The Electric Company (1971-1977) as Music Department
The Usual Suspects (1995) as Jack Baer
Smoke (1995) as OTB Man #1, Tommy
The Jungle Book (2016) as Akela
Short Info
Net Worth
$2 million
Date Of Birth
April 26, 1958
Fact
Won two Obie Awards for his performances in "Distant Fires" and "Zooman and the Sign".
Giancarlo Esposito is an American actor, director, producer, and writer. He is best known for his role as Gus Fring on the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He has also appeared in such films as Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, The Usual Suspects, and Spider-Man: Far from Home.
Grandma Gloria, sad to see you go. Happy that you are at peace. You made life better for us all! Your smile brightened our world! pic.twitter.com/UfjQLUbKA7
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 26, 1958, Esposito is the son of an Italian-American father and an African-American mother. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he was raised by his mother in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the High School of Performing Arts and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He then studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
Esposito made his film debut in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). He has since appeared in such films as Jungle Fever (1991), Malcolm X (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), and Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019). On television, he has had recurring roles on such shows as The Cosby Show, Miami Vice, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Once Upon a Time. He has also directed episodes of such shows as The Get Down and Godfather of Harlem.
Esposito’s net worth is estimated to be $5 million. He has been married to actress Joy McManigal since 1995. They have two children together.
General Info
Full Name
Giancarlo Esposito
Net Worth
$2 million
Date Of Birth
April 26, 1958
Height
1.73 m
Profession
Film producer, Film director, Actor
Nationality
American
Family
Children
Kale Lyn Esposito, Shayne Lyra Esposito, Ruby Esposito, Syrlucia Esposito
Parents
Elizabeth Foster, Giovanni Esposito
Siblings
Vincent Esposito
Accomplishments
Awards
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, Obie Award for Performance
Nominations
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television, ...
Movies
The Jungle Book, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Do the Right Thing, Money Monster, School Daze, The Usual Suspects, Mo' Better Blues, Bob Roberts, Feel the Noise, Night on Earth, Nothing to Lose, Rabbit Hole, Last Holiday, King of New York, Malcolm X, Sherrybaby, Monkeybone, Trading Places, Deraile...
TV Shows
Revolution, Breaking Bad, South Beach, Girls Club, Homicide: Life on the Street, Bakersfield P.D., 5ive Days to Midnight, The Street
[on planning his demise in Breaking Bad (2008)] I said to [Vince Gilligan] It's got to be something different but it has got to be real. Look at what I do as Gus. I've developed this thing where I button my buttons, I look pretty dapper and I fix my tie. And we both stopped and looked at each other, and we were off and running with an idea that proved to be probably one of the most visually satisfying and most gratifying deaths in film history.
2
[on a special award in 2014] I'm getting my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but I feel like my career has just begun. I'm in a place now that I can accept the love and accolades that comes with that star. But more than anything it represents a new beginning for me. Now I feel like I can pick up the pace.
3
I first felt successful when I was 13 and in a show called "Seesaw". I came offstage and heard the applause of the theater audience and felt a sense of accomplishment. Around that time, my role model for success was Burt Lancaster. He was one of the first actors in Hollywood to start his own production company, and I respected him because he created something he believed in. Nowadays, I look to spiritual people, such as Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama, since I'm always asking myself, "What do I have to give?".
4
I started in the acting business at age 8, so I feel it's my experience and social skills for example, how to be charismatic, how not to lose your temper - that have helped me the most to succeed. But I did develop a plan: I wanted to work with good people who had a passion for what they did. Still, at age 17, I made the decision to study the technical part of the business as well. I got a two year degree in radio and television communication at Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers, New York. I figured if I never made It as an actor, I could go to Alaska, be a cameraman, and collect a paycheck. It would be something to fall back on, but something I still enjoyed.
5
[1997] Accumulating money has never been a real goal for me. Rather, I think about how to make every moment of my life mean something. What's been my barometer for success is my creative and spiritual growth - I measure my success by the quality of my work. Last year I sat down and reexamined things. I asked myself if I wanted to do anything and everything just to get a lot of money. I decided I'd rather work and collaborate with people at the top of their craft. And my dream has come true. This year, I'm doing a picture with four Academy Award winners: Director Robert Benton, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman and Paul Newman.
6
My advice for achieving success is to make a career choice that reflects your passion. Then work your craft a little bit each day - even if someone's not paying you to do it. Try to balance your social life with your educational (or professional) life, and have patience.
Facts
#
Fact
1
Fluent in Italian and Spanish.
2
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6351 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 26, 2014.
Is a supporter of Mumia Abu Jamal and participated in the 2010 documentary "Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal". Billed as "Mumia Abu-Jamal: unrepentant cop-killer or passionate revolutionary?".
5
Was one of the chorus of children who sang the theme song of The Electric Company (1971).
6
Was a member of the dramatic jury at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
7
Won two Obie Awards for his performances in "Distant Fires" and "Zooman and the Sign".
8
Is a member of the Atlantic Theater Ensemble, the theater company started by David Mamet and William H. Macy.
9
Has four daughters: Shayne Lyra, Kale Lyn, Syrlucia and Ruby.
10
Lived in Europe, New York City and Cleveland until he; his older brother, Vincent; and their parents moved Manhattan when Giancarlo was six. During the boys' teens, the family lived in Elmsford in Westchester County, New York.
11
His mother was doing a nightclub gig on a split bill with Josephine Baker in Copenhagen, Denmark, around the time he was born.
12
His mother was an opera singer and his father was a stagehand and carpenter from Naples, Italy.
