Joseph Louis Cranston

Joseph Louis Cranston (July 29, 1924 – October 2, 2014) was an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He was the father of Bryan Cranston.

Early life Cranston was born Joseph Louis Cranston on July 29, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, to Alice Rose (née Bower; 1902–1984) and Edward Bernard Cranston Sr. (1893–1960). He had an older brother, Edward Jr. (1923–2009), a younger sister Marguerite (1928–1991), and an older half-sister named Kathleen (1913–1930) from his father's first marriage.

Joseph Cranston's grandfather, James Daniel Cranston, was from Montreal. He also had Irish heritage and was named after his great-grandfather, Joseph Cranston. They had three children, including actors Kyle Cranston, who was born in June 1953 and Bryan Cranston, who was born in March 1956.

In 1968, after having trouble keeping steady work, Cranston temporarily left show business, a decision that caused a severe break in his family's home life. This led to him separating from his second wife, Peggy Sell, and leaving his two sons, Bryan and Kyle, and his daughter, Amy, who were forced to live with their grandparents for some time due to Peggy's alcoholism. Cranston would not reconnect with his sons and daughter until 10 years later. They remained close until his death in 2014.

Death Cranston died in Los Angeles, California of natural causes on October 2, 2014, at the age of 90.

Filmography Television Dragnet (1953) Space Patrol (1953) The Red Skelton Hour (1954) Life with Elizabeth (1954) Shower of Stars (1955) Annie Oakley (1956) Father Knows Best (1956) Highway Patrol (1956) The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna (1957) Bronco (1960) General Electric Theater (1960) My Three Sons (1961)

Film Beginning of the End (1957, Actor) Go, Johnny, Go! (1959, Actor) Erotica (1961, Narrator) Trauma (1962, Producer) The Crawling Hand (1963, Producer) The Corpse Grinders (1971, Writer) The Big Turnaround (1988, Director)