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Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2022.jpg
Esposito at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2022
Born
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito

(1958-04-26) April 26, 1958 (age 66)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Nationality American
Alma mater Elizabeth Seton College
Occupation Actor
Years active 1979–present
Spouse(s)
Joy McManigal
(divorced)
Children 4

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (Italian: [dʒaŋˈkarlo dʒuˈzɛppe alesˈsandro eˈspɔːzito]; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad, from 2009 to 2011, as well as in its prequel series Better Call Saul, from 2017 to 2022. For this role, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012) and earned five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012, 2019, two in 2020, and 2021).

His other television roles include Federal Agent Mike Giardello in the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street (1998–1999), Sidney Glass / Magic Mirror in the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2011–2017), Tom Neville in the NBC series Revolution (2012–2014), Dr. Edward Ruskins in the Netflix series Dear White People (2017–2021), Stan Edgar in the Amazon series The Boys (2019–present) and The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022–present), and Moff Gideon in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019–present), the lattermost of which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He also portrayed Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem (2019–present), acted in Westworld (2016) and played broken man Leo Pap in the hit Netflix TV series Kaleidoscope (2023).

He is also known for his roles in several Spike Lee films, such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Malcolm X (1992). His other major films include Taps (1981), King of New York (1990), Bob Roberts (1990), Fresh (1994), The Usual Suspects (1995), Ali (2001), Last Holiday (2006), Rabbit Hole (2010), The Jungle Book (2016), Okja (2017), and Stargirl (2020).

Early life

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Giovanni "John" C. Esposito (1931–2002), an Italian stagehand and carpenter from Naples, and Elizabeth "Leesa" Foster (1926–2017), an African American opera and nightclub singer from Alabama.

When Esposito was six, his family moved to Manhattan. He attended Elizabeth Seton College in New York and earned a two-year degree in radio and television communications.

Career

Giancarlo Esposito 1998
Esposito in 1998

Esposito made his Broadway debut in 1968, playing a child opposite Shirley Jones in the short-lived musical Maggie Flynn (1968), set during the New York Draft Riots of 1863. He was also a member of the youthful cast of the Stephen SondheimHarold Prince collaboration Merrily We Roll Along, which closed with 16 performances and 56 previews in 1981.

During the 1980s, Esposito appeared in films such as Maximum Overdrive, King of New York, and Trading Places. He also performed in TV shows such as Miami Vice and Spenser: For Hire. He played J. C. Pierce, a cadet in the 1981 movie Taps.

Giancarlo Esposito Galaxy Con Raleigh-- 53099997354
Esposito at Galaxy Con Raleigh 2023

In 1988, he landed his breakout role as the leader ("Dean Big Brother Almighty") of the black fraternity "Gamma Phi Gamma" in director Spike Lee's film School Daze, exploring color relations at black colleges. Over the next four years, Esposito and Lee collaborated on three other movies: Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Malcolm X. During the 1990s, Esposito appeared in the acclaimed indie films Night on Earth, Fresh and Smoke, as well as its sequel Blue in the Face. He also appeared in the mainstream films Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man with Mickey Rourke, Reckless with Mia Farrow, and Waiting to Exhale starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. In 1996, Esposito was featured in a music video "California" by French superstar Mylène Farmer, directed by Abel Ferrara.

Esposito played FBI agent Mike Giardello on the TV crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street. That role drew from both his African American and Italian ancestry. He played this character during the show's seventh and final season, and reprised the role for its 2000 made-for-TV movie. He had another multiracial role as Sergeant Paul Gigante in the television comedy, Bakersfield P.D.

Giancarlo Esposito 2012 cropped
Esposito in 2012

In 1997, Esposito played the film roles of Darryl in Trouble on the Corner and Charlie Dunt in Nothing to Lose. Other TV credits include NYPD Blue, Law & Order, The Practice, New York Undercover, and Fallen Angels: Fearless.

Esposito has portrayed policemen (The Usual Suspects, Derailed), political radicals (Bob Roberts, Do the Right Thing), and a demonic version of the Greek god of sleep Hypnos from another dimension (Monkeybone). In 2001, he played Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. in Ali, and Miguel Algarín, friend and collaborator of Nuyorican poet Miguel Piñero, in Piñero.

Giancarlo Esposito Galaxy Con Raleigh- 53099999339
Esposito at Galaxy Con Raleigh 2023

In 2002, Esposito was cast as a legal eagle in the David E. Kelley television drama Girls Club. Although the series only lasted one season, and did not garner generally positive reviews, it represented a personal turning point for Esposito, who relayed to The Washington Post: "I started to play bosses. And I realized, 'Oh, okay, this is an opportunity.' It was really a great opening for me to show who I really was. And it's kept going like that."

In 2005, Esposito played an unsympathetic detective named Esposito in the film Hate Crime, which centers upon homophobia as a theme.

In 2006, Esposito starred in Last Holiday as Senator Dillings, alongside Queen Latifah and Timothy Hutton. Esposito played Robert Fuentes, a Miami businessman with shady connections, on the UPN television series South Beach. He appeared in New Amsterdam and CSI: Miami. In Feel the Noise (2007), he played ex-musician Roberto, the Puerto Rican father of Omarion Grandberry's character, aspiring rap star "Rob". In 2008, he made his directorial debut with Gospel Hill, serving also as producer and star of the film.

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Esposito at Galaxy Con Raleigh 2023

New York theater credits for Esposito include The Me Nobody Knows, Lost in the Stars, Seesaw, and Merrily We Roll Along. In 2008, he appeared on Broadway as Gooper in an African American production of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and starring James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, and Terrence Howard.

From 2009 to 2011, Esposito appeared in seasons 2 through 4 of the AMC drama Breaking Bad, as Gus Fring. In the fourth season, he was the show's primary antagonist, and won critical acclaim for this role. He won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama award at the 2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards and was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award at the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to co-star Aaron Paul.

Esposito appeared in the film Rabbit Hole (2010). He also appeared in the first season of the ABC program Once Upon a Time, which debuted in October 2011. He portrayed the split role of Sidney Glass, a reporter for The Daily Mirror in the town of Storybrooke, Maine, who is really a genie trapped in the Magic Mirror, possessed by The Evil Queen in a parallel fairy tale world. Esposito would periodically reprise the role in later seasons as a guest star. Esposito appeared in Revolution as Major Tom Neville, a central character who kills Ben Matheson in the pilot. He escorts a captured Danny to the capital Philadelphia of the Monroe Republic.

Esposito also appeared in Community as a guest star for the episode titled "Digital Estate Planning". He performed again in the fourth season, in the episode titled "Paranormal Parentage". Esposito has additionally appeared in a video of the action role-playing sci-fi first-person shooter game Destiny. Esposito voices antagonist Faraday in the Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022). Esposito also voices Antón Castillo, the main antagonist of the video game Far Cry 6, who was modeled after Esposito's appearance. He was also included in the videogame Payday 2, as the supporting character, then antagonist "The Dentist".

Giancarlo Esposito by Gage Skidmore
Esposito at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

He has joined the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series. He played Ra's al Ghul in Son of Batman and Eric Needham / Black Spider in Batman: Assault on Arkham. He also had a recurring role in the first season of The Get Down on Netflix. In 2017, Esposito reprised his role as Gus Fring in the Breaking Bad prequel series, Better Call Saul. In 2019, he appeared in the first-season finale of The Boys as Stan Edgar, and reprised the role in the second and third season.

In 2016, Esposito voiced Akela in the film The Jungle Book, which was directed by Jon Favreau. Esposito and Favreau would work together once again in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian in which Esposito appears in a starring role, while Favreau acts as an executive producer for the series and as its writer. He plays the role of New York congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the 2019 Epix series Godfather of Harlem.

Giancarlo Esposito Galaxy Con Raleigh- 53099999159
Esposito at Galaxy Con Raleigh 2023

In July 2020, Esposito began teasing his role in "a huge video game". His role was later revealed as the main antagonist of Ubisoft's Far Cry 6, in which he would portray and voice Antón Castillo, the dictatorial ruler of Yara.

In 2022, Esposito played Taxi Driver in Euphoria, a film installation by Julian Rosefeldt.

Personal life

Esposito was married to Joy McManigal. They have four daughters. They subsequently divorced.

He was raised Catholic and considered becoming a priest.

Filmography

Key
Not yet released Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1979 Running Puerto Rican Teenager
1980 The Changeling Extra
1981 Taps Cadet Captain JC Pierce
1983 Trading Places Cellmate #2
1984 The Brother from Another Planet Man Getting Arrested
The Cotton Club Bumpy Hood
Go Tell It on the Mountain Elisha
1985 Desperately Seeking Susan Street Vendor
1986 Maximum Overdrive Videoplayer
1987 Sweet Lorraine Howie
1988 School Daze Julian
1989 Do the Right Thing Buggin' Out
1990 King of New York Lance
Mo' Better Blues Left Hand Lacey
1991 Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man Jimmy Jiles
Night on Earth YoYo
1992 Bob Roberts John Alijah "Bugs" Raplin
Malcolm X Thomas Hagan
1993 Amos & Andrew Reverend Fenton Brunch
Seven Songs for Malcolm X Autobiography Reading (voice) Documentary
1994 Fresh Esteban
1995 The Usual Suspects Jack Baer
Smoke OTB Man #1 / Tommy Finelli
Blue in the Face Tommy Finelli
Reckless Tim Timko
Waiting to Exhale David Matthews
1997 Nothing to Lose Charlie Dunt
Loose Women Stylist #2
Trouble on the Corner Darryl
Big City Blues Georgie
1998 Twilight Reuben Escobar
Phoenix Louie
Where's Marlowe? Blind Man
2001 Josephine Spike
Monkeybone Hypnos
Piñero Miguel Algarín
Ali Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.
2003 Ash Tuesday Karl
Blind Horizon JC Reynolds
2004 Doing Hard Time Captain Pierce Direct-to-video
2005 Hate Crime Det. Esposito
Chupacabra: Dark Seas Dr. Peña Direct-to-video
Back in the Day Benson Copper
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power Little Jeff Direct-to-video
Derailed Detective Franklin Church
2006 Last Holiday Senator Dillings
Sherrybaby Parole Officer Hernandez
Rain Ken Arnold
2007 The Box Detective Dwayne Burkhalter
Feel the Noise Roberto
2008 Gospel Hill Dr. Palmer Also director and producer
2010 Rabbit Hole Auggie
2011 S.W.A.T.: Firefight Inspector Hollander Direct-to-DVD
Certainty Father Heery
2012 Alex Cross Daramus Holiday
2014 Son of Batman Ra's al Ghul (voice)
Batman: Assault on Arkham Eric Needham / Black Spider (voice)
Poker Night Bernard
2015 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Jorge
2016 The Pills – Sempre meglio che lavorare Bangla Boss
The Jungle Book Akela (voice)
Money Monster Captain Marcus Powell
Brother Nature Congressman Frank McClaren
2017 The Show Mason Washington Also director and producer
Stuck Lloyd Also associate producer
Okja Frank Dawson
MFKZ Mr. K (voice) English dub
2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Jorge
2019 Coda Paul
Line of Duty Tom Volk
2020 Stargirl Archie Brubaker
Unpregnant Bob
2021 The Long Home William Tell Oliver
2022 Beauty Beauty's Father
2023 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Baxter Stockman (voice)
2024 Untitled Universal Monsters film Not yet released Post-production
The Electric State Not yet released Marshall (voice) Post-production
Megalopolis Not yet released Mayor Cicero Post-production
TBA MaXXXine Not yet released TBA Post-production
The Conjuring: Last Rites Gaston Perrault Pre-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1981 The Gentleman Bandit Jamie Television film
1982 Another World Willie Armstrong Episode: "Episode #1.4498"
1982–1983 Guiding Light Clay Tynan Regular cast
1982–1984 Sesame Street Mickey 7 episodes
1984–1985 Miami Vice Luther / Ricky / Adonis Jackson 3 episodes
1985 CBS Schoolbreak Special Kyle Episode: "The Exchange Student"
Finnegan Begin Again Intruder Television film
1985–1986 American Playhouse Elisha / Simon Fernandes 2 episodes
1986 Rockabye Marcus Television film
The Equalizer Jumpin' Jack Episode: "The Line"
1987 Spenser: For Hire Ramos Episode: "On the Night He Was Betrayed"
Leg Work Tyson Episode: "Blind Trust"
1990 Lifestories Julio Episode: "Jerry Forchette"
1993 Relentless: Mind of a Killer Arthur Sistrunk Television film
The American Experience Dr. Kenneth Clark Episode: "Simple Justice"
1993–1994 Bakersfield P.D. Detective Paul Gigante 17 episodes
1995 New York Undercover Adolfo Guzman 3 episodes
Fallen Angels Paris Minton Episode: "Fearless"
1996 Chicago Hope Cherchez LaFemme Episode: "Right to Life"
Swift Justice Andrew Coffin 3 episodes
Living Single Jackson Turner Episode: "Kiss of the Spider Man"
Law & Order Mr. Baylor Episode: "Good Girl"
The Tomorrow Man Jonathan Driscoll Television film
1996–1998 NYPD Blue Ferdinand Hollie / Jamaal 2 episodes
1996–1999 Nash Bridges Arnold / Gordon Keller / Whip Tyrell 2 episodes
1997 Five Desperate Hours Joseph Grange Television film
1998 The Hunger Vampire Episode: "Fly-By-Night"
Creature Lt. Thomas Peniston / Werewolf Miniseries
Naked City: Justice with a Bullet Chaz Villanueva Television film
Thirst Dr. Lawrence Carver Television film
1998–1999 Homicide: Life on the Street Federal Agent Mike Giardello 22 episodes
2000 Homicide: The Movie Officer Mike Giardello Television film
Touched by an Angel Antonio Episode: "Here I Am"
2000–2001 The $treet Tom Divack 12 episodes
2001 Strong Medicine James 'Junior' Bell Episode: "Mortality"
100 Centre Street Jacob Lenz Episode: "Andromeda and the Monster"
2002 The Practice Ray McMurphy Episode: "Pro Se"
Third Watch Father Romero Episode: "The Unforgiven"
A Nero Wolfe Mystery Ambassador Theodore Kelefy Episode: "Immune to Murder"
Girls Club Nicholas Hahn 9 episodes
2003 The Division Dr. Pembroke Episode: "Wish You Were Here"
Lucky Lord Marion Episode: "The Method"
Street Time Jesse Haslim Episode: "Brothers"
2004 Half & Half Darrell Washington Episode: "The Big Employee Benefits Episode"
Soul Food Jules 2 episodes
5ive Days to Midnight Tim Sanders 5 episodes
NYPD 2069 Lt Garner Pilot
2004–2005 Law & Order Rodney Fallon 3 episodes
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Orlando Ramirez Episode: "Boys Will Be Boys"
2006 South Beach Robert Fuentes 8 episodes
Ghost Whisperer Ely Fisher Episode: "Fury"
Bones Richard Benoit Episode: "The Man in the Morgue"
Dr. Vegas Episode: "For Love or Money"
Las Vegas Reggie Archibald Episode: "White Christmas"
2006–2008 CSI: Miami Chief Braga 2 episodes
2007 Kidnapped Vance 2 episodes
2008 New Amsterdam Special Agent James Lawson Episode: "Legacy"
Xenophobia Young Television film
2009–2011 Breaking Bad Gustavo Fring 26 episodes
2010 Leverage Alexander Moto Episode: "The Scheherazade Job"
Lie to Me Beau Hackman Episode: "Black and White"
Detroit 1-8-7 Eddie Henderson Episode: "Shelter"
2011 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Gordon Ramirez Episode: "The Time is Now"
2011–2017 Once Upon a Time Sidney Glass / Magic Mirror 14 episodes
2012 NYC 22 Harvey Williams 2 episodes
2012–2013 Community Gilbert Lawson 2 episodes
2012–2014 Revolution Lt. Tom Neville 42 episodes
2013 Over / Under Oliver Ohrt Television film
Revolution: Enemies of the State Lt. Tom Neville Television shorts
Axe Cop Army Chihuahua Episode: "Night Mission: Stealing Friends Back"
Voice
Timms Valley Pruit Normings Episode: "Pilot"
Voice
2014 30 for 30 Narrator Episode: "Requiem for the Big East"
2015 Allegiance Oscar Christoph 7 episodes
2016–2017 The Get Down Pastor Ramon Cruz 10 episodes
2017 Rebel Charles Gold 4 episodes
2017–2019 Dear White People Dr. Edward Ruskins / The Narrator 23 episodes
2017–2022 Better Call Saul Gustavo Fring 34 episodes
Director (Episode: "Axe and Grind")
2018 Westworld El Lazo Episode: "Reunion"
Dallas & Robo Victor Goldsmith 5 episodes
Voice
2019 Jett Charlie Baudelaire 9 episodes
Creepshow Doc Episode: "Gray Matter"
2019–2023 Harley Quinn Lex Luthor 10 episodes
Voice
2019–present Godfather of Harlem Adam Clayton Powell Jr. 21 episodes
2019–2023 The Mandalorian Moff Gideon 9 episodes
Gideon's Force clones Episode: "Chapter 24: The Return"
2019–present The Boys Stan Edgar 9 episodes
2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride The Grandfather Episode: "Chapter Five: Life Is Pain"
2020–2021 DuckTales Phantom Blot 3 episodes
Voice
2022 The Boys Presents: Diabolical Stan Edgar Episode: "One Plus One Equals Two"
Voice
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Faraday 6 episodes
Voice; English dub
2023 Kaleidoscope Leo Pap/Ray Vernon 8 episodes
Parish Not yet released Gracián "Gray" Parish Upcoming series
TBA Kite Man: Hell Yeah! Not yet released Lex Luthor Spin-off to Harley Quinn
The Gentleman Not yet released TBA Spin-off to the 2019 film

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue
1968 Maggie Flynn Andrew ANTA Theatre, Broadway
1970 The Me Nobody Knows Understudy Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway
1972 Lost in the Stars Alex Imperial Theatre, Broadway
1973 Seesaw Julio Gonzalez Uris Theatre, Broadway
1981 Merrily We Roll Along Valedictorian Alvin Theatre, Broadway
1987 Don't Get God Started Jack / Silk Longacre Theatre, Broadway
1995 Sacrilege Ramon Belasco Theatre, Broadway
2003 The 24 Hour Plays Earl American Airlines Theatre, Broadway
2008 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Gooper Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway

Video games

Year Title Role Project Notes
2013 The Law of The Jungle Father Video Game Trailer Destiny
2014 Payday 2 "The Dentist" / Dr. Helmann Video Game Likeness and vocal performance
2021 Far Cry 6 "El Presidente" Anton Castillo Video Game Likeness, vocal performance;
portrayed character in promotional marketing

Other work

Year Title Role Project Notes
1986 Growing Up Himself Music video Whodini song
1996 California Rich man Music video Mylène Farmer song
2017 Better Call Saul:
Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training
Gus Fring Web series Voice; 10 episodes
2020 Game Changer Himself Game show Episode: "Ham It Up"
2021 Vought News Network:
Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman
Stan Edgar Web series Voice; Episode Aug 2021
2022 The Big Lie Dr. Greco Podcast series

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
1995 Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Male Fresh Nominated
National Board of Review Best Cast The Usual Suspects Won
1999 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Homicide: Life on the Street Nominated
2011 Breaking Bad Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Guest Starring Role on Television Nominated
2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on Television Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2013 Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on Television Revolution Nominated
2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2020 Nominated
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Mandalorian Nominated
2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Villain The Mandalorian Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Guest Starring Role on Television Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
The Game Awards Best Performance Far Cry 6 Nominated
2022 New York Game Awards 2022 Great White Way Award for Best Overall Acting in a Game Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Drama Better Call Saul Won
2023 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Better Call Saul (for "Axe and Grind") Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
2024 Saturn Awards Best Guest Star in a Television Series The Mandalorian Pending

See also

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