Polyphemus
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Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1958-04-26 (66 years old)

Place of Birth

Copenhagen, Denmark

Giancarlo Esposito

Biography:

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (born April 26, 1958) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad from 2009 to 2011 and its prequel series Better Call Saul from 2017 to 2022. He won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series twice for this role. He earned three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

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), and Moff Gideon in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), 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 the HBO drama series Westworld (2016), and starred in the Netflix television series Kaleidoscope (2023), The Gentlemen (2024), and The Residence (2025).

He is also known for his collaboration with Spike Lee, acting in several of his 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 (1992), Fresh (1994), The Usual Suspects (1995), Ali (2001), Monkeybone (2001), Last Holiday (2006), Rabbit Hole (2010), Okja (2017), Megalopolis (2024), MaXXXine (2024), and Captain America: Brave New World (2025). He voiced Akela in the live-action remake of The Jungle Book (2016).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Giancarlo Esposito, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

2025

The Electric State as Colonel Bradbury / The Marshall
The Residence as A.B. Wynter

2024

Megalopolis as Mayor Cicero
MaXXXine as Teddy Knight, Esq.
Abigail as Lambert
Parish as Gracián 'Gray' Parish
The Gentlemen as Stanley Johnston (Uncle Stan)

2023

Kaleidoscope as Leo Pap

2022

Bonnie as Self
Beauty as Beauty's Father
Euphoria as Taxi Driver
The Boys Presents: Diabolical as Stan Edgar (voice)

2021

The Eisen Hour as Self - Guest
Show Me More as Self - "Gus Fring"
Ultra City Smiths as Pruit Normings

2020

Coda as Paul
Stargirl as Archie Brubaker
Unpregnant as Bob

2019

Stuck as Lloyd
Line of Duty as Tom Volk
Game Changer as Self - Guest
The Boys as Meerkat Stan Edgar (voice)
Godfather of Harlem as Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Jett as Charlie Baudelaire
Creepshow as Doc
Harley Quinn as Lex Luthor (voice)
The Boys as Stanford 'Stan' Edgar
The Mandalorian as Moff Gideon

2018

The Nagano Tapes as Self - Narrator
Dallas & Robo as Victor Goldsmith

2017

The Show as Mason Washington
Okja as Frank Dawson
Unacknowledged as Narrator
DuckTales as Phantom Blot (voice)
Rebel as Charles
Dear White People as Narrator

2016

Brother Nature as Congressman Frank McClaren
The Jungle Book as Akela (voice)
Money Monster as Captain Powell
PAYDAY THE MOVIE as The Dentist
The Get Down as Pastor Ramon Cruz
Westworld as El Lazo

2015

I Did Not Forget You as Dr. Sabian
Enzian: When the Lights Go Up as Self (archive footage)
Allegiance as Oscar Christoph
Better Call Saul as Gus Fring

2014

Son of Batman as Ra's al Ghul (voice)
Batman: Assault on Arkham as Black Spider / Eric Needham (voice)
Poker Night as Bernard

2013

They Die by Dawn as Rufus Buck
Over/Under as Oliver Ohrt
Timms Valley as Pruit Normings
Drunk History as Andrés Pico

2012

Alex Cross as Daramus Holiday
Revolution as Major Tom Neville
NYC 22 as Harvey Williams

2011

S.W.A.T.: Firefight as Inspector Hollander
Dreaming American as Daytona LeMans
Certainty as Father Heery
Once Upon a Time as Sidney Glass / Magic Mirror

2010

Rabbit Hole as Auggie
Conan as Self

2009

PoliWood as Self
Community as Gilbert Lawson

2008

Gospel Hill as Dr. Palmer
Xenophobia as Young
New Amsterdam as James Lawson
Breaking Bad as Gus Fring
Leverage as Alexander Moto

2007

Feel The Noise as Roberto Vega
The Box as Dwayne Burkhalter
Mano as Nino

2006

Sherrybaby as Parole Officer Hernandez
Last Holiday as Senator Dillings
Rain as Ken Arnold
South Beach as Robert Fuentes

2005

Derailed as Detective Church
Chupacabra Terror as Dr. Peña
Hate Crime as Detective Esposito
Back in the Day as Benson Cooper
Ghost Whisperer as Ely Fisher
Bones as Richard Benoit
Law & Order: Trial by Jury as Orlando Ramirez

2004

A Killer Within as Vargas
Noise as Hank
Doing Hard Time as Captain Pierce
NYPD 2069 as Lt. Garner
5ive Days to Midnight as Tim Sanders

2003

Ash Tuesday as Karl
Blind Horizon as J.C. Reynolds

2002

Half & Half as Darrell Washington
CSI: Miami as Chief Braga
Street Time as Jesse Haslim

2001

Monkeybone as Hypnos
Ali as Cassius Clay, Sr.
Piñero as Miguel Algarin
100 Centre Street as Jacob Lenz

2000

Homicide: The Movie as Mike Giardello
Josephine as Spike
The $treet as Tom Divack
Soul Food as Jules
Strong Medicine as James 'Junior' Bell
Click as Self

1999

Third Watch as Father Romero

1998

Twilight as Reuben Escobar
Phoenix as Louie
Thirst as Dr. Lawrence Carver
Stardust as Mr. Peavey
Where's Marlowe? as Blind Man (uncredited)
Creature as Lt. Thomas Peniston / Werewolf

1997

Nothing to Lose as Charlie Dunt
Big City Blues as Georgie
The Maze as Henry Kunitz
The People as Anthony Rivera
Five Desperate Hours as Joseph Grange
The Hunger as Vampire

1996

The Tomorrow Man as Jonathan Driscoll

1995

Smoke as 1st OTB Man / Tommy
The Usual Suspects as Jack Baer
Blue in the Face as Tommy Finelli
Klash as Stoney
The Keeper as Paul Lamont
Reckless as Host Tim Timko
Waiting to Exhale as David Matthews (uncredited)

1994

Fresh as Esteban
Benders as Jack
New York Undercover as Adolfo Guzman
Touched by an Angel as Antonio Gaudi

1993

Mood Indigo as Arthur Sistrunk
Seven Songs for Malcolm X as Autobiography Reading (voice)
Amos & Andrew as The Reverend Fenton Brunch
Homicide: Life on the Street as Michael Giardello
Bakersfield P.D. as Detective Paul Gigante
Fallen Angels as Paris Minton

1992

Malcolm X as Thomas Hayer
Bob Roberts as Bugs Raplin

1991

1990

Mo' Better Blues as Left Hand Lacey (Piano)
Law & Order as Defense Attorney Rodney Fallon
Law & Order as Attorney Baylor

1989

Do the Right Thing as Buggin Out

1988

School Daze as Julian 'Dean Big Brother Almighty' Eaves

1987

Heartbeat as Gang Member #1
Leg Work as Tyson

1986

Maximum Overdrive as Videoplayer
Roanoak as Simon Fernandes
Rockabye as Marcus

1985

Desperately Seeking Susan as Street Vendor
The Equalizer as Jumpin' Jack

1984

The Brother from Another Planet as Man Being Arrested (uncredited)
The Cotton Club as Bumpy Hood
Miami Vice as Luther
Miami Vice as Ricky

1983

Trading Places as Cellmate #2

1981

Taps as Cadet Captain J.C. Pierce

1979

Running as Puerto Rican Teenager

1970

-

By Any Means as Vernon Dahmer
Breaking Bad as Gus Fring

Directing

2017

The Show as Director

2015

Better Call Saul as Director

2008

Gospel Hill as Director

Production

2024

Parish as Executive Producer

2020

The Broken and the Bad as Executive Producer

2017

The Show as Producer

-

Kill Me as Executive Producer