An Inside Look at ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ Actor Mark Margolis’ Diverse Acting Career

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are hailed as some of the best television shows of all time, with a cast full of talented actors such as Mark Margolis. The 82-year-old actor has appeared in a variety of films and TV shows. He even had a role in a 1970s adult film.

Mark Margolis plays Hector Salamanca in ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul’

Mark Margolis joined the cast of Breaking Bad as Hector Salamanca in season 2. He is first introduced when Tuco brings Walt and Jesse to the desert. On the Better Call Saul Insider podcast, Margolis revealed that he didn’t expect to be on the show for so long.

“They brought me in for one episode with Tuco in the wilderness in a cabin where he had kidnapped Walt and Jesse. I don’t think I was supposed to go any further but they took a fancy to me or they lowered their standards,” Margolis joked. “Which was nice.”

Hector later became a significant character in Breaking Bad, despite not having a single line throughout the series. Margolis then reprised his role in the spinoff Better Call Saul. This time his character was able to walk and talk through part of the series.

Mark Margolis has played a wide range of characters

Apart from his roles in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Mark Margolis has a host of other acting credits. He has had roles in films ranging from the 1983 Scarface to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Margolis also frequently collaborated with film director Darren Aronofsky. He has appeared in movies such as  Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Noah, Black Swan, and The Fountain, IMDb says.

Despite his diverse range of acting credits, according to IMDb, Margolis once stated, “There is an endless range of parts I have not played. I would love to do a whole slew of period pieces. I also used to do a lot of stage work, and I would like to go back to that from time to time.”

Margolis appeared in an adult film in the 1970s

Years ago in the 1970s, Margolis appeared in an adult film titled The Opening of Misty Beethoven. His character on IMDb is listed only as “Unhappy Guy on Plane.” During an episode of the Better Call Saul Insider podcast, Margolis explained how he ended up in the film.

The actor stated, “I needed money. I wasn’t working much, I mean I did some theater. I did a lot of theater, which doesn’t pay very well, especially off of Broadway. Somebody told me that there was this woman who was casting porn films. I should go see her.”

Margolis also explained that he didn’t actually have to get involved in the hard-core part of the film. “She says well — and I needed money — ‘If you’ll get into the heavy stuff we’ll give you a thousand dollars for the day. If not we’ll do something other than that and we’ll give you five hundred.’ So I opted for the ‘I don’t want to get involved.'”

Although this wasn’t the type of Margolis usually would have taken it to need up being a pretty good deal. “Five hundred dollars was a good piece of change in my situation in ’76 and as long as I didn’t have to take off any clothes…”

Better Call Saul Season 6 returns with new episodes on July 11, 2022.