Mark Margolis, the actor best known for his role in Breaking Bad and its prequel Better Call Saul, has died. He was 83.
His son, Morgan Margolis — also an actor and the CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment — confirmed the sad news to The Hollywood Reporter. According to the outlet, Margolis died on Thursday (Aug. 4) at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City following a short illness.
Born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia in 1939, Margolis moved to New York City at 19 years old to pursue a career in acting. He ultimately took on roles in more than 50 off-Broadway plays, including Uncle Sam and The Golem, according to Variety.
The actor’s first film credit was as an extra in the pornographic comedy movie The Opening of Misty Beethoven in 1976 — but he didn’t have his breakout role until 1983 when he starred as Alberto The Shadow in Scarface. He also appeared as Mr. Shickadance in the Jim Carrey-led comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and appeared in 2003’s superhero flick Daredevil.
As a frequent collaborator of director Darren Aronofsky, Margolis also acted in movies like Noah, Black Swan, Pi and The Wrestler.
But perhaps his most notable role was playing Hector Salamanca, the former drug kingpin and Cartel founding father in the Breaking Bad universe. Margolis earned an Emmy nomination in 2012 for his role on the show, before going on to star opposite Bob Odenkirk in five seasons of Better Call Saul, which ran from 2016 to 2022.
Aside from his work on the Vince Gilligan series, he also has television credits for recurring roles in Blue Bloods, Oz, The Equalizer and American Horror Story: Asylum. Plus, he most recently starred in two episodes of the Bryan Cranston-led drama series Your Honor, reuniting with Walter White himself.
“He was one of a kind. We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him,” his manager Robert Kolker said in a statement to Variety.
Margolis is survived by his wife of 60 years Jacqueline, his son and his wife, Heide, his grandsons Ben, Aidan and Henry, and his brother and his wife, Jerome and Ann.
