Giancarlo Esposito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Giancarlo Esposito
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Esposito in 2024
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| Born |
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito
April 26, 1958 Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Elizabeth Seton College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Joy McManigal
(divorced) |
| Children | 4 |
Giancarlo Esposito (born April 26, 1958) is an American actor. He is famous for playing many different characters. You might know him best as Gus Fring in the TV shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. For this role, he won awards for being a great supporting actor.
He has also been in many other popular TV shows. These include Sidney Glass in Once Upon a Time, Tom Neville in Revolution, and Stan Edgar in The Boys. He also played Moff Gideon in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. For this role, he was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Giancarlo Esposito has also acted in many movies. He worked with director Spike Lee on films like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. Other well-known movies he appeared in include The Usual Suspects, Ali, and The Jungle Book.
Early life
Giancarlo Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1958. His father, Giovanni Esposito, was an Italian stagehand and carpenter. His mother, Elizabeth Foster, was an African American opera and nightclub singer.
When Giancarlo was six years old, his family moved to Manhattan, New York. He later went to Elizabeth Seton College in New York. There, he studied radio and television communications.
Career Highlights
Giancarlo Esposito started acting on Broadway when he was just a child in 1968. His first show was a musical called Maggie Flynn. In the 1980s, he appeared in movies like Trading Places and King of New York. He also acted in TV shows such as Miami Vice.
A big moment in his career was in 1988. He played Julian in Spike Lee's film School Daze. After that, he worked with Spike Lee on three more movies. These were Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Malcolm X.
In the 1990s, Esposito was in many independent films. He also appeared in popular movies like Waiting to Exhale. He played FBI agent Mike Giardello in the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street. This role showed off his mixed heritage.
Giancarlo Esposito has played many different kinds of characters. He has been policemen, political activists, and even a mythical god. In 2001, he played Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. in the movie Ali.
In 2006, he starred in Last Holiday with Queen Latifah. In 2008, he directed his first movie, Gospel Hill. He also produced and starred in it.
From 2009 to 2011, Esposito became very famous for his role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad. He was the main bad guy in the fourth season. Critics loved his performance, and he won an award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award.
Esposito also appeared in the TV show Once Upon a Time. He played Sidney Glass, who was also the Magic Mirror. He then joined the cast of Revolution as Major Tom Neville.
He has also done voice acting for animated movies and video games. He voiced Ra's al Ghul in Son of Batman. He also voiced Antón Castillo, the main villain in the video game Far Cry 6. His appearance was even used for the character.
In 2017, he returned to play Gus Fring in Better Call Saul, which is a show that takes place before Breaking Bad. In 2019, he started playing Stan Edgar in The Boys. He also worked with director Jon Favreau again. Esposito voiced Akela in Favreau's The Jungle Book. Then, he starred as Moff Gideon in Favreau's The Mandalorian on Disney+.
In 2019, he took on the role of New York politician Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the series Godfather of Harlem. In 2024, he released his first graphic novel, called The Venetian. He is also set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the movie Captain America: Brave New World.
Personal life
Giancarlo Esposito was married to Joy McManigal. They have four daughters together. They later divorced. Giancarlo was raised Catholic and once thought about becoming a priest.
Images for kids
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Esposito in 1998
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Esposito in 2012
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Esposito at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
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Esposito at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023
See also
In Spanish: Giancarlo Esposito para niños
