‘Breaking Bad’ Star Mark Margolis Dead at 83

Breaking Bad star Mark Margolis has died. He was 83 years old. TMZ reports that Margolis’ reps shared the sad news that the actor passed away after a short illness. Their statement added that he died at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, on Thursday, with his wife of 61 years, Jacqueline, and his son Morgan, at his bedside. 

While Margolis is most well-known for playing crime boss “Tio” Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad — a role he would later go on to reprise in Better Call Saul — he has been starring in films for many decades. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1939, Marhgolis got into acting as an adult. He would eventually go on to appear in TV shows such as The Equalizer and OZ, as well as films like Scarface and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. In addition to his wife and son, Margolis is survived by his son’s wife, Heide, and three grandsons.

Last year, Looper published an AMC interview with Margolis, in which the actor spoke about playing Hector and what he enjoyed most. “I loved being in the chair and not having the ability to speak, but [I also love] having a mind that works to show I’m still connected to what’s coming at me,” he said of his initial performance in Breaking Bad. “I love working with Vince Gilligan and the crew. They are just amazing,” 

Margolis added, “It’s hard to pick one thing. In this case, I was thrilled about having an opportunity to work with Jonathan Banks.” He then confessed that reprising the role on Better Call Saul was a bit intimidating, due to how much more he’d have to talk. “[The first thing I thought about was] that I had to start speaking and that my notoriety would probably go down the tubes once I started talking,” he quipped. “I was pretty good when I didn’t speak!”

Finally, Margolis revealed that he nearly missed out on playing Hector, as a friend of his was initially up for the role. Luckily for Margolis, the other actor wasn’t a fan of the role not having any lines. “I looked at the script and thought oh my, I don’t have to learn any lines,” Margolis recalled. “I just have to fly out to New Mexico, get into the scene and think. And for me it was heaven.”