Aug. 24--"Breaking Bad" actor Bryan Cranston's search for answers about his ancestors brought him to Chicago and Springfield in Sunday's episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?"
Cranston said he wanted to know if there was a familial trait that could explain why his father left his family when Cranston was 11. The TLC show, which is co-executive produced by "Friends" actress Lisa Kudrow, pairs celebrities with genealogists who provide information about the celeb's bloodlines.
Cranston began his search in Chicago, where his father Joseph was born. He started at the Ronald Williams Library at Northeastern Illinois University, where he learned his grandfather Edward Cranston, a veteran of the first World War, was divorced when he married Cranston's grandmother. His grandfather had a daughter, Kathleen, with his first wife Irene.
"This is the first surprise of this journey," Cranston said upon finding out he had an aunt.
Cranston then visited the Circuit Court of Cook County, where he discovered more about his grandfather's divorce and that his aunt Kathleen died of tuberculosis at age 16.
Cranston traveled to Springfield to visit the Illinois State Archives to see his grandfather's Army enlistment record. He discovered that his grandfather volunteered to join the Army and lied in his paperwork about his relationship status. Cranston suspected this was to avoid the responsibility of caring for his family.
Cranston later visited Montreal to learn more about his great-grandparents, and finally, Dayton, Ohio, where his great-great-grandfather was buried after dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Along the way, Cranston found some of the men in his family chose not to be a part of their children's lives.
"This is what happened in my family and it stops with me," Cranston said.
"Who Do You Think You Are?" airs Sundays on TLC.
