“Scarface” Actor Geno Silva Dies At 72

American actor Geno Silva, who is best remembered as the assassin who killed Tony Montana in Scarface, has died. He was 72.

Born in Albuquerque on January 20, 1948, to parents Jerry and Lucille Silva, Geno grew up in the Barelas neighbourhood with his sister, Liz Gallegos and brother, Jerry Silva. After moving to Los Angeles, Geno appeared in over 100 films, television shows and plays during his decades-long career as an actor.

In Scarface (1983), his character, The Skull, is one of the most memorable characters as he is the one who kills Al Pacino’s Tony Montana during the film’s climax.

He also appeared in David Lynch’s critically acclaimed neo-noir Mulholland Drive (2001) starring Naomi Watts. His credits also include many big-banner films such as Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) as well as A Man Apart (2003) from F. Gary Gray, 1941 (1979) and Tequila Sunrise (1988).

His television credits include Hill Street Blues, Days of Our Lives, Key West, Walker Texas Rangers, Star Trek: Enterprise and Alias. In 1994, he appeared in the Peter Sellars’ stage production of The Merchant of Venice with Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz. He reunited with Ortiz for Jose Rivera’s (The Motorcycle Diaries) off-Broadway production of Sueño.

Geno Silva is survived by his wife, Pamela; daughter Lucia; grandchildren Eva and Levon; and sister Elizabeth.