Long before he was cooking meth in the New Mexico desert, Bryan Cranston was cooking up punchlines on national TV!
Decades before transforming into Walter White, the Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” star was just another aspiring actor hustling for his big break.
In the late ’70s, that meant taking odd jobsâincluding working for a dating service called Great Expectations, a moment Kelly Clarkson recently unearthed on her talk show. But before even that? He stepped into the national spotlight as a contestant on “The Dating Game” in 1979.
Bryan Cranston Was Bachelor No. 1 With a Comedic Twist
Collider reported that 23-year-old Cranston appeared on the show as Bachelor Number 1. He was introduced to the audience as an “experimental cook” and a map collector who had won multiple physical fitness awards.
With a sweater casually tied around his neck, he looked like a polished prepâbut as soon as he opened his mouth, the future comedic star emerged. “When do you know you’ve been a bachelor for too long?” bachelorette Marilyn Staley asked.
Cranston quipped: “When you find yourself doing your own laundry and the dishes and having to iron your own clothes. It’s time to give it up and get married.”
Bryan Cranston Stole the Show on ‘The Dating Game’ With a Performance Fit for Walter White
Though he didnât win the date, Cranston clearly stole the spotlight. With an exaggerated exitâfixing his sweater, kissing Staley on the cheek, and standing next to host Jim Lange in mock dismayâhe gave viewers a glimpse of the performer heâd become.
Looking back, the performance felt almost scripted: a preview of Cranstonâs future blend of humor and vulnerability, from Malcolm in the Middle‘s Hal to Breaking Bad‘s Walter White.
Bryan Cranstonâs Odd Jobs Is Now the Internet’s Comic Gold
Cranstonâs journey to stardom is full of memorable side gigs. He once loaded trucks with Andy Garcia and, more famously, interviewed singles at “Great Expectations”.
During a 2016 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he reflected on the hilariously awkward job:
He described it as a kind of analog Tinderâ”a precursor to online dating”âand laughed about the oddball participants he had to coach on camera.
Though he didnât win on “The Dating Game,” Cranston did eventually win love in real life. He married actress Robin Dearden in 1989, and theyâre parents to actress Taylor Dearden (The Pitt).
Cranston joins a long list of stars who appeared on the show before fame, including Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, John Ritter, and Steve Martin.
The Dating Game Might Be GoneâBut That Bryan Cranston Moment Lives On
While “The Dating Game” isnât currently available to stream, Cranstonâs hilarious TV debut lives in pop culture memoryâand proves that even the road to Walter White started with a lighthearted game show and a perfect sense of humor.
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