Mark Margolis, a gifted journeyman character actor, died last week at the age of 83.
Some will remember Margolis for his role as Alberto The Shadow in Scarface. Others know him as Mr. Shickadance from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, while others might recognize him from his appearances in six different films by Darren Aronofsky, including Black Swan and The Wrestler.
While he had many roles – more than 160 acting credits – in a lengthy career that stretched from 1976 to 2023, Margolis’ most iconic on-screen performance was portraying the villainous drug lord confined to a wheelchair, Hector “Tio” Salamanca in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Fans of Vince Gilligan’s epic show about the math teacher turned meth kingpin Walter White first meet Hector in the second episode of the second season of Breaking Bad. He’s introduced as the uncle of the reckless drug dealer Tuco Salamanca. While Hector is paralyzed, bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak, he still has a sharp eye and remains incredibly smart and ruthless throughout the show – displaying much of it through the use of a bell.
While Hector has his moments in Breaking Bad that bring both comedy and terror, viewers get a fuller picture of him in Better Call Saul. While the prequel focuses mostly on Jimmy McGill’s transformation into Saul Goodman, it also illustrates the earlier days of the drug trade in New Mexico, and Hector’s reign as the cartel’s top man in Albuquerque before the rise of Gustavo Fring. We get to see Hector before he’s strapped to a wheelchair, and with the full use of both English and Spanish to deliver threats and barbs – some subtle, and some not.
Margolis earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his turn as Hector Salamanca. In Breaking Bad, he showed that he didn’t need dialogue to be fearsome. And in Better Call Saul, he got to show off the character’s quick trigger, rage and complexity.
Here are a few more of Margolis’ noteworthy scenes as Hector Salamanca from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
A warning here for spoilers and NSFW material and language.