Gus Fring

Gus Fring
Breaking Bad character
Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring in Better Call Saul
First appearance
Last appearance
Created byVince Gilligan
George Mastras
Portrayed byGiancarlo Esposito
In-universe information
Full nameGustavo Fring
AliasChicken Man
NicknameGus
Occupation
Significant otherMaximino "Max" Arciniega (deceased)
OriginChile
NationalityChilean American
Date of birthc. 1958
Republic of Chile
Date of deathJuly 15, 2009
(aged 50-51)

Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the Breaking Bad franchise, serving as the main antagonist in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and a major character in its prequel Better Call Saul. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses, including a chain of successful fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos (The Chicken Brothers) and an industrial laundry facility called Lavandería Brillante (Bright Laundry), as fronts used to launder money for a vast drug operation.

Though outwardly he works with the Mexican cartel to distribute cocaine, he secretly plots revenge against its members over the death of his business associate and romantic partner Maximino "Max" Arciniega at the hands of his sworn archenemy Hector Salamanca, the patriarch of the cartel-backed drug trade in the Southwest. To become independent of the cartel's meth, he constructs a secret lab under his industrial laundry to manufacture methamphetamine.

Fring was created as a character to replace that of Tuco Salamanca (played by departing actor Raymond Cruz) during the second season of Breaking Bad. Gus, as a stoic businessman, was created to be opposite to the chaotic Tuco and act as a foil to protagonist Walter White. The character has received high acclaim, with critics hailing Gus as one of the best villains in television; as such, Esposito's performance in the role has earned him several nominations and awards.