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Walter Hartwell "Walt" White Sr., also known by his drug-lord alias Heisenberg, is the protagonist of the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad. The character is portrayed by Bryan Cranston. Although AMC officials initially hesitated to cast Cranston due to his previous comedic role on Malcolm in the Middle, Gilligan cast him based on the actor's past performance in The X-Files episode "Drive", which Gilligan wrote. Cranston contributed greatly to the creation of his character, including Walt's backstory, personality, and physical appearance.
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Within the series, Walt is a chemist and graduate of the California Institute of Technology, who co-founded the company Gray Matter Technologies. He left Gray Matter abruptly, selling his shares for $5,000. Soon afterward, the company made a fortune, much of it from Walt's research. Walt subsequently moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he became a high school chemistry teacher. On his 50th birthday, he is diagnosed with Stage IIIA lung cancer. After this discovery, Walt resorts to manufacturing and selling methamphetamines with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to ensure his family's financial security after his death. He is pulled deeper into the illicit drug trade, becoming more and more ruthless as the series progresses, and later adopts the alias "Heisenberg", which becomes recognizable as a kingpin figure in the Southwestern drug trade. Walt becomes less sympathetic throughout the show, as series creator Vince Gilligan wanted him to turn from "Mr. Chips into Scarface".
Origin
An only child, Walter White's father died of Huntington's disease when he was six years old. He studied chemistry at California Institute of Technology and, after graduate school, worked as a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. There he conducted research on proton radiography, that helped a team win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985.[14][15] Walt then founded the firm Gray Matter Technologies with Elliott Schwartz (Adam Godley), his former classmate and close friend.[16] Around this time, Walt dated his lab assistant, Gretchen Schwartz (Jessica Hecht). He left both Gretchen and Gray Matter Technologies, selling his financial interest in the company for $5,000.[15][17] Gretchen and Elliott later married and made a fortune, much of it from Walt's research.[17][18] Though they remain friendly, Walt secretly resents both Gretchen and Elliott for profiting from his work.[18][19]
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