Mark Margolis, Jewish actor behind one of Breaking Bad's most iconic characters, dies at 83

— Breaking Bad (@BreakingBad) August 4, 2023

The actor was hospitalised at Mount Sinai medical center in New York City and died following a short illness with his wife Jacqueline and son Morgan by his side.

Margolis played over 50 roles in his career and described himself as a showbusiness "journeyman."

At the age of 19, Margolis dropped out of Temple University in Philadelphia and moved to New York to pursue acting, studying under Stella Adler, scion of the Adler family of Yiddish theatre actors.

He starred in several iconic films including Scarface, Requiem for a Dream

He found fame later in life playing the notorious drug kingpin Hector Salamanca in the hit show Breaking Bad and its spinoff, Better Call Saul - which focused on an Irish lawyer who pretended to be Jewish to attract clients.

In a statement, his manager Robert Kolker said: " “He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him.”

His co-stars on Breaking Bad paid tribute to him on social media, with Bob Odenkirk describing him as "a powerful screen presence" and Dean Norris calling him: "A phenomenal actor, a funny guy."