New York, New York - Mark Margolis, the veteran actor best known for playing former drug kingpin Hector Salamanca on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has passed away at the age of 83.

Margolis' death was announced by his son Morgan, who said his father passed away at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York "following a short illness."

Margolis, who was born in Philadelphia on November 26, 1939, had a career in Hollywood that spanned decades and including films such as Scarface, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. He also appeared in nearly all of Darren Aronofsky’s films, including Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and Black Swan.

But his portrayal of Salamanca, the stroke-stricken uncle in charge of a Mexican crime family, drew widespread praise from critics and viewers alike, earning the actor his first Emmy nomination.

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"I was only coming onto Breaking Bad as far as I knew for that one episode, but there's no accounting for taste, and the fans took a fancy to me," Margolis told the Hollywood Reporter in a 2012 interview.

"Somebody asked me recently, 'How did you manage to play such a horrible guy?' and I said, 'Have you talked to my friends?' They'll tell you I'm pretty miserable to begin with."

Margolis also appeared on scores of television shows, with recurring roles on The Equalizer, Quantum Leap, and HBO's Oz, where he portrayed Antonio Nappa, an inmate infected with HIV. He also played Dr. Nel Apgar on Star Trek: The Next Generation, a paranoid scientist with a murderous streak.

"He was one of a kind," Robert Kolker, Margolis' longtime manager, said in a statement. "We won't see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him."

His Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston also paid tribute to him on Instagram, writing: "Mark Margolis was a really good actor and a lovely human being... Rest now, Mark and thank you for your friendship and your exceptional body of work."