LOS ANGELES: Actor Geno Silva, best known for his role in the 1983 crime drama Scarface, has died aged 72.
The actor passed away on May 9 in Los Angeles of complications from frontotemporal degeneration, a form of dementia. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, their daughter, Lucia, as well as two grandchildren and his sister.
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Silva had a career on stage and screen, but it was his character as ‘The Skull’ who kills Al Pacino’s Tony Montana during the climax of the Brian De Palma-directed crime drama which is one of his most memorable characters.
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The actor also appeared in David Lynch’s critically acclaimed neo-noir Mulholland Drive (2001), featuring Naomi Watts. He also worked in a number of big studio films like Steven Spielberg’s Amistad and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, A Man Apart with F Gary Gray, and Tequila Sunrise.
On TV, Silva appeared in Hill Street Blues, Days of Our Lives, Key West, Walker Texas Rangers, Star Trek: Enterprise and Alias. On stage, he featured in the 1994 Peter Sellars’ stage production of “The Merchant of Venice” with Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz. Silva reunited with Ortiz for Jose Rivera’s off-Broadway production of “Sueno”.
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