Mark Margolis, born 1939, is 74 today. An indomitable character actor whose career has spanned some 36 years, his presence has been felt in numerous films and television shows. Though he’s been around for almost four decades, his most successful and prominent role came recently, when he played the silent, bell-ringing, wheelchair-bound Hector “Tio” Salamanca on AMC’s Breaking Bad, for which he earned an Emmy nomination.
In the 70’s and 80’s he kicked around in various roles with names like “Doctor” and “Prison Guard,” the most notable of these being “Maintenance Man” in the hilarious 1987 Michael J. Fox movie The Secret of My Success. His named roles from that period include Alberto in Scarface and Charlie Workman in The Cotton Club. A role that would cause retroactive recognition for any 90’s kid who hasn’t seen it since Breaking Bad would be Mr. Shickadance, the landlord who pesters Ace Ventura about the rent and his bags full of pet food (in a building that doesn’t allow pets) in an early scene in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. 90’s indie fans might recognize him as Louis Solanas in Mary Harron’s film I Shot Andy Warhol. His first major TV role was on HBO’s OZ, where he played Antonio Nappa for 10 episodes. Also notable is that he’s a sort of good luck charm for Darren Aronofsky, having played a small role in all of his films – he’s most recognizable as a monk in The Fountain and the pawn shop owner who sells Sara Goldfarb back her TV in Requiem for a Dream.
His last roles included a three-episode run on American Horror Story: Asylum, and a supporting role in Stand Up Guys as a crime boss to the Al Pacino and Christopher Walken characters, where he once again made a huge impression with only a few lines and scenes. His next film is, of course, another Darren Aronofsky project – he will play Samyaza in the upcoming Noah.
Also born today:
Trevor Morgan (27)
Peter Facinelli (40)
Scott Adsit (48)
Daniel David (68)
Tina Turner (74)
One thought on “Birthday Wishes: Mark Margolis DING DING DING”
I like seeing Mark Margolis in any film that Aronofsky does and I can see why Aronofsky puts him in his films no matter how big or how small the roles are. That’s loyalty. Plus, I heard he still collects some nice residuals for his role in “Scarface”.