Breaking Bad star splits from husband after 25 years together as she seeks custody of son
Actress Betsy Brandt and her husband Grady Olsen are calling it quits after more than 25 years of marriage. The 51 year old star, known for her role as Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad, has filed for divorce according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The papers reveal that the couple had been separated since 1 August, 2023, before Betsy made the official move on Thursday 26 December. The couple were married in September 1998 and have two children.
The actress, who also graced our screens in comedy series Life in Pieces, is seeking both legal and physical custody of their 16 year old son, August. Details about a prenup haven't been disclosed, but Betsy's filing suggests she wants an equal division of their assets.
While starring in the iconic crime series from 2008 to 2013, Betsy balanced her life between Los Angeles and New Mexico, as she shared with LAist.com: "I really do split my life between LA and New Mexico. My daughter loves it out there, and would choose to live out there full-time if she could. She goes to a fantastic school and the community has been really good to me personally and our family but the community is also really supportive of the show."
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She was also incredibly proud to have appeared in the highly acclaimed series. "I was lucky enough to be on a show like Breaking Bad for five seasons. It changes how you look at other projects that come up,” she told VH1 in 2017 when reflecting on how her role as Marie Schrader impacted her career. “You look at anything and you’re like, ‘Is this as good as Breaking Bad?’ It took a while for me to stop comparing every project that comes my way to that.”
Betsy also reprised her role as Marie in the show's spin off series, Better Call Saul, for the last ever episode. She told Gold Derby: "To get to see my character later was such a gift to me. It was one of the few times I’ve felt satiated. I’ve sat with that and think about Marie a lot. It was incredible for me to get to do that.”
Her character got to confront lawyer Saul, played by Bob Odenkirk, who was indirectly responsible for the death of Marie's husband Hank, and it was a scene that Betsy relished filming.
“I never could have imagined getting that kind of closure for that character. I think Marie is stronger than she thinks she is. Once she loses Hank, she realizes a lot of her superficial bulls**t doesn’t really matter. So when we catch up with her in Better Call Saul I feel like we are able to see that. God it was ridiculously fulfilling for me.”
