Hector Salamanca

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul veteran actor Mark Margolis has died at the Age Of 83, according to His Family .

Best known in The Role of Hector Salamanca on both series, he played a Drug Cartel member who uses a wheelchair after a stroke.

He Passed Away in a New York City hospital on Thursday after a short illness, his son said in a statement.

Margolis also had acting credits in films such Scarface, and Ace Ventura : Pet Detective, and HBO series Oz.

In the Emmy-nominated role of Salamanca, Margolis portrayed a hyper-violent gangster who is unable to speak and uses only a bell and facial expressions to communicate.

The Breaking Bad Facebook account paid tribute to him, posting: " 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. "

Mr Margolis, who grew up in Philadelphia, also featured in films such as Going in Style, Dressed to Kill, and Arthur.

He also had roles in six films by director Darren Aronofsky .

" I Am just a journeyman actor, "

He moved to New York at a young age and studied under famous acting coach Stella Adler .

Despite having over 70 film credits - spanning five Decades - He Said that there were times when he struggled as a performer in his earlier years.

" Truth to tell, six months after Scarface, " he once said, " I had to take a job with a Real Estate development friend for a few months just to get by. "

He Said that the Salamanca character was in part inspired by his mother-in-law, who also was unable to speak after a stroke.

" We used to visit her, and she couldn't speak. But she'd get excited when we came in The Room , and The Left side of her mouth would always do these contortions where The Lips would push out, almost like she was chewing tobacco. So I kind of stole that from her. "

In a 2013 interview, he told Time magazine that he enjoyed The Challenge of acting without speaking.

" It was a marvellous creature! The fact that he didn't have any words was not an issue for me, " He Said .

" I was delighted not to have to learn any lines. I mean, I had to know what was going on, I had my cues, but the fact that I didn't have to master lines was great. I got to fly out to New Mexico and not worry about memorising anything. "

Colleagues of his also paid tribute online.

" Mark made me laugh every time we were together on set, " wrote writer Thomas Schnauz , who worked with him on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

" My Love to His Family and many, many friends, " he added.

Peter Gould , one of the co-creators of Better Call Saul, tweeted: " Absolutely devastated to hear that we've lost Mark Margolis .

" Mark was brilliant, funny, a raconteur with A Million stories. I miss him already. "

Source of news: bbc.com