[…]. It was a breakout role for Giancarlo, who worked again with the director for the 1989 urban drama Do the Right Thing. He had a recurring role in the first season of The Get Down on Netflix. He hosted the series The Broken and the Bad, which was directed by his daughter Ruby. In 1997 Esposito played the film roles of Darryl in Trouble on the Corner and Charlie Dunt in Nothing to Lose. Was a member of the dramatic jury at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Esposito has portrayed drug dealers (Fresh, Breaking Bad, King of New York, Better Call Saul), policemen (The Usual Suspects, Derailed), political radicals (Bob Roberts, Do the Right Thing), and a demonic version of the Greek God of Sleep Hypnos from another dimension (Monkeybone). Almost everyone who comes to see me has a Los Pollos Hermanos shirt. Giancarlo: Yeah, it’s someone else on the show who I’ve worked with in a different incarnation. And when that was done they were calling me again. Giancarlo Esposito Gallery < Giancarlo Esposito. Another multiracial role was as Sergeant Paul Gigante in the television comedy series, Bakersfield P.D. Giancarlo has also appeared in dozens of notable films, including The Usual Suspects. His parents, working in Europe at the time of his birth, settled in Manhattan by the time he was 6, and that's where he grew up. Won Obie Awards for his performances in "Zooman and the Sign" (1981) and "Distant Fires" (1993). Esposito also appeared in Community as a guest star for the episode entitled "Digital Estate Planning". Bandit: Speaking about being away from a show, you were in Once Upon a Time at the beginning as the mirror. Giancarlo: I find it good, you know. I’m doing Scorch Trials. But I think it was the proper ending and the right amount of time. I think Vince ended it beautifully. Gallery of behind the scene stills released to promote the actor. Esposito played FBI agent Mike Giardello on the TV crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street. [4], He was married to producer Joy McManigal. Between 2009 and 2011, Esposito appeared in seasons 2 through 4 of the AMC drama Breaking Bad, as Gus Fring, the head of a New Mexico-based methamphetamine drug ring and the show's primary antagonist in the third and fourth seasons. He continued with recurring and guest TV roles until 2009 when he was cast as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, a role for which he won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Award at the 2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards and was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards and again at the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards. In the show's second season, an anagram of the first letters of every episode name spelled out "FRING'S BACK", which was revealed to be intentional by showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. We saw you back in the season premiere being locked away. In 2006, Esposito starred in Last Holiday as Senator Dillings, alongside Queen Latifah and Timothy Hutton. He’s great in everything he does. Giancarlo: Yeah, I’m developing a piece about the first black US Marshal named Bass Reeves, who after the Civil War was a US Marshal for 35 years. He was cast in the TV series Once Upon a Time and Revolution. In 2017, Giancarlo was brought back by Vince Gilligan to reprise his role as Gustavo Fring from Season 3 onwards of the Breaking Bad spin off prequel series, Better Call Saul. He played J.C. Pierce, a cadet, in the 1981 movie Taps. Vince designed it that way in case it didn’t get picked up, but he always planned on the whole show going five seasons anyway. Giancarlo Esposito is the American actor who portrays the Magic Mirror and Sidney Glass on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama award at the 2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards and was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award at the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to co-star Aaron Paul. Giancarlo: No, not yet. He played Ra's al Ghul in Son of Batman and Black Spider in Batman: Assault on Arkham. Archery Anime Tsurune Gets Film Adaptation, Skating Fans Rejoice: NBC Greenlights Figure Skating Comedy from Adam Rippon. But things are changing with my career and I’m getting really busy so I always try to say to them, look, you know reserve a space for Once Upon a Time. He has one brother, Vincent. Other notable films include Fresh, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, The Usual Suspects and King of New York. Giancarlo: I’m getting ready to start The Maze Runner series. Over the next four years, Esposito and Lee collaborated on three other movies: Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Malcolm X. Giancarlo Esposito was born in Denmark to an Italian father and African-American mother. During the 1980s, Esposito appeared in films such as Maximum Overdrive, King of New York, and Trading Places and TV shows such as Miami Vice and Spenser: For Hire. He appeared in the film Rabbit Hole (2010). That role drew from both his African American and Italian ancestry. For a while in New York City, he was a roommate of Laurence Fishburne. You may unsubscribe at any time. That role reflected both his black and Italian heritage. He performed again in the fourth season, in the episode titled "Paranormal Parentage".Esposito has additionally appeared in a video of the action role-playing sci-fi first-person shooter game Destiny, as well as plays The Dentist, a non-playable story character, in the game Payday 2. Download the TV Guide app for iPhone, iPad and Android! He has four daughters. At age 8 he made his Broadway premier on the musical Maggie Flynn. Giancarlo went on to make appearances in other independent films; gangster drama King of New York and taxicab vignettes movie Night on Earth. His father was from Naples, and worked as a stagehand and carpenter.