‘Breaking Bad’ actor Mark Margolis dead aged 83

4 August 2023

‘Breaking Bad’ actor Mark Margolis has died aged 83.

‘Breaking Bad’ actor Mark Margolis has died aged 83

Best known for his role as the wheelchair-bound, bell-ringing drug kingpin Hector ‘Tío’ Salamanca on the hit show – for which he earned an Emmy nominee in 2012 – he passed away on Thursday. (03.08.23)

His son Morgan Margolis said his dad died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City after battling a short illness.

Mark reprised his ‘Breaking Bad’ role for five seasons of the spin-off series ‘Better Call Saul’ alongside Bob Odenkirk.

His final role was starring in his ‘Breaking Bad’ co-star Bryan Cranston’s Showtime series ‘Your Honor’, according to his IMDB profile.

Along with his son Morgan – who is CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment – Mark is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, to whom he was married for 61 years and three grandchildren.

Movies he is credited with include ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ and ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’.

He was also a notable stage acting and appeared as Gus in Tony Kushner’s ‘The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures’ in 2014.

Born in Philadelphia, he studied acting under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio.

His career kicked off in the mid-1970s before he landed his breakout role as Alberto the Shadow in 1983’s ‘Scarface’ starring Al Pacino.

Years later he appeared as a maths teacher in director Darren Aronofsky’s 1998 psychological thriller ‘Pi’

It was the start of a long working relationship, with Mark also starring in Darren’s films ‘Requiem for a Dream’, ‘The Fountain’, ‘The Wrestler’, ‘Black Swan’, and ‘Noah’.

Mark joked to The Hollywood Reporter about why Darren kept casting him: “He thinks he has an obligation!”

He added: “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.”