Who Is Taylor Dearden? Meet 'The Pitt' Star, Bryan Cranston's Daughter

HBO Max has seemingly created yet another hit series we cannot get enough of. HBO Max’s newest medical drama, The Pitt, has quickly captivated audiences. The TV show has already been renewed for a second season, with its breakout success suggesting it could become a staple in the network’s lineup for years to come. Set in a chaotic teaching hospital in Pittsburgh, the show follows a team of young residents and veteran doctors navigating medical emergencies, ethical dilemmas, and their own personal demons. It’s ER meets Grey’s Anatomy, but darker, faster, and far more raw, with lots of social and political commentary throughout. 

Starring an ensemble cast including Noah Wyle, Tracy Ifeachor, and rising talent Taylor Dearden, The Pitt doesn’t pull punches when it comes to emotional storytelling and high-stakes drama. Dearden, in particular, has become a breakout star thanks to her nuanced portrayal of Mel, a first-year resident whose neurodivergence adds a layer of complexity to the already brutal world of medicine. As The Pitt surges in popularity, so does curiosity about Dearden and her background, her past work, and the powerhouse she calls dad.

Keep scrolling to read more about who Taylor Dearden is, including her age, past TV roles, and fun facts about the actor.

Who Is Taylor Dearden?

Taylor Dearden is a 32-year-old American actor with a surprising Hollywood connection. If her razor-sharp timing and emotional depth feel familiar, it’s because talent runs in the family—she’s the daughter of Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston, famously known for his iconic role as Walter White in Breaking Bad.

While Dearden is carving out her own distinct path in the industry, she’s never shied away from acknowledging her roots, which would earn her the title of a nepo baby. Still, it’s clear her skills stand on their own. Determined to pursue acting on her own terms, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Theater from the University of Southern California in 2015 and has been steadily building a name for herself ever since.

Taylor Dearden's TV Roles 

Although this is definitely Dearden's big breakout role, it's not the first time her first time on the big screen. Before she was scrubbing in on The Pitt, Taylor Dearden was already quietly building an impressive résumé. She starred as Ophelia in MTV’s Sweet/Vicious, a cult-favorite series where she played a college student taking justice into her own hands. She also played Chloe Lyman in the second season of Netflix's American Vandal, and even made a small appearance in her dad's show, Breaking Bad, for one episode in 2010, entitled "No Más." 

Taylor Dearden in The Pitt

In a recent interview with NPR’s Scott Detrow, Dearden opened up about her role as Mel, a neurodivergent medical resident, and how she’s drawn from personal experience to bring authenticity to the character. “I don't know what Mel's diagnosis is. I have ADHD. So I think I've just been letting—some of the things that I am better at masking, I'm just letting the mask come down a little bit more,” she shared.

Dearden emphasized the importance of portraying neurodivergence as a spectrum, noting that her approach was shaped by her own experiences and observations of others in her life. She also spoke candidly about the unique challenges of working on a fast-paced production while being neurodivergent.

“It moves really fast. It's really hard words. It's actions we just learned. You have to put all of that together at the same time and as quickly as possible,” she said. “And we go so quickly, we don't have much time to take a second to review, to calm down. And so it’s definitely a challenge to shoot.”