Mark Margolis, an Emmy-nominated character actor with decades of experience but who’s probably best known for his role as Hector “Tio” Salamanca in Breaking Bad and spinoff Better Call Saul, died yesterday after a short illness. He was 83.
His son, Morgan Morgolis, announced the news, and Mark Margolis’ manager Robert Kolker told Deadline, “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.”
Mark Margolis was born in Philadelphia in 1939 before moving to New York to study acting, where he studied under Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and Barbara Loden.
He would nab a few stage roles before getting his film breakout in Brian De Palma’s Scarface in 1983 as Alberto “The Shadow.” He would also go on to collaborate frequently with Darren Aronofsky on the big screen, appearing Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Noah.
But he was even more prolific in television, with roles in TV shows like the original Equalizer, Constantine, Law & Order, Guiding Light, Santa Barbara, Ed, Oz, Blue Bloods, Californication, The Affair, The Good Wife, American Horror Story, and an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
But, as noted, he may be best remembered for playing Hector Salamanca starting in Breaking Bad, for which he was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Emmy in 2012. He appeared as one of Walter White’s antagonists from 2009-2011, and would reprise the role in Better Call Saul for 22 episodes.
Fittingly, one of Morgolis’ final TV roles was a reunion with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in Showtime series Your Honor. He was also recently seen in Matthew Coppola’s Broken Soldier.
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Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
