Anna Gunn

The consummate working actor, Anna Gunn consistently delivered credible, grounded performances in such a constant stream of stage and television roles that her work was familiar, while Gunn herself remained relatively unknown. 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, 2008-2013), 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.