Taylor Dearden Cranston (born February 12, 1993) is an American actress. She plays Dr. Melissa "Mel" King in HBO Max's The Pitt, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2026. She also played Ophelia in the MTV show Sweet/Vicious and Chloe Lyman in the second season of Netflix's American Vandal.
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Early life and education
Taylor Dearden Cranston was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 12, 1993. She is the daughter of actors Bryan Cranston and Robin Gale Dearden. Her paternal grandfather was producer and actor Joseph Cranston. In 2015, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in theater.
Career
Dearden's first on-screen appearance was in the Breaking Bad episode "No Más". Although her father directed the episode, he claimed that he did not cast her in the role (listed in the credits as "Sad Faced Girl"). This appearance occurred in 2010.
From 2013 to 2014, Dearden portrayed the character McKenzie in two seasons of the web series 101 Ways to Get Rejected. The show was created and written by fellow USC student Susie Yankou and was directed by Mike Effenberger.
