Actor Bryan Cranston kisses his award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for "Breaking Bad" at the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles September 21, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bryan Cranston won the Emmy Award as best actor in a TV drama on Sunday for his role as a terminally ill high school teacher who cooks crystal methamphamine on the side in the AMC series “Breaking Bad.”

Cranston scored a surprise victory in a six-way race against last year’s winner, James Spader of “Boston Legal;” as well as Jon Hamm of “Mad Men;” Hugh Laurie from “House;” Michael C. Hall of “Dexter;” and Gabriel Byrne from “In Treatment.”

Cranston was formerly best known as the goofy dad on the long-running Fox family comedy “Malcolm in the Middle,” a role for which he earned four Emmy nominations but never won.