Italian-American actor Giancarlo Esposito has had a great career in Hollywood. He landed his first role in 1979 and since then, he has gone on to appear in 64 TV shows and 75 feature films. His most popular role is that of the villain Gustavo "Gus" Fring in Breaking Bad.
Most recently, he has portrayed the Star Wars villain Moff Gideon in the popular Disney+ series The Mandalorian. The role has further cemented Esposito's status as the perfect TV bad guy. However, he has been on the good side a number of times too. The following are his best-ever roles, according to IMDb.
10 Godfather Of Harlem (8.0)
Godfather Of Harlem is a prequel to the 2007 movie American Gangster starring Denzel Washington. It follows African American mob boss Bumpy Johnson (Forrest Whitaker) and his power struggles with the Italian crime families in New York. The show also places much focus on his friendship with controversial civil rights leader Malcolm X.
In it, Giancarlo Esposito gives another incredible performance as the real-life Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. The politician has a love-hate relationship with Bumpy as well as Malcolm X. He also pretends to be religious but indulges in heavy drinking.
9 Bakersfield P.D (8.1)
The 90s police procedural followed the activities of law enforcement officers in Bakersfield, California. Giancarlo Esposito was the leading character, playing the role of the relentless Detective Paul Gigante. Bakersfield P.D often received high praise from critics but not enough people were watching it, so it got canceled by Fox.
The lesser-known network Trio went on to air reruns of the show under its programming segment called "Brilliant But Cancelled." Perhaps in today's TV landscape, the show could have been picked up by another network. Sadly in the 90s, this was quite rare.
8 The Get Down (8.3)
The Get Down is a perfect musical with song and dance that'll remain embedded in your mind. Esposito's role is that of a preacher named Ramon Cruz. He heads a popular Pentecostal church in his neighborhood that attracts hundreds of followers. His spirited sermons have also made him a mini-celebrity.
The series which is set in the 1970s was produced by Sony Pictures Television with a budget of $120 million. It was divided into two parts and after the end of the second one, Netflix announced that the story was complete and there would be no more episodes.
7 Community (8.5)
You don't often see Esposito in comedy shows but he made an exception with this one. In Community, he played Gilbert Lawson, the half-brother of towelette tycoon Pierce Hawthorne who after having plenty of wild experiences in his earlier years decided to go back to college.
Community has often been cited as one of the best comedy shows of all time. Critics have often given much praise to the writing, acting and directing. The show has also been nominated for over 50 awards across different organizations since it premiered
6 The Usual Suspects (8.5)
When the critically acclaimed movie The Usual Suspects came out, Esposito was nowhere close to the star he is today. In the movie, he portrays the FBI agent Jack Baer. Jack spends his time investigating the boat explosion and shootout involving gangsters in San Pedro Bay, Los Angeles.
Even though he doesn't get too much screentime like the other actors, Esposito's performance remains memorable. And he talks smart too, saying things like, "Listen, send me someone who can speak Hungarian. Yeah, he's awake, he's talking like a Thai sex worker."
5 The Boys (8.7)
Amazon series The Boys revolves around a group of vigilantes who spend their days fighting superpowered humans who abuse their abilities. The superpowered humans are owned by a corporation called Vought International which monetizes them.
Stan Edgar (Esposito) is the show's overarching villain. He is a wealthy and evil man who happens to be the former CEO of Vought International. As the corporation's founder, he is behind Compound V, a chemical that gives people superhuman strengths.
4 Better Call Saul (8.7)
In Better Call Saul, Esposito plays the same character that he does in Breaking Bad - Gustavo "Gus" Fring. Since the show is a prequel, we see Gus in his early days as an upcoming drug kingpin before he met Walter White. His rivalry with Hector Salamanca is also explored in detail.
Esposito isn't as compelling in this spinoff as he is in Breaking Bad. But this is no fault of his own. Breaking Bad had a way superior script. The show set standards that are difficult to reach. But despite the lack of intensity in the plot, Esposito still puts plenty of dedication into his role.
3 Westworld (8.7)
Esposito plays the dangerous outlaw El Lazo. He only appears on the show briefly but he does know how to make his mark. When The Man In Black asks El Lazo for help, he refuses and in a shocking turn of events, he goes on to commit suicide together with the rest of his soldiers.
It would have been great to see more of him but Westworld is already packed with good characters. Esposito also hinted that his character might just return in the future. In a science-fiction show like this one, the death of a character doesn't mean they are gone forever.
2 The Mandalorian (8.8)
In The Mandalorian, Esposito is the villain Moff Gideon who is after The Child aka Baby Yoda. As a moff (Imperial governor in charge of a space sector), Gideon commands a platoon of stormtroopers, scout troopers, and death troopers.
Gideon is also a former member of the Imperial Security Bureau. This was an intelligence agency tasked with keeping rebellious citizens, including most of the Mandalorian people in check. And at the end of the first season, Gideon is also shown to be in possession of a Darksaber.
1 Breaking Bad (9.5)
Gustavo "Gus" Fring (Esposito) is the owner of the Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant chain. He also doubles as a drug kingpin who has links with Mexico's Juarez cartel. When he gets into business with Walter White, it puts him in the cartel's bad books.
However, his relationship with Walt soon becomes strained. Despite being an intelligent and careful criminal, Walt manages to kill him by using his enemy Hector Salamanca as bait. In one of the best moments in the series, half of Gus' face gets blown when he goes to Hector's hospital room.
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