You May Know Him as Gustavo "Gus" Fring from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Here are 7 Facts About Giancarlo Esposito

Giancarlo Esposito is an Italian-American actor. While nowadays, he is most known for his role as Gustavo "Gus" Fring in Breaking Bad and later, Better Call Saul, it is worth noting that Esposito is a 45-year veteran of acting and has close to 180 acting credits.

A two-time Primetime Emmy Award-nominee, Esposito has been won numerous other awards and accolades including a Critics' Choice Award.

Here are seven facts about Giancarlo Esposito: 

7. Played the Villainous Gustavo "Gus" Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Perhaps the one role most synonymous with Giancarlo Esposito is his turn as Gustavo "Gus" Fring, the manager of Los Pollos Hermanos by day, and sadistic meth kingpin by night.

He first appeared in the second season of the AMC neo-Western crime drama, Breaking Bad. His on-screen rivalry with Bryan Cranston's Walter White blurred the lines between hero and villain and provided some of the most compelling television in recent memory.

When a prequel series to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, was announced, it was impossible to not include Gus Fring and Esposito was called on to reprise his role for the series.

Bob Odenkirk plays the titular con-man-turned-lawyer Saul Goodman whom we came to know and love from Breaking Bad, with Jonathan Banks also reprising his role as Saul's enforcer, Mike Ehrmantraut. 

Other cast members joining them include Rhea Seehorn, Kerry Condon, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Michael McKean, to name a few.     

With a successful fifth season in the books, Better Call Saul will return for a sixth season sometime in 2021.    

6. Son of Opera and Nightclub Singer Elizabeth Foster 

Born Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito, on April 26, 1958, Giancarlo is the son of Italian carpenter/stage-hand, Giovanni Esposito, and African-American opera and nightclub singer, Elizabeth Foster. 

Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, but grew up in Manhattan, New York when his parents relocated to the states when he was 6. 

In New York, Esposito attended Elizabeth Seton College and earned a two-year radio and television communications degree.   

5. Father to Four Daughters with Ex-Wife, Joy McManigal

Esposito was married to Joy McManigal from 1995 to 2015. 

They had four daughters together: Kale Lyn Esposito, Ruby Esposito, Shayne Lyra Esposito, and Syrlucia Esposito.

4. Played Jack Baer in The Usual Suspects

In what remains one of Giancarlo Esposito's biggest roles to date, he played Jack Baer in the 1995 neo-noir mystery film, The Usual Suspects, starring, among other people, the likes of Kevin Spacey and Benicio del Toro. 

The movie has reached cult status and elevated the stock of Esposito at a time when he was not as widely recognized.   

3. He has 179 Acting Credits

To date, Giancarlo has 179 acting credits to his name, amassed out of a nearly-45-year career in movies, on television series and TV movies, as well as voice-over work.

He has had guest stints in shows like Westworld, The Boys, and The Mandalorian, with more prominent roles in TV series like Once Upon a Time, The Get Down, Godfather of Harlem, and Revolution.

He is also one of the mainstays of Spike Lee movies and has appeared in numerous of his features including Do the Right Thing, School Daze, and Mo' Better Blues. 

Esposito's voice-over work is also captured in many animated movies and TV series, most notably in the movies, Batman: Assault on Arkham, Son of Batman, and The Jungle Book. 

He also narrates the Netflix comedy series, Dear White People and provides his voice in such video games as Payday 2 and Destiny. 

2. Acting Debut in Broadway Musical, Maggie Flynn, at Age 8 

Being born to an Opera and Nightclub singer mother and considering his father's job as a stage-hand, Esposito was bound to get entangled in showbiz.

He made his professional debut when he was 8 in the short-lived Broadway musical, Maggie Flynn. 

His Broadway catalog includes roles in such plays as Merrily We Roll Along, Lost in the Stars, The Me Nobody Knows, Don't Get God Started, and Sesaw. 

1. Has a Net Worth of $6 Million   

Unsurprising of a man whose career spans nearly five decades, Giancarlo Esposito's net worth stands at $6 million.

He is a highly-respected actor who has close to 180 acting credits.

Most people now know him for his turn as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul -- for which he won the 2012 Critics' Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated at the 2012 and 2019 Emmys.  

Recently, he has ramped up his TV appearances and has had guest stints in Westworld, The Boys, and The Mandalorian.