Beyond his iconic role as Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk‘s personal history holds some unexpected twists. What might surprise you is that Bob, [calculate_age birthdate=”1962-10-22″], is actually related to King Charles III.
But, despite this connection, his childhood was far from the royal luxury and opulence you might imagine. Instead, his early years were filled with challenges and hardships that were mostly created by his troublesome father. Yet, they instead shaped him into the brilliant actor and comedian we know today.
Bob Lost Both His Mom and Dad
Bob is the son of Barbara Mary Baier (September 1936-November 2021) and Walter Harry Odenkirk (January 1930-February 1986). He grew up as the second eldest among seven children, sharing his childhood with three brothers—Steven, William (also known as Bill), and Philip—and three sisters—Maria, Lora, and Susan.
Raised in Naperville, Illinois, Bob and his siblings had a childhood steeped in the joys of suburban freedom and simple pleasures. They used to explore the local forests and compete in community sports like Little League and Youth Soccer.
However, their mother, Barbara struggled with polio as a child and “life-threatening” pneumonia in 1978 along with struggling financially. She worked briefly as a secretary before marrying Walter.
Yet, despite these challenges, the Odenkirk home was often filled with laughter, love, and a bit of chaos. Barbara even had a special tradition of baking each of her seven kids their favorite birthday cakes to make every celebration personal.
Barbara herself was known for her straightforward approach to life. As a mother, she prioritized good character over academic or career achievements. To her, the most important thing was that her children grew up to be kind and principled individuals.
This perspective was firmly grounded in her upbringing in a devout Catholic family, which influenced her parenting style.
Interestingly, despite Bob making it big in Hollywood, she never tuned into his shows. When asked why in an interview, he revealed the reason, saying,
My mom’s very religious, Catholic, and she doesn’t see the value in art if it doesn’t have Jesus on it. She’s very utilitarian in her approach towards life. She doesn’t have any use for movies or TV.
Nevertheless, Bob respects his mother’s choice and sees value in his work. He believes,
I think there’s great value in what we do, even a frivolous movie like Girlfriend’s Day is entertainment. It can make people smile and laugh and take them out of their moment.
His Father Was Alcoholic and “Torturous”
While Bob’s mother provided a nurturing and caring environment, his relationship with his father, Walter Odenkirk, was complicated and far from ideal. Although Walter was a hardworking man, serving as a U.S. Navy veteran and pursuing a career in the printing business, these attributes did not necessarily extend to his roles as a husband and father.
His frequent absences and short temper created a difficult environment within the family. He’d come home drunk, and instill fear among the kids. It got even worse in the 1970s when Walter and Barbara got divorced and he left the family to live on their own. Bob was just 13 years old at the time.
These traumatic incidents left a “lasting shadow” on him. He even called Walter “a hollow man” in his 2022 memoir, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama.
He just wasn’t around, and he was a kind of a blank, shut-down guy, and he did things that were tortuous to me and my older brother, because he was drunk. He was always telling us, ‘The family’s broke, I don’t know what we’re gonna do and where we’re gonna live.’ And we’re little kids! Like: ‘I’m 5! I can’t help you with that!
It’s clear that his painful relationship with his father had a profound impact. As a consequence, Bob himself has developed a strong aversion to drinking.
He Wanted to Make Peace With His Father
You might think that with such a tumultuous history, Bob would hold a grudge forever. But when he was only 21 and his dad got terminal bone cancer, he wanted to fix their relationship. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out. Bob felt they couldn’t get along and their values were worlds apart. In an interview with Jewish Journal, he shared,
He left the family when I was about 13, but when I was 21 he developed terminal bone cancer and he came home. I did try to connect with him, but it just didn’t happen. I don’t think there was an overlap in anything that we really cared about in our values or our natures. But I was just a kid, so I wonder if I got to meet him again as an older man I would maybe be able to make some kind of a connection with him.
Bob’s feelings about his father’s demise, were seemingly detached. Describing their final goodbye, he termed it “a shrugging affair.” He often wondered if he was just not acknowledging some deeper hurt, but he also knew that he craved a father figure he never really had.
He Is Still Close With His Brothers and Sisters
Amid all the tension and trauma, Bob and his siblings became exceptionally close. It’s like they formed a tight-knit club to cope with the chaos their dad brought into their lives. His brother and actor, Bill Odenkirk even ended up working with him in the HBO sketch comedy, Mr. Show with Bob and David.
His Struggles Made Him a Supportive Father
Even with his own challenging childhood, Bob made sure his kids had a bright upbringing. Instead of pushing his kids, Nate and Erin into the spotlight, he nurtured their creativity in the most fun, laid-back way. Picture this: family poem-writing sessions where the kids dictated lines and Bob wrote them down, without correcting them.
This little tradition led to their children’s poetry book, Zilot & Other Important Rhymes, with Erin doing the illustrations. Bob’s all about letting kids be themselves and showing them that their creative ideas matter.
How Bob is Related to King Charles III
Here’s another twist you probably didn’t see coming: Bob is the eleventh cousin of King Charles III. According to genealogical research, the Odenkirk family tree intersects with the British royal family. Although Bob was born in Chicago, his fifth great-grandfather, Friedrich Carl Steinholz, was actually born in Plön, Germany, in 1755. His grandmothers were of Irish descent.
When asked about his surprising familial connection, Odenkirk responded with a mix of humor and skepticism and said,
Like I’m part of history that I didn’t think I was any part of.
But he quickly made it clear where his true sentiments lie,
But I’m an American, I’m not a monarchist, I don’t believe in that. You know, I feel like it’s a little twisted. I understand why society built itself around monarchs and leaders, and they passed them down through generations. I understand that goes through every society, every civilisation.
