Bryan Cranston has led the tributes to 'Breaking Bad' actor Mark Margolis, following his death at the age of 83.
Bryan Cranston leads tributes to Mark Margolis
Mark was best known for his role as the wheelchair-bound, bell-ringing drug kingpin Hector ‘Tío’ Salamanca on the show and his final role was in Cranston's Showtime series ‘Your Honor'.
Bryan said in a tribute: "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.
"His quiet energy belied his mischievous nature and curious mind… And he loved sharing a good joke. I miss him already. Rest now, Mark and thank you for your friendship and your exceptional body of work."
Mark reprised his ‘Breaking Bad’ role for five seasons of the spin-off series ‘Better Call Saul’ alongside Bob Odenkirk and Bob shared: "A powerful screen presence! Mark made me laugh in the van on the way to set with his jokes and comments and I only hope I have half his energy and focus when ‘Action’ was shouted. Thank you, Mark, and condolences to your family.”
'Better Call Saul' co-creator Peter Gould added, “Absolutely devastated to hear that we’ve lost Mark Margolis. Mark was brilliant, funny, a raconteur with a million stories. I miss him already.“
The official 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' Twitter accounts shared the message: “We join millions of fans in mourning the passing of 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. He will be missed."
Mark's son Morgan Margolis revealed his father died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City after battling a short illness.
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’.
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