Mark Margolis, 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul' actor, dead at 83

Mark Margolis, a veteran actor known for his performances on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," has died, his son, actor and Knitting Factory Entertainment CEO Morgan Margolis, told CNN in a statement.

Margolis died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City following a short illness, according to his son. He was 83.

Margolis received an Emmy nomination in 2012 for portraying Hector "Tio" Salamanca in "Breaking Bad." Tio, a fan-favorite character, was a former cartel enforcer who communicated using a brass bell attached to his wheelchair. He later played Tio as a younger man, before he was in a wheelchair, in the prequel series "Better Call Saul."

"It was a marvelous creature! The fact that he didn't have any words was not an issue for me," Margolis told Time in 2013 of the role. "I was delighted not to have to learn any lines. I mean, I had to know what was going on, I had to 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 memorizing anything."

Margolis also appeared in "Scarface," "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," and "Oz," among many other titles spanning back to 1976. He worked often with director Darren Aronofsky and appeared in six of his movies.

The actor studied under legendary acting teacher Stella Adler in New York.

Though he had well more than 100 film and television credits, Margolis found the staying power of his performance as Tio surprising.