HBO Max’s hit medical drama The Pitt has quickly become the talk of TV fans, but one of its rising stars has a familiar Hollywood connection many viewers might not realize.
Taylor Dearden, who plays Dr. Melissa “Mel” King — a second-year resident at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital — is the daughter of Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. Despite her famous lineage, Dearden chose to use her mother Robin Dearden’s maiden name, distancing herself from her father’s spotlight.
“She’s very independent,” Cranston once told GQ, adding that she’s always been intentional about avoiding any signs of nepotism. Taylor graduated from the University of Southern California in 2015 with a degree in theater and has steadily built a career on her own terms.
Before The Pitt, Taylor made her mark with lead roles in MTV’s Sweet/Vicious and Netflix’s American Vandal. Though she had a small cameo in Breaking Bad as a teenager, her breakout came from projects she booked independently.
Cranston has remained a proud supporter, once thanking his “beautiful daughter, Taylor” in his 2010 Emmy speech, adding, “I love you more than baseball.” He’s also passed on life advice, encouraging her to embrace uncertainty and explore without fear — just as she’s done in her career.
With The Pitt gaining momentum and Taylor stepping into the spotlight, she’s proving that her talent runs deep — with or without the Cranston name.
