Vancouver-raised "Breaking Bad" writer wins Emmy Award

Former Vancouverite Moira Walley-Beckett took home the Emmy Award Monday night for penning one of the last episodes of the hit series “Breaking Bad.”

Walley-Beckett was raised in Vancouver, and later attended the Banff School of Fine Arts, before moving to Los Angeles in her twenties. She worked as an actress for a time, including appearing in Canadian-made shows like “Danger Bay,” “21 Jump Street,” and “The Beachcombers,” as well as several other popular shows of the 80s and 90s on the other side of the border.

Walley-Beckett moved behind the camera eventually, and has worked as a producer and writer on shows like “Pan Am,” “Breaking Bad,” and the forthcoming “Flesh and Bone.” She joined “Breaking Bad” in its second season, and penned a number of the episodes, including the final season’s third-to-last episode “Ozymandias,” which the Vancouver Sun notes “has inspired such critical reverence that some have called it the greatest episode of TV drama of all time.” Walley-Beckett took home the Emmy for Best Writing in a Drama Series for that episode. You can also catch Walley-Beckett in that episode in an uncredited part as a car wash customer.

In her acceptance speech at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Walley-Beckett thanked “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, and added: “To my brilliant cast of actors, writing for you was pure joy.”

Featured image: Moira Walley-Beckett in September 2013 (IMDB)