Aaron Paul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aaron Paul
Paul at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Aaron Paul Sturtevant (1979-08-27) August 27, 1979 (age 45) Emmett, Idaho, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Lauren Parsekian ​ ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2

Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant on August 27, 1979) is an American actor. He is most famous for playing Jesse Pinkman in the AMC television series Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. This role made him a star and won him many awards.

For his performance in Breaking Bad, Paul won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He also won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television three times. He played Jesse Pinkman again in the 2019 Netflix movie El Camino and in the final season of the show Better Call Saul in 2022.

Paul has also starred in many other movies and TV shows. He was in the films Need for Speed (2014) and Central Intelligence (2016). He was the voice of Todd Chavez in the animated Netflix show BoJack Horseman from 2014 to 2020. He also starred in the drama series The Path (2016–2018) and the science fiction series Westworld (2020–2022).

Early Life and School

Aaron Paul Sturtevant was born in Emmett, Idaho, on August 27, 1979. He was the youngest of four children. His father, Robert Sturtevant, was a Baptist minister. Paul was born a month early in his parents' bathroom. As a child, he acted in church plays.

He went to Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho, and graduated in 1997. After graduating, he decided to become an actor. He drove to Los Angeles with his mother in his 1982 Toyota Corolla. He had $6,000 to start his new life.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, he was a contestant on the game show The Price Is Right. He also had a job as an usher at a movie theater at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

Acting Career

Paul at the 2009 Peabody Awards.

First Roles

In 1996, Paul entered a talent competition in Los Angeles. He was the runner-up and signed with a manager. He started his career by appearing in music videos for the bands Korn and Everlast. He was also in TV commercials for Juicy Fruit gum, Corn Pops cereal, and Vanilla Coke.

He had small parts in movies like Whatever It Takes (2000), K-PAX (2001), and Mission: Impossible III (2006). He also appeared as a guest star on many popular TV shows. These included CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ER, The X-Files, and Bones.

Breakthrough with Breaking Bad

Paul and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan at the 2010 Saturn Awards.

Paul's first major role was as Scott Quittman on the HBO show Big Love. He appeared in 14 episodes. In 2008, he was cast as Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series Breaking Bad. This would become his most famous role.

Originally, the show's creator, Vince Gilligan, planned for Jesse's character to be written out of the show in the first season. But Gilligan was so impressed with the on-screen chemistry between Paul and the lead actor, Bryan Cranston, that he changed his mind. Jesse Pinkman became one of the main characters for the entire series.

Playing a troubled young man who gets involved in a dangerous business, Paul received great praise. He was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards for the role and won three times, in 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Roles After Breaking Bad

Paul at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con.

After Breaking Bad ended, Paul starred in many movies. In 2014, he played a street racer in Need for Speed. That same year, he played the Hebrew prophet Joshua in the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings.

From 2014 to 2020, Paul was a main cast member on the animated Netflix series BoJack Horseman. He voiced the character Todd Chavez and was also an executive producer for the show.

In 2016, he starred in the Hulu series The Path. He played Eddie Lane, a man who joins a secretive group and begins to question his beliefs. From 2020 to 2022, he joined the cast of the HBO science fiction series Westworld as the character Caleb Nichols.

In 2023, Paul starred in an episode of the Netflix series Black Mirror called "Beyond the Sea". His performance was highly praised by critics. In 2025, he had a main role in an episode of the animated series Invincible.

Other Work and Interests

In 2013, Paul and his wife, Lauren Parsekian, held a contest to raise money for her anti-bullying group, the Kind Campaign. The event raised over $1.6 million. The winners got to watch the final episode of Breaking Bad at a special screening.

Paul has also spoken in support of the asexual community. His character Todd Chavez on BoJack Horseman is asexual. Paul said he was "so proud to represent that community" on a popular TV show.

In 2019, Paul and his Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston started their own brand of mezcal, a type of drink, called Dos Hombres.

Personal Life

Paul with his daughter in July 2018.

Paul met actress and director Lauren Parsekian at the Coachella Festival. They got engaged in Paris on January 1, 2012. They married on May 26, 2013, in Malibu, California. The wedding had a 1920s carnival theme.

The couple has two children: a daughter, Story Annabelle (born in 2018), and a son, Ryden Caspian (born in 2022). Paul's close friend and Breaking Bad co-star, Bryan Cranston, is Ryden's godfather.

To celebrate the end of Breaking Bad, Paul and Cranston got tattoos on the last day of filming. Paul got the phrase "no half measures" tattooed on his bicep. In 2013, the governor of Idaho declared October 1 to be "Aaron Paul Sturtevant Day" in his home state.

In 2022, Paul legally changed his last name from "Sturtevant" to "Paul." This was so that he, his wife, and their children would all officially share the same last name.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Aaron Paul para niños