What Is Giancarlo Esposito's Net Worth?
Giancarlo Esposito is a Danish-born American actor and director who has a net worth of $4 million. Giancarlo Esposito is best known for portraying Gus Fring on the award-winning television show "Breaking Bad" and its spin-off "Better Call Saul." In recent interviews Giancarlo has revealed that in 2008/2009 his finances were so bad that a bank was preparing to foreclose on his house in Connecticut. He was living beyond his means at the time, in a marriage that would end a few years later. Giancarlo has also revealed that at the beginning of the 2023 entertainment industry strikes his accountant told him that his finances might last 8 months or a year if he stretched himself. He used that time to finalize the series "Parish," which premiered in March 2024.
He began his career in the 1980s with roles in films such as "Do the Right Thing" and "School Daze." Esposito gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Gustavo "Gus" Fring in the critically acclaimed television series "Breaking Bad" and its spin-off, "Better Call Saul." His chilling performance as the calculated and ruthless drug lord earned him numerous accolades and a devoted fanbase.
Throughout his career, Esposito has demonstrated his versatility as an actor, taking on diverse roles in various genres. He has appeared in films such as "The Usual Suspects," "Ali," and "The Jungle Book," showcasing his ability to portray complex characters. Esposito has also made notable appearances in popular television shows, including "Once Upon a Time," "The Boys," and "The Mandalorian," where his commanding presence and acting prowess have consistently captivated audiences.
Real Estate
In 2013 Giancarlo paid $1.95 million for a home in Los Angeles. Today the 5,000 square foot home is worth $3 million based on nearby comparable sales.
Early Life
Giancarlo Esposito was born Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito on April 12, 1958, in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father was a carpenter and stagehand from Naples, Italy. His mother was an opera and nightclub singer from Alabama. Esposito is of Italian and African-American ancestry. When he was six years old, he moved to New York City with his parents and older brother, and he would spend his adolescence and teenage years there. He was a natural performer, and at only eight years old, he made his Broadway debut in the play "Maggie Flynn." Giancarlo played the role of a child slave opposite notable actress and singer Shirley Jones, and he continued to act in Broadway and off-Broadway productions throughout his childhood. When he was 13, he had a part in the Tony-winning musical "Seesaw" and has stated that particular role was his first feeling of success. Although he could have continued to act and make a career of it without further education, he wanted to learn the technical aspects of theater and performing, so at age 17, he enrolled in Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers, New York, where he got a two-year degree in radio and television communication. In addition to having a passion for the industry, Esposito wanted to have a desirable backup plan in case acting didn't work out.
(Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb)
Career
After graduating from Elizabeth Seton College in 1977, Esposito worked as a singer for the educational children's television show "The Electric Company," which was a sister show to "Sesame Street." He went on to play the role of a camp counselor on "Sesame Street" from 1982 to 1984. In the eighties, he had minor roles in several films and got his big break in Spike Lee's 1988 musical comedy "School Daze." Grossing over $14 million, it was a financial success because of its meager $6.5 million dollar budget. Esposito was subsequently cast in Spike Lee's 1989 comedy-drama "Do the Right Thing," his 1990 drama "Mo' Better Blues," and his 1992 biographical drama "Malcolm X." He had a supporting role in the 1994 independent drama "Fresh" and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his performance. In 1995, he had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film "The Usual Suspects," as well as one of the leading roles in the independent film "Smoke." Even at this stage in his career, Giancarlo had developed a talent for fitting himself into a variety of personas and characters. In addition to his role as a lieutenant and werewolf in the 1997 miniseries "Creature," he had played a drug lord, an FBI Agent, a crisis telephone operator, a transsexual, a hostage-taker, and a reverend. His portrayal of FBI Agent Mike in the seventh season of the popular series "Homicide: Life on the Street" gained him more widespread recognition. In 2001, Esposito played Muhammad Ali's father in the biographical drama "Ali" and had a supporting role in the black comedy "Monkeybone."
He played a lawyer in the 2002 show "Girls Club," which only ran for one season. He spent the next few years taking small parts on television shows and miniseries such as "Law & Order," "5ive Days to Midnight," "South Beach," "Ghost Whisperer," and "Bones." In 2006, Giancarlo had a supporting role in the film "Last Holiday" alongside Queen Latifah. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with the film "Gospel Hill." The drama stars Danny Glover and Samuel L. Jackson. While it was not screened in theaters, it was shown at a number of film festivals, and Esposito won an award at the Nashville Film Festival and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival for his work. Also in 2008, he was in the Broadway production of the Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
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"Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"
By the time he would find mainstream success with his role as the leader of a meth trafficking ring on "Breaking Bad," Esposito had already developed a reputation for playing stoic figures of power. He made his first appearance as Gus Fring in the show's second season in 2009, and his character remained active until his death in the fourth season. His performance earned him critical acclaim. In 2012, Giancarlo won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama and was nominated for an Emmy Award. The entire cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012. His portrayal of Gus Fring was popular enough among fans to get him a prominent role in the show's spin-off prequel "Better Call Saul." While the prequel focuses on the life of Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman), Walter and Jesse's lawyer in "Breaking Bad," Gus Fring enters into that storyline in its third season. For his performance in the spin-off, he received two more Emmy nominations and two additional Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
In addition to his work on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," Esposito was on several other television shows in the 2010s, including "Allegiance," "The Get Down," "Once Upon a Time," "Rebel," and "Westworld." He acted as a narrator on the series "Dear White People" and a voice actor in the animated series "Dallas and Robo" and "Harley Quinn." He also voiced a character in the 2016 film "The Jungle Book." In 2019, Giancarlo landed a leading role in the Disney series "The Mandalorian," which is part of the "Star Wars" franchise. He stars on the crime drama television show "Godfather of Harlem," which premiered on Epix in September 2019.
Personal Life
Esposito married producer Joy McManigal in 1995, and they welcomed four daughters together before divorcing in 2015. He is fluent in Italian and Spanish. In 2014, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
