Before Robin Dearden, Bryan Cranston Was In A Seriously Tumultuous Relationship

Bryan Cranston is known for being a talented actor and not so much a lady's man. In fact, the "Breaking Bad" actor has only been in two serious relationships — ex-wife Mickey Middleton and present wife Robin Dearden. The end of his five-year marriage to children's author Mickey Middleton appears to have been amicable. Their divorce in 1982 was simply brought on by incompatibility, the actor revealed in his memoir, "A Life In Parts" (via Hollywood Life) that he and Middleton weren't meant to be. He shared, "If either of us had been honest, we would have gone our separate ways much earlier ... She was a sweetheart. No arguing. No bitterness. We were just mismatched." Both moved on after their separation, although it took more time for Cranston. 

However, he met his perfect match with fellow actor Robin Dearden. According to People, the couple first crossed paths while acting on a television show in 1986. Although they were both in relationships, the couple reconnected a year later, and in 1989 they officially tied the knot, per Hollywood Life. 

Cranston eventually got his happy ending with Dearden, but it took him a long way to get there. Not only did he have to go through a divorce, but he also had a terrible ex-girlfriend before he married Dearden, which put the actor in a dark place — one he would have to revisit as Walter White.

Although it may not look like it now, Bryan Cranston was once in a terrible relationship with an ex-girlfriend who had threatened the "Breaking Bad" actor's life. Initially, the actor was naive to his ex-girlfriend's toxic behavior as he recalled meeting her with ET Canada. He shared, "I met a woman who was vivacious, and assertive, and fun, and I just dove in. And we were together way too quickly I didn't know her hardly, and I was a terrible match." Cranston revealed that he was terrified of her and claimed she would constantly threaten to kill him.

Their relationship got so bad that the actor began having terrible thoughts, as he told GQ. He shared, "I had one girlfriend I wanted to kill." Cranston revealed that she went wherever he went and was heavily involved in drugs. He explained, "And I envisioned myself killing her. It was so clear. My apartment had a brick wall on one side, and I envisioned opening the door, grabbing her by the hair, dragging her inside, and shoving her head into the brick wall until brain matter was dripping down the sides of it." Seems a bit eerie, but luckily Cranston never acted on these thoughts and actually ended up calling the police. This incident made him realize how toxic his relationship was, so the "Breaking Bad" actor got out and left his ex-girlfriend.

Lots of actors will take some of their real-life experiences to inspire their work. Cranston had to revisit the volatile bond with his ex-girlfriend while playing Walter White in "Breaking Bad."

The last time Cranston saw his ex-girlfriend was the night he imagined killing her, per People. It was at that moment that he realized anyone can be capable of doing terrible things. He shared in his memoir, "A Life In Parts," "I understood clearly, without question, that I was capable of taking a life. I think that's true of all of us." Walter White in "Breaking Bad" is ruthless, and Cranston would go to the darkest parts of his life to achieve this.

Cranston spoke to Entertainment Tonight about using this part of his life to channel Walter White, saying, "If an actor is useful in anything being able to draw from your own personal experiences, yeah you pull that out and in this case use it for something artistic and creative as opposed to danger." Cranston's focus seemed to work in his favor as he went on to win several Emmys for his performance in "Breaking Bad."