Bob Odenkirk

Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015–2022). For the latter, he has received six nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. As a producer on Better Call Saul since its premiere, he has also received six nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. He is also known for the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998), which he co-created and co-starred in with fellow comic David Cross. In 2015, he and Cross reunited, along with the rest of the Mr. Show cast, for W/ Bob & David on Netflix. Odenkirk wrote for television series Saturday Night Live (1987–1991) and The Ben Stiller Show (1992), winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1989 and 1993. He also wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993–1994) and acted in a recurring role as Agent Stevie Grant in The Larry Sanders Show (1993–1998). In the early 2000s, Odenkirk discovered the comedy duo Tim & Eric. He produced their television series Tom Goes to the Mayor (2004–2006) and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007–2010). His feature directorial credits include the films Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003), Let's Go to Prison (2006), and The Brothers Solomon (2007). The success of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul led to acting work in high-profile projects such as Nebraska (2013), the first season of Fargo (2014), Steven Spielberg's The Post (2017), Pixar's Incredibles 2 (2018), Little Women (2019) and, as the lead, the action film Nobody (2021), which he also produced. Early life Odenkirk was born in Berwyn, Illinois, then raised in Naperville. He is the second oldest of seven siblings born to Walter Henry Odenkirk, who was employed in the printing business, and Barbara Mary ( Baier) Odenkirk (1936–2021), Catholics of German and Irish descent. His parents divorced in part due to Walter's alcoholism, which influenced Bob's decision to avoid alcohol as much as possible. He describes his father as "remote, fucked-up, and not around". Odenkirk would later say that he grew up "hating" Naperville as a 15-year-old because "it felt like a dead end, like Nowheresville. I couldn't wait to move into a city and be around people who were doing exciting things." Walter Odenkirk died of bone cancer in 1986.