Breaking Bad actor Mark Margolis dies 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 (Aug 3).

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 has 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 actor 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 doing craft services on the film. Then he finally paid me."

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