# Anna Gunn

Anna Kathryn Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for playing Martha Bullock on the HBO Western series Deadwood (2004–2006) and Skyler White on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad (2008–2013). Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Gunn has starred on the ABC series The Practice (1997–2002) and the Fox series Gracepoint (2014). Her film roles include the action thriller Enemy of the State (1998), the independent thriller Red State (2011), the docudrama Little Red Wagon (2012), the financial thriller Equity (2016), the biographical drama Sully (2016), the comedy drama Being Frank (2018), and the Deadwood sequel film Deadwood: The Movie (2019). She also voiced Ariel in the Legacy of Kain video game series (1996–2003).

## Early life and education

Born Anna Kathryn Gunn on August 11, 1968, Gunn grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the daughter of Shana (née Peters; 1942–2022) and Clemens Earl Gunn Jr. (1939–2024). She has one brother named Matthew. Through his son Luther, she is the great-great granddaughter of William Rufus Day, who was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She graduated from Santa Fe Preparatory School in 1986, then attended Northwestern University, where she majored in theater and graduated in 1990. In the fall of 1988, she spent a semester abroad to study at the British American Drama Academy. She moved to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, where she shared a house with Pamela Adlon.

## Career

Gunn's first screen credit was the Quantum Leap episode "The Play's the Thing". She had a recurring role as Assistant District Attorney Jean Ward on the ABC series The Practice from 1997 to 2002, and was series regular as Martha Bullock on HBO's Deadwood from 2005 to 2006. She appeared on Seinfeld in the episode "The Glasses", in the Six Feet Under episode "Parallel Play", and on the first season of Murder One. She also provided the voice of Ariel in the Legacy of Kain series of video games.
Gunn starred as Skyler White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2012, 2013 and 2014, winning in 2013 and 2014. In August 2013, she wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times examining the public dislike directed toward her character.
In 2011, Gunn had a lead role in the Lifetime film Secrets of Eden, opposite John Stamos. Her other film credits include Without Evidence, Enemy of the State, Treading Water, and Red State.
In February 2013, cable network Bravo announced that Gunn would star in a pilot for a one-hour TV drama, Rita, based on a Danish TV series about a private-school teacher and mother. The Fox TV Studios pilot was to be written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Miguel Arteta.
In 2014, Gunn starred Off-Broadway with Billy Magnussen in Sex with Strangers, directed by David Schwimmer at Second Stage Theater.
Gunn starred in the 2016 film Equity. Billed as the first female-driven Wall Street film, it premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, she starred in Clint Eastwood's biographical drama film Sully.
In 2019, Gunn starred as Maxine Faulk in the Noël Coward Theater limited-time production of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana.

## Personal life

Gunn married Scottish actor and real estate broker Alastair Duncan in 1990. They divorced in 2009. They have two daughters, Eila Rose and Emma.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | French Intensive | Rachel | Short film |
| 1994 | Junior | Casitas Madres Receptionist | |
| 1995 | Without Evidence | Liz Godlove | |
| 1995 | Star Power | Denise | Short film |
| 1997 | Santa Fe | Jane | |
| 1998 | Enemy of the State | Emily Reynolds | |
| 2000 | Lost Souls | Sally Prescott | |
| 2001 | Nobody's Baby | Stormy | |
| 2002 | Treading Water | The Actress | |
| 2011 | Red State | Travis' Mother | |
| 2012 | Little Red Wagon | Laurie Bonner | |
| 2012 | Sassy Pants | June Pruitt | |
| 2016 | Equity | Naomi Bishop | |
| 2016 | Sully | Dr. Elizabeth Davis | |
| 2018 | Being Frank | Laura Hansen | |
| 2021 | Land of Dreams | Nancy | |
| 2022 | The Apology | Darlene Hagen | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Quantum Leap | Liz | Episode: "The Play's the Thing" |
| 1992 | Indecency | Celeste | Television film |
| 1992–1993 | Down the Shore | Arden | Main role |
| 1993 | Seinfeld | Amy | Episode: "The Glasses" |
| 1994 | Missing Persons | Ellie Keogh | Episode: "My Beautiful Son Is O.K..." |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Kimmy | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire | Agt. Alex King | Television film |
| 1995 | If Someone Had Known | Officer Linda Reed | Television film |
| 1995–1996 | Murder One | Melissa Griotte | 3 episodes |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Megan Stanard | Episode: "Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" |
| 1996 | The Lazarus Man | The Journal | Episode: "The Journal" |
| 1996 | Men Behaving Badly | Michelle | Episode: "Babies Having Babies" |
| 1996 | The Big Easy | Evie | Episode: "Snake Dance" |
| 1997 | Sleepwalkers | Angie Gilpin | Episode: "Night Terrors" |
| 1997–2002 | The Practice | Jean Ward | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 1999 | ER | Ekabo's Lawyer | Episode: "Point of Origin" |
| 1999 | The Drew Carey Show | Kelly Walker | Episode: "Drew's Reunion" |
| 1999 | Judging Amy | Emily Noble | Episode: "Presumed Innocent" |
| 2000 | Bull | Miss Coyle | Episode: "A Beautiful Lie" |
| 2001 | The Guardian | Meghan Barstow | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Yes, Dear | Jessica | Episode: "Kim's New Nanny" |
| 2003 | Twelve Mile Road | Leah | Television film |
| 2003 | Dragnet | Dr. Louise Nottingham | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | The O'Keefes | Phyllis | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2003 | L.A. Confidential | Renata | Unsold pilot |
| 2003 | Wild Card | Janell Morgan | Episode: "The Cheese Stands Alone" |
| 2003 | The Lyon's Den | Elizabeth Hopper | Episode: "Blood" |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Maureen Weston | Episode: "Kate in Ex-tasy" |
| 2003 | Miracles | Rebecca Webb | Episode: "You Are My Sunshine" |
| 2004 | NYPD 2069 | Natalie Franco | Unsold pilot |
| 2004 | The D.A. | Shelly Ward | Episode: "The People vs. Sergius Kovinsky" |
| 2004 | Six Feet Under | Madeline | Episode: "Parallel Play" |
| 2005–2006 | Deadwood | Martha Bullock | Main role |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Attorney Susan Bixby | Episode: "Nuts" |
| 2008–2013 | Breaking Bad | Skyler White | Lead role |
| 2010 | Law & Order | Marielle Di Napoli | Episode: "Love Eternal" |
| 2010 | Lie to Me | Jenkins | Episode: "Dirty Loyal" |
| 2012 | Secrets of Eden | Detective Catherine Benincasa | Television film |
| 2014 | The Mindy Project | Sheila Hamilton | Episode: "Girl Crush" |
| 2014 | Gracepoint | Detective Ellie Miller | Main role |
| 2015 | Criminal Minds | Special Agent Lily Lambert | Episode: "Beyond Borders" |
| 2015 | Portlandia | Glynis Brooks | Episode: "House for Sale" |
| 2016 | Robot Chicken | Mother / Skyler White (voice) | Episode: "Food" |
| 2016 | Shades of Blue | Julia Ayres | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 2019 | Deadwood: The Movie | Martha Bullock | Television film |
| 2021 | Prodigal Son | Sheriff Fern Cooley | Episode: "The Last Weekend" |
| 2022–2023 | Physical | Marika | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Most Dangerous Game | Chairwoman | 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Sugar | Margit | Recurring role; 6 episodes |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain | Ariel, Azimuth, DeJoule | Voice role |
| 1999 | Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver | Ariel | Voice role |
| 2001 | Soul Reaver 2 | Ariel | Voice role |
| 2003 | Legacy of Kain: Defiance | Ariel | Voice role |

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Anna Gunn :
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2012 | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2013 | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2014 | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Golden Nymph Awards | 2013 | Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | 2012 | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | 2013 | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | 2019 | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series | Deadwood: The Movie | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2012 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2013 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2014 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2014 | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2010 | Best Actress on Television | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2013 | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards | 2014 | Best Actress on Television | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2007 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Deadwood | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2012 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2013 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2014 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2014 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Breaking Bad | Won |