She was a veteran of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles stages, and a regular face on episodic television by the time she landed her breakthrough role as the long-suffering Martha Bullock on "Deadwood" (HBO, 2004-06), a character that the show's creator, David Milch wrote with Gunn in mind after seeing her stunning work in a guest role on his previous series, "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005). Whether playing a desperate but hopeful New York junkie, or the stalwart wife of a frontier sheriff, Gunn invested her work with a transformative sense of realism. She would bring that same quality to her performance as Skyler White on the critically acclaimed drama "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008- ), taking a dramatic journey from pregnant housewife to knowing accomplice in her husband's methamphetamine operation without ever straining the credibility of her character. In a career that placed quality and consistency over celebrity, Anna Gunn established herself as a genuine and reliable talent.
Gunn was born on Aug. 11, 1968 in Cleveland, OH, and moved with her family to Santa Fe, NM as a child, discovering a passion for the theater while taking drama classes at Santa Fe Preparatory School. She attended Northwestern University and studied abroad for a semester, working with the British American Drama Academy, and performing with her final college project at London's Royal Court Theater. Gunn would be cast in her first professional acting job while still in school, playing Lucy Lockit in a Court Theater production of "The Beggar's Opera." After graduating from Northwestern University, Gunn began to split her time auditioning between Chicago and New York, and in 1992 would first reach a nationwide audience on the short-lived Fox series, "Down the Shore" (1992-93). While pursuing television work in Los Angeles, Gunn still made time for her first love, the stage, appearing in the 1995 American premiere of "Hysteria" at LA's Mark Taper Forum. More television guest roles would follow, including a two-episode arc on "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005), playing Kimmy, a junkie who dreams of escaping New York to swim with dolphins. The role would bring Gunn to the attention of the show's writer-producer, David Milch, who would keep Gunn in mind while creating his next series.
Constantly moving between stage and television, Gunn would make her Broadway debut in 1997 in "The Rehearsal" at the Roundabout Theater, at the same time having recurring roles on two series: key witness Melissa Griotte on the first season of "Murder One" (ABC, 1995-97), and Assistant District Attorney Jean Ward on David E. Kelly's "The Practice" (ABC, 1997-2004). As if her work schedule were not busy enough, Gunn would also break into independent feature films with "Nobody's Baby" (2001) starring Gary Oldman, and voice the character of Ariel in the popular "Legacy of Kain" videogame series. In 2004, David Milch would recall Gunn's work on "NYPD Blue" and create a role on his new series, "Deadwood" (HBO, 2004-06) with her in mind: Martha Bullock, the long suffering wife of Timothy Olyphant's lawman Seth Bullock. One of the few female characters in the talented ensemble cast, Gunn's Martha served as the loveless corner of a love triangle with Olyphant's Bullock and Molly Parker's Alma Garrett, as well as a rare civilizing influence in the midst of Deadwood's chaos. While the part was small and unremarkable compared to some of the program's showier characters, Gunn would make the most of her limited screen time to create an indelible portrait of a woman forced to compromise. She would play the role for two seasons before the show's unceremonious cancellation in 2006.
Just two years later, Gunn would find success as a series regular once again, but this time with the latitude to explore far greater emotional territory than ever before. Cast as the morally conflicted Skyler White on "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008-2012), Gunn's character began the series as a dramatic foil and simple obstacle to Bryan Cranston's unhinged Walter. Her portrayal of the pregnant wife from whom he must hide his burgeoning methamphetamine business emerged over successive seasons as a multi-layered character in her own right, coping with complications of her own questionable choices while learning to first accept, and then aid and abet her husband's criminal operation. After more than a decade of constant work in every imaginable medium, Gunn garnered popular and critical praise alike for her textured and deeply sympathetic portrayal on "Breaking Bad," and after four seasons finally received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the first such honor of her career. Never one to stand still for long, Gunn continued to make guest appearances on other television series during the run of "Breaking Bad," including episodes of "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) and "Lie to Me" (Fox, 2009-2011), as well as appearing in the independent features "Red State" (2011) and "Sassy Pants" (2012).
By John Crye