Anna Gunn

Anna Kathryn Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She portrayed Skyler White on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008–2013), for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Gunn has also starred in the legal drama series The Practice (1997–2002), the Western series Deadwood (2004–2006) as Martha Bullock, and the crime drama series Gracepoint (2014). Her film roles include the action thriller Enemy of the State (1998), the independent thriller Red State (2011), the docudrama Little Red Wagon (2012), the financial thriller Equity (2016), the biographical drama Sully (2016), the comedy drama Being Frank (2018), and the Deadwood sequel film Deadwood: The Movie (2019). She also voiced Ariel in the Legacy of Kain video game series (1996–2003).

Early life and education Anna Kathryn Gunn was born on August 11, 1968, the daughter of Shana (née Peters; 1942–2022) and Clemens "Clem" Earl Gunn Jr. (1939–2024). She has one brother named Matthew. She is the great-great-granddaughter of William Rufus Day (through his son Luther), who was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Gunn graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School in 1986, then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she majored in theater In the fall of 1988, she spent a semester abroad to study at the British American Drama Academy. She moved to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, California, where she shared a house with Pamela Adlon.

Career Gunn's first screen credit was the Quantum Leap episode "The Play's the Thing". She had a recurring role as Assistant District Attorney Jean Ward on the ABC series The Practice from 1997 to 2002, and was series regular as Martha Bullock on HBO's Deadwood from 2005 to 2006. She appeared on Seinfeld in the episode "The Glasses", in the Six Feet Under episode "Parallel Play", and on the first season of Murder One. She also provided the voice of Ariel in the Legacy of Kain series of video games.

Gunn starred as Skyler White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2012, 2013 and 2014, winning the latter two years. In August 2013, she wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times examining the public dislike directed toward her character.

In 2011, Gunn had a lead role in the Lifetime film Secrets of Eden, opposite John Stamos. Her other film credits include Without Evidence, Enemy of the State, Treading Water, and Red State.

In February 2013, cable network Bravo announced that Gunn would star in a pilot for a one-hour TV drama, Rita, based on a Danish TV series about a private-school teacher and mother. After Bravo passed on it, Fox TV Studios ordered a pilot to be written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Miguel Arteta, which was never released.

In 2014, Gunn starred Off-Broadway with Billy Magnussen in Sex with Strangers, directed by David Schwimmer at Second Stage Theater.

Gunn starred in the 2016 film Equity. Billed as the first female-driven Wall Street film, it premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, she starred in Clint Eastwood's biographical drama film Sully.

In 2019, Gunn starred as Maxine Faulk in the Noël Coward Theater limited-time production of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana.

Personal life Gunn married Scottish actor and real estate broker Alastair Duncan in 1990. They divorced in 2009.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 French Intensive Rachel Short film Junior Casitas Madres Receptionist 1995 Without Evidence Liz Godlove Star Power Denise Short film 1997 Santa Fe Jane 1998 Enemy of the State Emily Reynolds 2000 Lost Souls Sally Prescott 2001 Nobody's Baby Stormy 2002 Treading Water The Actress 2011 Red State Travis' Mother 2012 Little Red Wagon Laurie Bonner Sassy Pants June Pruitt 2016 Equity Naomi Bishop Sully Dr. Elizabeth Davis 2018 Being Frank Laura Hansen 2021 Land of Dreams Nancy 2022 The Apology Darlene Hagen

Television Year Title Role Notes 1992 Quantum Leap Liz Episode: "The Play's the Thing" Indecency Celeste Television film 1992–1993 Down the Shore Arden Main role 1993 Seinfeld Amy Episode: "The Glasses" 1994 Missing Persons Ellie Keogh Episode: "My Beautiful Son Is O.K..." NYPD Blue Kimmy 2 episodes Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire Agt. Alex King Television film 1995 If Someone Had Known Officer Linda Reed Television film 1995–1996 Murder One Melissa Griotte 3 episodes1996 Chicago Hope Megan Stanard Episode: "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" The Lazarus Man The Journal Episode: "The Journal" Men Behaving Badly Michelle Episode: "Babies Having Babies" The Big Easy Evie Episode: "Snake Dance" 1997 Sleepwalkers Angie Gilpin Episode: "Night Terrors" 1997–2002 The Practice Jean Ward Recurring role; 10 episodes 1999 ER Ekabo's Lawyer Episode: "Point of Origin" The Drew Carey Show Kelly Walker Episode: "Drew's Reunion" Judging Amy Emily Noble Episode: "Presumed Innocent" 2000 Bull Miss Coyle Episode: "A Beautiful Lie" 2001 The Guardian Meghan Barstow 2 episodes 2002 Yes, Dear Jessica Episode: "Kim's New Nanny" 2003 Twelve Mile Road Leah Television film Dragnet Dr. Louise Nottingham 2 episodes The O'Keefes Phyllis Episode: "Pilot" L.A. Confidential Renata Unsold pilot Wild Card Janell Morgan Episode: "The Cheese Stands Alone" The Lyon's Den Elizabeth Hopper Episode: "Blood" Miss Match Maureen Weston Episode: "Kate in Ex-tasy" Miracles Rebecca Webb Episode: "You Are My Sunshine" 2004 NYPD 2069 Natalie Franco Unsold pilot The D.A. Shelly Ward Episode: "The People vs. Sergius Kovinsky" Six Feet Under Madeline Episode: "Parallel Play" 2005–2006 Deadwood Martha Bullock Main role 2007 Boston Legal Attorney Susan Bixby Episode: "Nuts" 2008–2013 Breaking Bad Skyler White Lead role 2010 Law & Order Marielle Di Napoli Episode: "Love Eternal" Lie to Me Jenkins Episode: "Dirty Loyal" 2012 Secrets of Eden Detective Catherine Benincasa Television film 2014 The Mindy Project Sheila Hamilton Episode: "Girl Crush" Gracepoint Detective Ellie Miller Main role 2015 Criminal Minds Special Agent Lily Lambert Episode: "Beyond Borders" Portlandia Glynis Brooks Episode: "House for Sale" 2016 Robot Chicken Mother / Skyler White (voice) Episode: "Food" Shades of Blue Julia Ayres Recurring role; 10 episodes 2019 Deadwood: The Movie Martha Bullock Television film 2021 Prodigal Son Sheriff Fern Cooley Episode: "The Last Weekend" 2022–2023 Physical Marika 3 episodes 2023 Most Dangerous Game Chairwoman4 episodes 2024 SugarMargit SorensenRecurring role; 6 episodes

Video games Year Title Role Notes 1996 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Ariel Voice role DeJoule Azimuth 1999 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Ariel 2001 Soul Reaver 2 2003 Legacy of Kain: Defiance

Awards and nominations + Award Year Category Nominated work Result Critics' Choice Television Awards 2012 Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2013 Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2014 Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad Golden Nymph Awards 2013 Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad Online Film & Television Association Awards 2012 Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2013 Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2019 Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Deadwood: The Movie Primetime Emmy Awards 2012 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2013 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2014 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Breaking Bad Satellite Awards 2014 Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Breaking Bad Saturn Awards 2010 Best Actress on Television Breaking Bad 2013 Best Supporting Actress on Television Breaking Bad 2014 Best Actress on Television Breaking Bad Screen Actors Guild Awards 2007 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Deadwood 2012 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2013 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Breaking Bad 2014 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Breaking Bad Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Breaking Bad