Better Call Saul has come to an end after six seasons and has been considered by fans as a worthy successor to its predecessor Breaking Bad. This is in no small part due to the strength of its cast and their performances, which was consistently strong throughout the entire run of the series.
Among the strongest of performances is actor Michael McKean’s Emmy Winning-role as Chuck McGill, brother of protagonist Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman. McKean has worked as an actor in both comedic and dramatic roles, as well as extensive work in voice acting and music. His long and diverse career is filled with many interesting facts.
In addition to a talent for acting, Michael McKean is also a highly skilled musician and songwriter. He often composes music for his film and television projects, notably for the characters Lenny and Squiggy when he was on the series Laverne & Shirley.
McKean co-starred in the film A Mighty Wind in 2003, a mockumentary about folk music, with fellow comedians like Eugene Levy and Spinal Tap co-star Harry Shearer. For the song “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow”, McKean was nominated for An Academy Award and won a Grammy for the movie’s titular song.
Better Call Saul’s lead actor, Bob Odenkirk, similarly to McKean, had an extensive career in comedy before their more dramatic role in the AMC series. Their backgrounds and similar talents help sell their performances as brothers on the show.
The pair both worked on Saturday Night Livein the early 1990s, with Odenkirk as a writer and McKean as a performer. McKean also guest starred on Odenkirk’s late 1990s sketch series with David Cross, Mr. Show.
Most fans regard Chuck McGill as a great character and cannot imagine McKean playing anyone else in the series due to his perfect casting. However, McKean was approached for a different role in Breaking Bad several years prior.
McKean had to turn down the part due to scheduling conflicts and is thankful for ending up as Chuck instead. “I was on my way to Broadway with something, but, boy, I’m glad it worked out this way”, he said (via Esquire).
Outside of Better Call Saul, Michael McKean is perhaps best known for his role as David St. Hubbins in the cult mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. David is the eccentric lead singer of the fictional British rock band Spinal Tap.
Aside from the movie itself, the comedy’s popularity has meant McKean has reprised the role in two TV shows outside of Spinal Tap. He appeared as David St. Hubbins on SNL and in cartoon form on an episode of The Simpsons – one of his many voice roles.
Fans of the tv adaptation of the Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett fantasy novel Good Omens will recognize Michael McKean. McKean played Sergeant Shadwell, an officer of the witchfinder military in multiple episodes.
Actor David Tennant, known for Doctor Who and his leading role in Good Omens as the demon Crowley, admitted he was starstruck upon meeting McKean and is a big fan of his work. Tennant felt rather bashful about his encounter, adding that “you don’t do your best work when you’re slightly in awe of the people around you” (via Sydney Morning Herald).
SNL fans may have heard of doing “double duty” on the show. This is the accreditation given to those who have performed on the show as a musical guest and as a host. Stars in the double-duty club range from Dolly Parton to Harry Styles to Lizzo.
Michael McKean is currently the only person in history to have achieved triple duty – as a host, musical guest, and cast member. McKean had already hosted and been a musical guest on the show before he became a cast member in the early 1990s. Despite this, he is also part of a long list of stars who were fired from SNL.
In his extensive and diverse acting career, Michael McKean starred on the popular Superman prequel series Smallville. He appeared alongside his real-life wife, Annette O’Toole, as Perry White, her son Clark Kent’s boss.
Similarly to McKean’s double duty on SNL, Annette O’Toole has the rare achievement of starring in two separate incarnations of Superman. As well as portraying Martha Kent in the long-running series, she also played Lana Lang in Superman III.
Bryan Cranston made a cameo in the final season of Better Call Saul as his Breaking Bad protagonist role, Walter White, when the timelines between the spin-off and the original series overlapped. This is not the first time, however, that he and Michael McKean have crossed paths,
While he may not have been cast in Cranston’s main series Breaking Bad, the pair played opposite one another as two of the most famous men in American history. McKean and Cranston played J. Edgar Hoover and President Lyndon B. Johnson, respectively, in the Broadway play All The Way (via Broadway.com).
Michael McKean has a distinctive voice on Better Call Saul, and it may not be surprising to viewers that he is also a prolific voice actor. McKean has appeared in many Nickelodeon cartoons, lending his voice talents to Spongebob Squarepants, Duckman, and Hey Arnold!
As of 2021, he now voices the iconic character of Grandpa Lou Pickles in the reboot of the 1990s cartoon Rugrats. He joins an all-stat voice cast, including Henry Winkler (Boris) and Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie).
Michael McKean is not just a man of many creative talents, but is also highly intelligent. He showed off his impressive knowledge on the game show Jeopardy! in 2010.
The actor appeared in the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Tournament of the show and beat fellow SNL alum Jane Curtin to the top prize. McKean won $1 million for his charity, the International Myeloma Foundation, in memory of his friend, musician Lee Grayson.