Aaron Paul biography, net worth, wife and kids, age, height 2025

Biography of Aaron Paul

Aaron Paul is an American actor. He began his career in 1999 and appeared in numerous major projects, including "Beverly Hills, 90210," "The X-Files," "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," and "Big Love," mostly in guest roles. Everything changed with the series "Breaking Bad," where Aaron Paul played one of the two main characters – a young drug addict named Jesse Pinkman who assists chemistry teacher Walter White in cooking blue methamphetamine. In 2019, he starred in the feature-length spin-off of this series. His net worth is estimated to be approximately between 16 and 25 million dollars.

Childhood

Aaron was born in Emmett, Idaho. His full name at birth was Aaron Paul Sturtevant (at 43, he officially changed his last name to Paul). He was the fifth child in a large and very religious Baptist family, with his father Robert being a pastor and his mother Darla.

Aaron dreamed of becoming an actor in middle school. To pursue his dream faster, he finished his last two years of school in one year by taking extra courses. Before that, he practiced a lot in the church's drama club.

In 1996, a young talent competition took place in Los Angeles, and Aaron decided to go. He won and immediately signed his first contract, getting a manager to handle his acting career. His first gig was a commercial for Corn Pops. Later he appeared in commercials for Juicy Fruit and Coca-Cola.

Young Aaron Paul in a Corn Pops commercial

Career Beginnings

He made his film debut in 1999 with a guest role as Chad in the popular teen series "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Aaron Paul in the TV series 'Beverly Hills, 90210'

Over the next three years, the actor appeared in many high-profile projects. These included "The X-Files" (episode "Lord of the Flies"), "NYPD Blue," "CSI.," and "ER." He also starred in well-known feature films like "K-PAX" with Kevin Spacey and "Van Wilder" with Ryan Reynolds. His appearances were memorable, but for some reason, directors did not consider him for deeper roles.

In 2007, the creators of HBO's series about Mormon polygamists, "Big Love," cast him as Scott Quittman. His character was also a guest role, but he still appeared in the series 14 times.

Breaking Bad

Luck smiled on the actor in 2008 when he was offered the lead role in the series "Breaking Bad," created by Vince Gilligan. The actor plays a young man named Pinkman, a former student of chemistry teacher Walter White, now a hopeless drug addict.

Walter, portrayed by Bryan Cranston, is battling cancer. His older son is about to go to college, and they are expecting a second child, but his family has almost no means to live. Inspired by a TV story about a drug lord, Walter decides to use his chemistry knowledge to get rich in an illegal way. He knows how to cook the purest methamphetamine but has no idea how the industry works. This is where Jesse Pinkman comes in to help him. This is the beginning of an epic story that lasted 5 seasons.

Breaking Bad Fan Theories with Aaron Paul - Vanity Fair

From the filming of the pilot episode, the actor was haunted by the thought: "What a stroke of luck!" He knew this was a special series and tried his best. To get into the role of a drug addict, he researched YouTube for relevant documentaries, visited rehabs, talked to patients, and sometimes approached methamphetamine addicts on the street to start a conversation.

I made myself believe that I was living Jesse's life, and everything happening to him in the script was actually happening to me.

The most challenging scene for Aaron was the one where his girlfriend dies—he imagined it was really happening to him.

Jesse Pinkman's catchphrase ("Bitch!") became popular, which eventually started to annoy Aaron. He admitted that once he got so mad that he threw an energy drink bottle at another "comedian" who recognized him on the street.

Complete Jesse Pinkman BITCH Montage

Nevertheless, he became so close with the entire crew that he stretched out the work on the last episodes as much as he could. On the last working day, he was heartbroken and got a tattoo that reads "No Half Measures" as a memory of those times.

Further Career

From the very first episodes of "Breaking Bad," the actor finally gained popularity, along with many interesting offers. For example, the metal band Korn featured Aaron in the music video for the song "Thoughtless." Aaron's character, an unpopular boy in class, attends the prom to get revenge on his bullies who mercilessly beat him up during his school years. His true nature is revealed, and he gives all his classmates an unforgettable "celebration."

Korn - Thoughtless

In 2009, the actor appeared in another music video. This time, he starred in Everlast's "White Trash Beautiful." Aaron played a truck driver who lives with his girlfriend in a dilapidated house. After an argument with her, he gets into an accident while driving under the influence.

Everlast – White Trash Beautiful

In the same year, the thriller "The Last House on the Left," directed by Dennis Iliadis, was released. The film tells the story of a family who went on a countryside vacation, where their daughter was attacked and brutally assaulted by escaped criminals. The criminals then try to escape, fearing the wrath of the enraged parents. Aaron played a sadistic character named Francis.

Aaron Paul – Mangled Hand (The Last House On The Left)

The actor has frequently appeared in TV series, a genre much loved by American audiences. Besides "Breaking Bad," he has starred in "The Guardian," "Criminal Minds." In 2013, he worked on "A Long Way Down" featuring Pierce Brosnan.

Aaron took part in the movie adaptation of the video game Need for Speed: spectacular illegal street races and gang rivalries. Along with Aaron, the film featured Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper, and Imogen Poots.

From 2014 to 2020, Aaron Paul voiced one of the characters in the animated series "BoJack Horseman" – the young slacker Todd Chavez, who freeloads off the main character, a once-popular actor, and comes up with crazy ideas. Aaron not only provided the voice but also infused Todd with recognizable traits from Jesse Pinkman.

Aaron Paul on BoJack Horseman

Aaron's character has a significant role in the series "Westworld" (the actor appears in the third season). His character Caleb is a former soldier turned small-time crook, committing crimes to support his seriously ill mother.

Paul admitted that he had been a passionate fan of the series long before he auditioned for the role of Caleb. "I would wait for an episode and watch it the day after release, putting aside all gadgets," he said.

Welcome to Westworld: Evan Rachel Wood & Aaron Paul – Analysis Featurette

He also had a leading role in the series "The Path." Here, he played Eddie, a devoted family man practicing an unusual religion. After traveling to the country where it originated, he begins to realize he has joined a cult.

In 2019, the highly anticipated feature-length spin-off about Jesse Pinkman, "El Camino," was released. It is a direct continuation of the series "Breaking Bad." The story begins with Jesse's escape from captivity by neo-Nazis. Throughout the film, he tries to leave his criminal past behind and start a new life in Alaska.

El Camino. Trailer

Paul returned to the role of Jesse Pinkman in 2022, appearing in two episodes of the sixth season of "Better Call Saul."

In October 2020, Aaron Paul began filming the sci-fi thriller "Dual" alongside Karen Gillan. Karen's character is terminally ill and undergoes a cloning procedure to ease her family's pain. However, the fatal illness goes into remission, but they can no longer reject the clone. Only one can survive. The film premiered in January 2022.

Along with his old friend Krysten Ritter, who played Jesse's girlfriend in "Breaking Bad," Aaron Paul worked on the detective podcast "The Coldest Case," whose first season started in 2021 and the second in 2024.

Though Aaron himself stated in interviews that the role of Jesse set a high bar and that future roles might not surpass it, he has proven otherwise with his various acting performances.

Personal Life of Aaron Paul

Aaron Paul met his future wife, Lauren Parsekian, in Coachella Valley during the annual Coachella Music and Arts Festival. A year later, they met there again and started dating. On January 1, 2012, they announced their engagement. The wedding took place in May 2013. They now live in Santa Monica, California.

In February 2018, Aaron Paul and his wife became parents for the first time. They named their baby girl Story (full name – Story Annabelle Paul). On The Tonight Show, the actor shared the story behind this unusual name.

During their first date, Aaron and Lauren wanted to get married in Las Vegas and bought a small leather jacket for their unborn child. However, the chapel was closed, and they took it as a sign to wait. Instead of getting married, they went to a casino, bought $200 worth of chips, and won $16,000. They found this story so amazing that they decided to immortalize it in their future child's name.

In December 2021, Aaron posted a touching photo on his personal blog, showing their daughter stroking her pregnant mother's belly.

Aaron Paul's daughter and pregnant Lauren

In April 2022, the couple welcomed a son. The actor shared a photo of the newborn, introduced as Ryden Caspian Paul. In May 2023, Aaron and Lauren celebrated 10 years of marriage.

Aaron Paul Now

The actor rarely appears in movies now. He focuses on family life, raising his son and daughter. In 2019, he and Bryan Cranston, his good friend in real life, founded Dos Hombres, a company that produces mezcal (an alcoholic drink made from agave).

Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston founded an alcohol brand

In 2022, a monument to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman was unveiled in Albuquerque, where the plot of "Breaking Bad" takes place. The famous duo attended the unveiling. By this time, the series had attracted many tourists to New Mexico, boosting its economy by nearly $400 million.