For decades, character actors from Jewish, Italian, and Greek backgrounds frequently moved between Mediterranean and Latin American roles. Margolis possessed deep-set eyes, an expressive visage, and a commanding voice that casting directors repeatedly deployed for menacing, foreign-born figures.
His breakthrough into modern pop culture came in Brian De Palma's 1983 classic Scarface. Margolis played Alberto "The Shadow", the ruthless hitman sent alongside Tony Montana to assassinate an activist in New York. Margolis delivered a cold, wordless presence that ended when Montana shot Alberto in the head for refusing to spare a car carrying children. That performance cemented his reputation among casting directors as an actor who could project absolute menace without speaking extensive dialogue.
Online forums and television communities frequently debate whether actors of non-Hispanic descent should portray cartel figures. On Reddit's television communities, discussions regarding the Breaking Bad cast ethnicity highlight how Margolis and Giancarlo Esposito (who is of Italian and African-American descent, playing the Chilean-born Gus Fring) pulled off portrayals that were praised for dramatic gravitas despite imperfect Spanish accents. Margolis openly acknowledged in multiple interviews that his Spanish was rudimentary at best, crediting dialect coaches and his physical posture for convincing audiences.
