobig ment a Breaking Bad színésze, hogy megtalálja a felmenőit".
Harrell, Jeff. (August 11, 2013). "As 'Breaking Bad' ends, Norris moves to 'Dome'". [[The South Bend Tribune]].
(August 8, 2013). "Under That Dome".
Beyondourcontrol.org. "Beyond Our Control Alumni Association".
Konrad, Erin. (2012-08-10). "Breaking Bad's Dean Norris Went to Harvard and Has Always Played 10-Years Older Than His Real Age".
Jaffer, Murtz. (July 25, 2011). "Talking to Dean Norris".
Gajewski, Josh. (June 9, 2010). "'Breaking Bad': On the phone with Dean Norris". [[Los Angeles Times]].
(August 29, 2012). "Dean Norris of "Breaking Bad" - Cross-Dresser Extraordinaire {{!}} CONAN on TBS".
Strauss, Gary. (April 30, 2010). "'Bad' star Dean Norris is forever playing the cop -- and gladly". [[USA Today]].
Fabrique. "Dean Norris — RADA".
Johns, Nikara. [https://variety.com/2014/film/awards/gravity-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-lead-saturn-awards-noms-1201120744 "'Gravity,' 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' Lead Saturn Awards Noms: 'Breaking Bad,' 'Falling Skies,' and 'Game of Thrones' lead on TV,"] {{Webarchive. link. (October 31, 2019 ''Variety'' (FEBRUARY 25, 2014).)
(18 January 2014). "SAG Awards 2014: 'Breaking Bad' wins for ensemble in a TV drama series". Los Angeles Times.
"'Better Call Saul' season 5 to feature 'Breaking Bad' vets Dean Norris, Robert Forster".
(January 8, 2018). "'Breaking Bad' actor, wife open Murrieta arts center for youths". Press-Enterprise.
"Hi, Dean Norris! // News // The Daily Domer // University of Notre Dame".
(2019-10-08). "Schraderbrau Beer Is Finally Here Just in Time for the New 'Breaking Bad' Movie".
Ludwig, Ashley. (December 6, 2022). "Bryan Cranston, 'Breaking Bad' Co-Star Reunite At Temecula's Swing Inn". [[Patch (website).
Legaspi, Althea. (22 August 2024). "Yvette Nicole Brown, Dean Norris, More Celebs Hit DNC. We're Along for the Ride". [[Rolling Stone]].
Schwartz, Ryan. (November 8, 2019). "Superstore Casts Breaking Bad Alum Dean Norris as Dina's [Spoiler]".

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