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Every Breaking Bad actor who has died since starring on the hit series – Netflix
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Every Breaking Bad actor who has died since starring on the hit series – Netflix

It is one of the greatest television shows of all time, and for some it ranks first by some distance.

But not everyone who starred in the iconic crime drama breaking bad is still around to hear the continuous applause the show receives.

From 2008 to 2013, it has stood the test of time since it first brought us the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) wicked journey from a high school chemistry teacher with terminal lung cancer to the criminal drug lord Heisenberg.

Along for the ride is Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), a former student of White’s who becomes his partner in crime as the pair create their meth empire.

The two are overwhelmed by the criminal underworld of Albuquerque, New Mexico before running it themselves as they go head-to-head with the region’s existing crime bosses, including the terrifying Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito).

With five seasons and 62 episodes, it starred hundreds of actors from the main cast to extras, the same being said for the incredible successful and favorable spin-off series, Better call Saul, focusing on White’s sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) and his journey from respectable lawyer Jimmy McGill to representing criminals and cartel bosses.

I also had a standalone Netflix film, El Caminowhich gives us a true ending to Jesse Pinkman’s story after the show ends.

With the sheer number of people in the series and film and the fact that it first aired 16 years ago, time has started to catch up with us all so to speak as has with Harry Potter CAST with the latest Potter universe lost the cherished actress Dame Maggie Smith.

Gus Fring and Hector Salamanca face off in Breaking Bad (Ursula Coyote / AMC)

Gus Fring and Hector Salamanca face off in Breaking Bad (Ursula Coyote / AMC)

Mark Margolis

Ding ding ding ding ding. That basically summed up the character of Mark Margolis in breaking bad where he played Hector Salamanca, patriarch of the Salamanca crime family. He is a direct rival of Gus Fring, both working different patches for the Juarez Cartel, led by Eladio Vuente.

Appearing in the original show as an old man living in a cabin in the desert, he is incapacitated and wheelchair bound, his only method of communication being ringing a bell tied to the arm of the chair.

Later, back at a nursing home, tensions rise between Hector and Gus, with Hector finally getting the upper hand after conspiring with Walter White.

Fans have nothing but praise for Margolis’ role; one he resumed Better call Saul where we saw him before he was wheelchair bound and we are told how he came to be in such a state. Sadly, Margolis died at the age of 83 in August 2023 after a brief illness, according to his son.

Paul Geoffrey in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Paul Geoffrey in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Paul Geoffrey

Fast forwarding to Better call Saul, the show lost one of its original characters when actor Paul Geoffrey died at the age of 68.

He had been diagnosed with cancer until his death. His role in Better call Saul was a minor, seen in the show according to Jimmy McGill for a new suit.

Geoffrey’s biggest role was in 1981 when he played Excalibur alongside Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart. The obituary after Geoffrey’s death said he had “lived his dream of being an actor”.

“He moved to Santa Fe in the early 1990s, where he and his wife created a world of love and care for their young family. He worked with Santa Fe Properties for many years and established himself as a genuine and kind member of the community. Essentially, Paul continued to act for the rest of his life,” it said.

Robert Forster and Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (AMC)

Robert Forster and Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (AMC)

Robert Forster

A legend of the silver screen, Robert Forster appeared in all three Breaking Bad, you better call Saul and El Camino.

Making his first appearance in season five of breaking badForster played Ed Galbraith, a man who runs a vacuum sales business as a front to make people “disappear” through new identities.

He helps Walter White escape after his empire is discovered – later doing the same for Jesse Pinkman in El Camino and Saul Goodman in Better call Saul.

Forster died aged 78 in October 2019, on the day El Camino he was released. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumor four months earlier.

James Ning as Duane Chow (AMC)

James Ning as Duane Chow (AMC)

James Ning

James Ning’s role in breaking bad he was limited to just two episodes, in which he starred as Duane Chow.

Chow was responsible for secretly supplying Gus Fring’s drug empire with the substances needed to produce methamphetamine in his secret lab.

During season three, Chow appears in a scene with Fring’s private investigator and assassin Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), before being killed off two seasons later.

Ning died at the age of 86 in November 2022.

Michael Showers appeared in an episode of Breaking Bad (AMC)

Michael Showers appeared in an episode of Breaking Bad (AMC)

Michael Showers

Michael Showers had played briefly breaking bad in a single episode as a union representative.

Far from his career, his death came far too soon after he was found dead at the age of 45.

His body was discovered in August 2024 in the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Conformable Reuters, the coroner said Showers had likely died two days before he was found, with the cause of death given as drowning.

Isaac Kappy (Chelsea Lauren/WireImage)

Isaac Kappy (Chelsea Lauren/WireImage)

Isaac Kappy

Isaac Kappy had a small role in breaking badbest known for his roles in Thor and Terminator Salvation.

From Albuquerque, where the show took place, he appeared on the show as a prison in the episode “Seven Thirty-Seven”.

Kappy committed suicide in 2019 after falling from a bridge, authorities said. He was 42 years old.

Mike Batayeh in Breaking Bad (AMC)

Mike Batayeh in Breaking Bad (AMC)

Mike Batayeh

We are introduced to Mike Batayeh in breaking bad with the actor portraying Dennis Markowski, the man who runs the Brilliante Laundry. This is the laundry room that serves as a front for Gus’ meth lab.

In the show, Markowski is arrested by the DEA after Gus’s death and the lab is searched.

His death in the series comes after Walter White plots to kill Gus’s surviving employees, who are now in prison, so that no one will turn him in to the police.

Outside of acting, Batayeh died at just 52 in June 2023. He died by “hanging asphyxiation,” according to a report from the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Tom Bower in El Camino (Netflix)

Tom Bower in El Camino (Netflix)

Tom Bower

Appearing in El CaminoTom Bower starred as Louis Schanzer. Todd Alquist’s (Jesse Plemons) neighbor, he is particularly nosy and won’t leave Todd alone while Jesse Pinkman hides in his apartment.

Away from film, he also appeared in It’s always sunny in Philadelphia as well as Die Hard 2.

Bower died aged 86 in May 2024, passing away in his sleep at home, his sister-in-law. said The Hollywood Reporter.

David House starred alongside Walter White during his cancer treatment (AMC)

David House starred alongside Walter White during his cancer treatment (AMC)

House of David

Appearing in the first two seasons of breaking badDavid House plays Dr. Delcavoli who takes care of Walter White after his cancer diagnosis.

One of the best oncologists in the region, White can afford it thanks to his funds from the meth trade.

Under the care of Dr. Delcavoli, White’s cancer goes into remission during season two.

Tragically, House died in 2016 aged 57 from a brain tumour.

Shari Rhodes honored on show (AMC)

Shari Rhodes honored on show (AMC)

Shari Rhodes

Shari Rhodes made an appearance in breaking bad as an extra as “Bingo Lady”.

Previous roles include The jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

She died in December 2009 of breast cancer, with one memory at an end breaking bad episode to honor his role on the show.

Saginaw Grant (Andrew Toth/Getty Images)

Saginaw Grant (Andrew Toth/Getty Images)

Saginaw Grant

Appearing in one episode, Saginaw Grant made his single breaking bad appearance in season five’s “Ozymandias”; probably the best episode of the entire TV show.

Grant died in July 2021, aged 85. His death was announced by his friend and publicist as natural causes.

One appearance for Wolf Muser (AMC)

One appearance for Wolf Muser (AMC)

Wolf Muser

Like Grant, Wolf Muser appears briefly in season five as Mr. Herzog.

The character is the CEO and President of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH; the parent company of Gus Fring’s Los Pollos Hermanos fast food chain.

He appears before the DEA, where he ensures that the company will cooperate with Gus Fring’s investigation.

He died in 2022 at the age of 71.