1 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Giancarlo_Esposito_2012_cropped_9779.jpg]] |
2 | [[caption-width-right:300:[[Series/BreakingBad He hides in plain sight, just like you.]]]] |
3 | |
4 | ->''"To be a character actor is to be open, to be a chameleon."'' |
5 | |
6 | Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (born April 26, 1958) is an American[[note]]albeit born in UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}}[[/note]] actor of part Italian, part African-American descent. |
7 | |
8 | He has been active in film and television since the age of six. He's been seen in films such as ''Film/DoTheRightThing, Film/TheUsualSuspects, Film/MalcolmX, Film/MaximumOverdrive, Film/TradingPlaces'' and ''Film/KingOfNewYork''. He is also a familar face on television with regular and recurring roles on ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet, Series/OnceUponATime'' and ''Series/{{Revolution}}'', and in 2019 joined the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise as former Imperial Security Bureau Moff Gideon on ''Series/TheMandalorian''. He is perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Chilean-American drug kingpin Gustavo 'Gus' Fring on the hit series ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Series/BetterCallSaul''. |
9 | |
10 | He has four daughters with his ex-wife, Joy [=McManigal=]. |
11 | ---- |
12 | !!Film Roles |
13 | * 1981 ''Film/{{Taps}}'' as Cadet Captain J.C. Pierce |
14 | * 1983 ''Film/TradingPlaces'' as Cellmate |
15 | * 1984 ''Film/TheCottonClub'' as Bumpy Hood |
16 | * 1985 ''Film/DesperatelySeekingSusan'' as Street Vendor |
17 | * 1986 ''Film/MaximumOverdrive'' as Videoplayer |
18 | * 1988 ''Film/SchoolDaze1988'' as Julian |
19 | * 1989 ''Film/DoTheRightThing'' as Buggin' Out |
20 | * 1990 ''Film/KingOfNewYork'' as Lance |
21 | * 1990 ''Film/MoBetterBlues'' as Left Hand Lacey |
22 | * 1992 ''Film/BobRoberts'' as John Alijah "Bugs" Raplin |
23 | * 1992 ''Film/MalcolmX'' as Thomas Hayer |
24 | * 1994 ''Film/{{Fresh}}'' as Esteban |
25 | * 1995 ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'' as Jack Baer |
26 | * 1995 ''Film/WaitingToExhale'' as David Matthews |
27 | * 1997 ''Film/NothingToLose'' as Charlie Dunt |
28 | * 2001 ''Film/{{Monkeybone}}'' as Hypnos |
29 | * 2001 ''Film/{{Ali}}'' as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr. |
30 | * 2005 ''Film/{{Derailed}}'' as Detective Franklin Church |
31 | * 2006 ''Film/LastHoliday'' as Senator Dillings |
32 | * 2006 ''Film/SherryBaby'' as Parole Officer Hernandez |
33 | * 2007 ''Film/TheBox'' as Detective Dwayne Burkhalter |
34 | * 2010 ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' - [[Recap/LeverageS03E04TheScheherazadeJob "The Scheherazade Job"]] as Alexander Moto |
35 | * 2012 ''Film/AlexCross'' as Daramus Holiday |
36 | * 2014 ''WesternAnimation/SonOfBatman'' as Ra's Al Ghul |
37 | * 2014 ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAssaultOnArkham'' as Black Spider |
38 | * 2014 ''Film/PokerNight'' as Detective Bernard |
39 | * 2016 ''Film/{{The Jungle Book|2016}}'' as Akela |
40 | * 2017 ''Film/ThisIsYourDeath'' as Mason Washington |
41 | * 2019 ''Film/{{Coda|2019}}'' as Paul |
42 | * 2023 ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantMayhem'' as Baxter Stockman |
43 | * 2024 ''Film/{{Abigail|2024}}'' |
44 | * 2024: ''Film/{{Megalopolis}}'' as Frank Cicero |
45 | * 2024: ''Film/{{Maxxxine}}'' |
46 | |
47 | !!Television Roles |
48 | * 1982 ''Series/SesameStreet'' as Mickey |
49 | * 1998–1999 ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' as FBIAgent Mike Giardello |
50 | * 2000–2001 ''Series/TheStreet'' as Tom Divack |
51 | * 2003 ''Series/StreetTime'' as Jesse Haslim |
52 | * 1996–2005 ''Series/LawAndOrder'' as Mr. Baylor and Rodney Fallon |
53 | * Gustavo "Gus" Fring |
54 | ** 2009–2011 ''Series/BreakingBad'' |
55 | ** 2017–2022 ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' |
56 | * 2011–2014 ''Series/OnceUponATime'' as Sidney Glass/The Magic Mirror/The Genie of Agrabah |
57 | * 2012–2013 ''Series/{{Community}}'' as Gilbert Lawson |
58 | * 2012–2014 ''Series/{{Revolution}}'' as Tom Neville |
59 | * 2013 ''WesternAnimation/AxeCop'' as Army Chihuahua |
60 | * 2016–2017 ''Series/TheGetDown'' as Ramón Cruz |
61 | * 2017–present ''Series/DearWhitePeople'' as Narrator |
62 | * 2018 ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' as El Lazo II. |
63 | * 2019 ''Series/{{Creepshow}}'' as Doc in "Gray Matter" |
64 | * 2019 ''Series/GodfatherOfHarlem'' as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. |
65 | * 2019–present ''Series/{{The Boys|2019}}'' as Stan Edgar |
66 | * 2019–present ''[[Series/TheMandalorian Star Wars: The Mandalorian]]'' as Moff Gideon |
67 | * 2019 ''WesternAnimation/{{Harley Quinn|2019}}'' as ComicBook/LexLuthor |
68 | * 2020 ''WesternAnimation/{{Duck Tales|2017}}'' as The Phantom Blot |
69 | * 2020 ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'' as The Grandfather |
70 | * 2022 ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'' as Faraday |
71 | * 2023 ''Series/{{Kaleidoscope|2023}}'' as Leo Pap |
72 | |
73 | !!Video Game Roles |
74 | * 2014 ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' as The Dentist, a contractor for the gang. |
75 | * 2021 ''VideoGame/FarCry6'' as "El Presidente" Anton Castillo, dictator of the island country of Yara. |
76 | |
77 | !!Tropes, or Lies? |
78 | * IronyAsSheIsCast: Esposito, who is half-Italian, plays characters in ''Film/DoTheRightThing'' and ''Series/GodfatherOfHarlem'' who are incredibly hostile towards Italians. |
79 | * PlayingAgainstType: Baxter Stockman in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantMayhem''. While Stockman in most adaptations is a villainous MadScientist, and the Stockman in ''Mutant Mayhem'' is indirectly responsible for the main villains of the movie, he's [[AdaptationalHeroism more or less a good person]], as well as less physically imposing or dominating than Esposito's usual roles. |
80 | * PlaysGreatEthnics: His earlier roles has him usually playing Black guys, while his later ones (especially after ''Series/BreakingBad'') are usually Hispanic. He is half-Black and half-Italian. |
81 | * SesameStreetCred: By way of RetroactiveRecognition. |
82 | * StarMakingRole: His role as Gustavo Fring, the terrifyingly cold and efficient leader of a drug smuggling operation from ''Series/BreakingBad'' more or less made him a household name, and he has reappeared in similar roles since. |
83 | * TheStoic: His intense, ominous, blank stare is famous for being able to terrify other characters and the audience. It's practically his signature move (one ''Far Cry 6'' used in its advertising) |
84 | * TranquilFury: The unflappability of his characters is practically a trademark in itself, with many of his characters becoming ''[[DissonantSerenity calmer]]'' the angrier they get. And, in the event that he ''does'' snap, then you know that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness the feces has officially impacted the air circulator]]. |
85 | * TypeCasting: Ever since ''Series/BreakingBad'' he seems to take a lot of roles where he's some sort of [[TheStoic stoic]] criminal mastermind or EvilOverlord. And if it's a work with superpowers involved, he'll almost always play the BadassNormal. |
86 | ** In ''VideoGame/Payday2'' his role is literally just an {{Expy}} of Gus Fring, only he runs a legitimate dentist business as his front for criminal activity, instead of being a fast food chain owner. |
87 | ** ''Series/TheMandalorian'' has him basically playing Gus Fring as an {{Expy}} of [[Film/ANewHope Grand Moff Tarkin]], albeit more unhinged and with a little Darth Vader thrown in for good measure. |
88 | ** In ''VideoGame/FarCry6'' his role as Anton Castillo, "El Presidente" of a Cuba {{Expy}}, the tropical island of Yara. He evokes Gus Fring as he seeks to cement "paradise" in his country via a brutal dictatorship involving creating and selling an anti-cancer drug on the global market and using the enslaved population to help create it, naturally inviting resistance from local guerilla forces. Even the advertisements of ''Far Cry 6'' [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] this, by making note of his long list of villains that he portrayed and centering the entire appeal of the game around fighting him. |
89 | ** Giancarlo voices ComicBook/LexLuthor in ''WesternAnimation/{{Harley Quinn|2019}}'', though unlike the other roles above, he's more AffablyEvil with a cool demeanor, rather than outright calm and calculating at all times. |
90 | ** [[Series/TheBoys2019 Vought CEO Stan Edgar]] is very much an {{expy}} of Lex Luthor, who can intimidate [[BewareTheSuperman Homelander]] and his superteam like children. |
91 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Duck Tales|2017}}'', he voices the Phantom Blot. |
92 | ** A variant in ''{{Film/Okja}}'': he's an intelligent and suave CorruptCorporateExecutive, but as TheDragon to Nancy Mirando, quietly working against her sister [[ALighterShadeOfBlack Lucy]]. |
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