Giancarlo Giuseppi Alessandro Esposito was born on April 26, 1958 in Denmark. He is an American film and television actor.

At the age of ten he made his Broadway debut in the short-lived Maggie Flynn. Esposito appeared in small roles in films such as Maximum Overdrive, King of New York, and Trading Places and TV shows such as Miami Vice and Spenser: For Hire.

On the big screen, Esposito started appearing in Spike Lee films during the late '80s in a wide range of roles with great character names. He was the frat leader Julian "Big Brother Almighty" in School Daze, the outspoken reactionary Buggin' Out in Do the Right Thing, the dandy pianist Left Hand Lacey in Mo' Better Blues, and the criminal Thomas Hayer in Malcolm X.

Esposito's other film roles include an investigative journalist in Bob Roberts, an activist in Amos & Andrew, and a game show host in Reckless. In 1995, he earned an Independent Spirit award nomination for his supporting role of doting drug dealer Esteban in Boaz Yakin's debut drama Fresh. Esposito also appeared in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's Smoke, along with the sequel Blue in the Face. The next year, he turned briefly to producing with the independent prison film The Keeper, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

He also starred in Last Holiday (2006) and SherryBaby (2006).

He married to Joy McManigal.

Filmography

• Gospel Hill (2007)
• Racing Daylight (2007)
• Feel the Noise (2007)
• The Box (2007)
• "Kidnapped" (2 episodes, 2007)
• "Las Vegas" (1 episode, 2006)
• "CSI: Miami" (1 episode, 2006)
• Rain (2006)
• "Bones" (1 episode, 2006)
• "Ghost Whisperer" (1 episode, 2006)
• "South Beach" (4 episodes, 2006)
• SherryBaby (2006)
• Last Holiday (2006)
• Xenophobia (2006)
• Derailed (2005)
• Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)
• "Law & Order" (5 episodes, 1996-2005)
• "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (1 episode, 2005)
• Chupacabra Terror (2005)
• Hate Crime (2005)
• I Will Avenge You, Iago! (2005)
• Back in the Day (2005)
• Doing Hard Time (2004)
• 5ive Days to Midnight (2004)
• "Soul Food" (2 episodes, 2004)
• A Killer Within (2004)
• "Half & Half" (1 episode, 2004)
• Noise (2004)
• NYPD 2069 (2004)
• Blind Horizon (2003)
• "Street Time" (1 episode, 2003)
• "Lucky" (1 episode, 2003)
• "The Division" (1 episode, 2003)
• Ash Tuesday (2003)
• "Girls Club" (2002)
• "A Nero Wolfe Mystery" (1 episode, 2002)
• "Third Watch" (1 episode, 2002)
• "The Practice" (1 episode, 2002)
• "100 Centre Street" (1 episode, 2001)
• Ali (2001)
• Piñero (2001)
• "Strong Medicine" (1 episode, 2001)
• Monkeybone (2001)
• "The $treet" (12 episodes, 2000-2001)
• "Touched by an Angel" (1 episode, 2000)
• Homicide: The Movie (2000)
• Josephine (2000)
• "Nash Bridges" (2 episodes, 1996-1999)
• Big City Blues (1999)
• "Homicide: Life on the Street" (22 episodes, 1998-1999)
• Thirst (1998)
• Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998)
• Where's Marlowe? (1998)
• Lulu on the Bridge (1998)
• Phoenix (1998)
• Creature (1998)
• "NYPD Blue" (2 episodes, 1996-1998)
• Twilight (1998)
• "The Hunger" (1 episode, 1998)
• Stardust (1998)
• Trouble on the Corner (1997)
• Five Desperate Hours (1997)
• Nothing to Lose (1997)
• The Maze (1997)
• The People (1997)
• "Living Single" (1 episode, 1996)
• "Swift Justice" (3 episodes, 1996)
• "Chicago Hope" (1 episode, 1996)
• California (1996)
• The Tomorrow Man (1996)
• Loose Women (1996)
• Waiting to Exhale (1995)
• "Fallen Angels" (1 episode, 1995)
• "New York Undercover" (3 episodes, 1995)
• Blue in the Face (1995)
• The Keeper (1995)
• Reckless (1995)
• Smoke (1995)
• Kla$h (1995)
• The Usual Suspects (1995)
• "Bakersfield P.D." (17 episodes, 1993-1994)
• Benders (1994)
• Fresh (1994)
• Seven Songs for Malcolm X (1993)
• Amos & Andrew (1993)
• Relentless: Mind of a Killer (1993)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• Bob Roberts (1992)
• Night on Earth (1991)
• Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
• "Lifestories" (1 episode, 1990)
• Mo' Better Blues (1990)
• King of New York (1990)
• Do the Right Thing (1989)
• School Daze (1988)
• "Leg Work" (1 episode, 1987)
• "Spenser: For Hire" (1 episode, 1987)
• Sweet Lorraine (1987)
• Heartbeat (1987)
• "The Equalizer" (1 episode, 1986)
• Maximum Overdrive (1986)
• Roanoak (1986)
• Rockabye (1986)
• "Miami Vice" (3 episodes, 1984-1985)
• Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
• Finnegan Begin Again (1985)
• "CBS Schoolbreak Special" (1 episode, 1985)
• Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985)
• The Cotton Club (1984)
• Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1983)
• Trading Places (1983)
• "The Guiding Light" (1952)
• Taps (1981)
• The Gentleman Bandit (1981)
• Running (1979)
• Et Salammbo? (1970)

Awards

• OBIE Award Performance "Distant Fires" 1992 - 93
• Drama Desk Award Outstanding Ensemble Performance "Balm in Gilead" 1985
• Theatre World Award "Zooman and the Sign" 1981
• OBIE Award Performance "Zooman and the Sign" 1980 - 81