Dean Norris net worth is $4 million in 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The Harvard-educated character actor spent more than 20 years as one of Hollywood’s most dependable supporting players before “Breaking Bad” made him famous as DEA agent Hank Schrader, and he has worked steadily ever since — headlining two more television series, joining “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” and building a business portfolio in Temecula, California, that has recently run into serious financial trouble.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Dean Joseph Norris |
| Born | April 8, 1963, South Bend, Indiana |
| Occupation | Actor, entrepreneur |
| Known for | “Breaking Bad,” “Under the Dome,” “Claws,” “United States of Al” |
| Net worth | $4 million (Celebrity Net Worth estimate) |
Early Life
Dean Joseph Norris was born on April 8, 1963, in South Bend, Indiana, where he attended Clay High School, developing an interest in acting and comedy and participating as a teenager in “Beyond Our Control,” an award-winning student-produced comedy program broadcast locally in South Bend. He graduated in 1981 as his high school’s valedictorian. Norris studied Social Studies at Harvard University and performed with Hasty Pudding Theatricals. After graduating from Harvard in 1985, he went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, completing his acting diploma in 1987.
Early Acting Career
Norris began working on screen in the 1980s, appearing on “The Equalizer” and “Beauty and the Beast.” His early film work included “Police Academy 6: City Under Siege,” “Disorganized Crime” and “Lethal Weapon 2,” all released in 1989. In 1990, he appeared opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Total Recall,” and played a SWAT team member in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” the following year, continuing with “Hard to Kill,” “The Firm,” “Money Train” and “Starship Troopers.” Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Norris accumulated television credits on “NYPD Blue,” “ER,” “The X-Files,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “JAG,” “The West Wing,” “CSI,” “Cold Case,” “Boston Legal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” alongside films including “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Cell.” By the time he auditioned for “Breaking Bad,” he had spent more than 20 years working consistently without becoming a household name.
Breaking Bad
Norris landed the defining role of his career in 2008 when he was cast as Hank Schrader in “Breaking Bad,” created by Vince Gilligan. The series starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who turns to manufacturing methamphetamine after a cancer diagnosis. Hank, Walter’s brother-in-law, is a DEA agent determined to bring down the drug operation without realizing that Walter is the man he is hunting.
Initially portrayed as a brash, wisecracking law enforcement officer, Hank developed into one of the show’s most complicated characters, and the increasingly tense relationship between Hank and Walter became central to the series’ final seasons.
Norris appeared in 51 episodes across the show’s five seasons (2008–2013). His performance earned a Saturn Award nomination and several Screen Actors Guild Award nominations as part of the ensemble; in 2014, the cast won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Hank’s storyline reached its conclusion in the 2013 episode “Ozymandias,” and Norris returned to the character in 2020 for two episodes of “Better Call Saul.”
Under the Dome and Claws
As “Breaking Bad” neared its conclusion, Norris starred as James “Big Jim” Rennie on CBS’s “Under the Dome,” a science-fiction drama based on Stephen King’s novel, playing an ambitious town official who tries to seize power after his community becomes trapped beneath a mysterious dome. The series debuted in 2013 and ran for three seasons, with Norris appearing in all 39 episodes.
In 2017, he joined TNT’s “Claws” as Clay “Uncle Daddy” Husser, an outrageous and dangerous crime boss whose illegal operations become entangled with the employees of a Florida nail salon. The flamboyant Uncle Daddy was a sharp contrast to Hank Schrader, allowing Norris to embrace a more comedic and unpredictable performance. He appeared in all 40 episodes of “Claws” over four seasons, through its conclusion in 2022. During the same period, he appeared in “Scandal,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Superstore” and “The Act,” alongside films such as “Fist Fight” and “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”
Later Career
In 2021, Norris joined the CBS sitcom “United States of Al” as Art, a Marine veteran, for two seasons. Norris subsequently appeared in the 2023 film “Fool’s Paradise” and joined “Law & Order: Organized Crime” as Randall Stabler, the estranged older brother of Detective Elliot Stabler, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. After recurring during the fourth season, Norris was promoted to series regular for the fifth season, which premiered in 2025, and the show concluded after five seasons.
His 2024 films included the Netflix thriller “Carry-On,” Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Jerry Seinfeld’s “Unfrosted,” in which he portrayed Nikita Khrushchev, and he guest-starred as Samantha’s father on the CBS comedy “Ghosts.” In 2025, Norris appeared in “The Parenting” and “Border Hunters,” and the following year he reprised his “The Big Bang Theory” character as Captain Williams in the HBO Max spin-off “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.”
Business Ventures in Temecula
Norris and his family settled in Temecula, California, in 2001. In 2022, he and his wife Bridget purchased the historic Swing Inn Cafe and adjoining commercial property at 28676 Old Town Front Street. According to CoStar, Dean J. Norris and Anne Bridget Norris paid $6 million for the real estate, including the cafe, another commercial building, additional office space and parking areas. The Swing Inn originally opened in 1927 as Mother’s Cafe. Norris added Texas-style barbecue and installed a 1,150-gallon smoker nicknamed “Hank’s Tank,” a nod to his “Breaking Bad” character.
The venture encountered serious financial trouble after its initial burst of publicity. In bankruptcy court documents discussed by TMZ in November 2026, Norris said the restaurant experienced a $1 million drop in gross annual revenue from 2024 to 2025. On September 25, 2026, Main Street Eeeatary LLC, doing business as Swing Inn Cafe, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, reporting $147,810 in assets and nearly $1.8 million in liabilities, including about $1.57 million in secured debt owed to Byline Bank. The bankruptcy involves the cafe’s operating company, not a personal bankruptcy filing by Norris.
One of the recurring jokes on “Breaking Bad” involved Hank Schrader’s enthusiasm for home brewing. In 2019, Norris’s company Rust Belt Brewing entered into a licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to produce and market Schraderbräu, a German-style lager brewed with California’s Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, which was also served at the Swing Inn Cafe.
Real Estate and Personal Life
In June 2014, Dean Norris and his wife Bridget purchased an expansive estate in the De Luz area of Temecula, California, for $1,725,000. The property sits on 11.37 acres and features 7,315 square feet of living space across a main residence and separate guesthouse, with a combined nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms, a pool and spa, and a horse barn. In September 2026, amid their ongoing divorce, Dean and Bridget listed the estate for $3,199,267.
Norris married entertainment attorney Anne Bridget Norris on October 27, 2001. The couple have five children and made their family home in Temecula, away from Hollywood, and in 2018 they opened the Norris Performing Arts Center in nearby Murrieta. Their marriage later broke down: according to divorce documents obtained by TMZ, Bridget listed January 15, 2025, as the date of separation and filed for divorce in Riverside County later that year, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce had not been finalized when the proceedings became public in November 2026.
In a separate matter, New Orleans police investigated Norris in 2017 after a woman alleged that he sexually assaulted her. Norris denied the allegation through his attorney. In February 2018, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office confirmed that prosecutors had declined to file criminal charges because they did not have sufficient evidence to proceed. No charges were ever filed.
Net worth figures are estimates only, based on public sources.
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