Breaking Bad star Mark Margolis has died at the age of 86.
The legendary character actor was perhaps best known as Hector Salamanca in the hit TV shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul but starred in hundreds of films and TV shows over the course of his career.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Margolis died on Thursday at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City following a short illness.
Aside from his Breaking Bad role, Margolis received critical acclaim for appearing as Alberto the Shadow in the 1983 crime classic, Scarface.
For ‘90s kids, he will perhaps best be remembered as landlord Mr. Shickadance in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
He also starred as mob boss Antonio Nappa in HBO’s Oz.
Margolis eventually became a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, first appearing in his conceptual psychological thriller, Pi. He went on to star in Aronofsky’s next five movies, with a role in Requiem for a Dream followed by The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Noah.
“He thinks he has an obligation!” he told The Hollywood Reporter about Aronofsky’s loyalty. “I started with him on his first movie, the $60,000 Pi, when he was unknown. I chased him for three months because he kept lying to me about when I’d get my money. I finally threatened to call his mother, who was craft services on the film. Then he finally paid me.”
Margolis landed the part of “Tio” Salamanca in Breaking Bad’s second season, and was nominated for an Emmy for the role, which saw him communicate largely with facial expressions as well as a ringing bell.
“Absolutely devastated to hear that we’ve lost Mark Margolis,” said Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul writer-producer Peter Gould on Twitter. “Mark was brilliant, funny, a raconteur with a million stories. I miss him already.”
Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston said: “Mark Margolis was a really good actor and a lovely human being. Fun and engaging off the set, and (in the case of Breaking Bad and Your Honor) intimidating and frightening on set. His quiet energy belied his mischievous nature and curious mind … And he loved sharing a good joke. … Rest now, Mark and thank you for your friendship and your exceptional body of work.”
Margolis is survived by his son, Morgan Margolis, his wife, and his grandsons Ben, Aidan, and Henry.
