Biography - Sam Esmail

Who is Sam Esmail?

Sam Esmail is a producer, director, and screenwriter by profession and American by nationality. He is well known for his work in the TV series Mr. Robot and the films Homecoming and also runs the production company, Esmail Corp.

Sam Esmail – Age, Parents, Siblings

Sam Esmail’s birth took place on September 17, 1977, in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. He was born to a Muslim mother and father who were both immigrant parents. 

He is not the only child of his parents and has three siblings- an older sister and two younger brothers. One of his brothers is Samer who worked as an editor for Mr. Robot and Homecoming. 

Growing up Esmail and his family moved a few times. At the age of 5, he and his family moved to South Carolina and then to Charlotte, North Carolina. From a young age, he was interested in technology and was just 9 years old when he acquired his first computer and began writing his own code.

Education Ethnicity

For education Sam Esmail attended Washington Township High School, graduating in 1995. He went on to study film and computer science at New York University and graduated from the university's Tisch School of the Arts in 1998. He also studied at AFI Conservatory, graduating in 2004 with a Master of Fine Arts in directing.

His ethnicity is Egyptian.

Sam Esmail – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Sam Esmail started dating actress Emmy Rossum in 2014. They had first met when he directed his debut film Comet, in which she worked as an actress. 

After two years of dating he and his longtime girlfriend in August. The couple married on May 28, 2017, at a Reform synagogue in New York City as  Rossum is Jewish. He and his wife welcomed their first child together - a daughter named Samantha Esmail on May 24, 2021.

The married pair are living blissfully without rumors of extra-marital affairs or divorce.

Sam Esmail – Career

Early Career

After completing his high school education Sam Esmail briefly worked for an internet start-up and went on to launch his own ISP software company Portal Vision. After broadband internet began replacing dial-up, the company became outdated. 

So he left his position as president and chief technology officer of the company and attended Dartmouth College's creative writing program before moving to Los Angeles in 2001. There he attended AFI Conservatory a Master of Fine Arts in directing in 2004.

However, Sam Esmail struggled to find work and worked odd jobs including as an assistant editor, and screenwriter.

Also read: Caitlin FitzGerald - Actress of Masters of Sex (TV series)

Series, Films

While working as a screenwriter, Esmail co-wrote 2014’s horror film Mockingbird with writer Bryan Bertino. In 2014 he released his directorial debut Comet, a romantic comedy-drama film.

His drama thriller TV series Mr. Robot, which he had been working on since the late 2000s premiered on the USA Network on June 24, 2015. The first season earned him two Emmy nominations and the next two seasons were also a massive hit.

Since then he has worked as an executive producer of the 2016 documentary film Risk. Moreover, he has directed and executive produced the physiological thriller web TV series Homecoming since 2018. In 2020’s anthology series Briarpatch, Sam Esmail worked as an executive producer.

Co-stars

Sam Esmail’s fellow Briarpatch cast includes Rosario Dawson, Jay R. Ferguson, Brian Geraghty, Kim Dickens, Edi Gathegi, etc.

Also read: Jon Donahue - Actor of Bios, Inferno 

Sam Esmail – Awards, Nominations

Sam Esmail has been nominated for over two dozen awards, among which he has won the Gotham Independent Film Awards (2015), Writers Guild Awards (2016), Golden Globe Awards  (2016), Critics Choice Television Awards (2016), Satellite Awards (2019). He has also earned 2 Primetime Emmy Awards (2016).

Sam Esmail – Net Worth, Salary

His net worth has been estimated at around $16 million while the figure on his annual salary has not been shared with the public.

Sam Esmail – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media handles, Sam Esmail is active on Instagram, and Twitter with thousands of followers but is absent from Facebook.

Also read: Caleb Landry Jones - Actor of Get Out (film)