A major loss in the Hollywood television industry as veteran actor, Mark Margolis, who played the sinister, wheelchair-bound cartel don Hector Salamanca in acclaimed TV shows ‘Breaking Bad‘ and ‘Better Call Saul,’ took his last breath at the age of 83, his family said.
Reportedly, the actor died on Thursday at a New York hospital amid his short illness, with his wife and son at his bedside, said the official statement by his family.
Soon after the news of Margolis’s demise was announced, the actors and netizens extended condolences to his family. ‘Breaking Bad’ star Bryan Cranston led the tributes on his Insta post: “I am very saddened today to learn of a friend’s passing.”
“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,” he said further in the caption.
That’s not it, Bob Odenkirk, the star of the spin-off series ‘Better Call Saul,’ called Margolis a ‘Powerful screen presence.’
Further, an official ‘Breaking Bad’ social media account praised “the immensely talented Mark Margolis, who — with his eyes, a bell, and very few words — turned Hector Salamanca into one of the most unforgettable characters in the history of television.”
In one of the iconic TV shows, Margolis’ character depicts a patriarch of the drug-smuggling Salamanca family, who suffers a stroke after being poisoned by a rival — is only able to communicate by tapping a bell with his finger.
Taking notes from his career, Margolis was born in Philadelphia in 1939. Then he moved to New York to pursue acting.
He forged a successful career as a character actor, with supporting roles in films such as ‘Scarface,’ ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ and ‘Black Swan,’ as well as the HBO series ‘Oz.’
He was also nominated for an Emmy for ‘Breaking Bad’ back in 2012. He was married to his wife Jacqueline for 61 years, as well as their only child Morgan and their three grandsons.
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