Character actorMark Margolis, best known as cartel enforcer Hector Salamanca onBreaking BadandBetter Call Saul, has died. Margolis was 83. Margolis died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York after a brief illness, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
A protégé of famed acting teacherStella Adler, Margolis made his screen debut with a bit part in the erotic comedyThe Opening of Misty Beethoven. After small parts inDressed to KillandArthur, his first major role came in theBrian De Palmagangster classicScarface, in which he played Alberto, a gangster who accompanies Tony Montana (Al Pacino) to an unsuccessful assassination attempt that ends with Alberto’s paying the ultimate price.
Larger roles followed, including a recurring role as surveillance expert Jimmy on the ’80s drama seriesThe Equalizer,Jim Carrey’s irascible landlord in the star-making comedyAce Ventura: Pet Detective, and a recurring role as dying Mafioso Angelo Nappa on the prison dramaOz. He also collaborated frequently with directorDarren Aronofsky, with a prominent role in his directorial debutPi, and appearances in his subsequent filmsRequiem for a Dream,The Fountain,The Wrestler,Black Swan, andNoah.
Who Was Hector Salamanca?
Margolis' best-known role came late in his career, with the showy role of aged gangster Hector Salamanca on AMC’s acclaimedBreaking Bad. Although Salamanca was paralyzed by a stroke and able to communicate only with a ringing bell, Margolis (who did not speak Spanish) effectively communicated the elderly gangster’s fury, hatred, and vindictiveness solely through his facial expressions, earning him a Best Guest Actor Emmy nomination. Margolis based the performance on his late mother-in-law, who was similarly affected by a stroke. Although Salamanca died in the show’sfourth-season finale, assisting in the explosive assassination of rival drug lord Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), Margolis returned to the role in the prequel seriesBetter Call Saul, depicting Salamanca as a younger man, both before and after his stroke.
With such a prominent role under his belt, Margolis became a sought-after TV guest star, making appearances onThe Blacklist,American Horror Story,Gotham, andConstantine, where he played legendary DC supervillain, Felix Faust. Recently, he reunited with hisBreaking Badco-starBryan Cranston, playing a recurring role onYour Honor.
Margolis is survived by his wife,Jacqueline Margolis, who he married in 1962; their son,Morgan Margolis; his brotherJerome Margolis; and three grandchildren. May his memory be a blessing.
