Mark Margolis was an instantly recognizable presence onscreen. He’s best known for his role as Hector Salamanca on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but Margolis – who died on Friday at age 83 – had been stealing the show from his more famous co-stars since the 1970s. He was a consistently engaging figure, and his versatility led to him being perfect in both comedies and gritty dramas.
Margolis was never a household name, but rather a household face. He was recognizable, even if you didn’t know his name (a definitive “that guy”). Given his proximity to classic films and TV shows, however, there are several fans who may be curious about Margolis’ net worth, and how much he was worth at the time of his death.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Margolis had a net worth of $2.5 million. Given that he didn’t partake in advertisements or endorsements, it’s safe to assume that most of his money came from his acting roles. Margolis got his start in the most prestigious way imaginable. He studied under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio, and was later trained by Lee Strasberg, which is another way of saying he had the two most revered acting teachers of all-time before he turned 20.
He made his screen debut in Going in Style (1978), but it was his appearance in Scarface (1983) that brought him to the attention of moviegoers worldwide. Margolis played Alberto the Shadow, a Colombian hitman who runs afoul of the titular gangster, which began a long trend of roles in which he played ethnicities other than his own. Margolis continued to land supporting roles in notable films like The Bedroom Window (1987), Glory (1989) and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), but it was a supporting turn in the low-budget thriller Pi (1998) that proved to be a career-changer.
Pi was the directorial debut of Darren Aronofsky, who would go on to cast Margolis in several more films, including Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010). The latter two were box office successes that were nominated for multiple Oscars.
Margolis joked about his working relationship with Aronofsky during a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I started with him on his first movie, the $60,000 Pi, when he was unknown,” he explained. “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 craft services on the film. Then he finally paid me.”
Margolis dabbled in television throughout the 1990s, but it wasn’t until he was cast on Breaking Bad that he landed his signature role. As Hector Salamanca, the leader of a Mexican cartel, he drew universal praise from fans and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, before reprising his role in the acclaimed prequel series, Better Call Saul.
Several of Margolis’ former collaborators, including Aronofsky and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, have released statements praising the late actor. “Mark Margolis was a really good actor and a lovely human being,” Cranston wrote on Instagram. “Fun and engaging off the set, and intimidating and frightening on set. His quiet energy belied his mischievous nature and curious mind… I miss him already.”