Geno Silva, an actor best known for playing the silent assassin that took down Tony Montana in 1983’s “Scarface,” has died. He was 72.
The actor died in his home in Los Angeles on May 9 of complications from a form of dementia known as frontotemporal degeneration, something he had suffered with for the last 15 years, his family told The Hollywood Reporter).
In “Scarface,” Silva played The Skull, the man who finally brings down Al Pacino’s character in the bloody climax to Brian De Palma’s 1983 film, all without uttering a word.
Silva also worked with Steven Spielberg on three occasions, including his wartime comedy “1941,” “Jurassic Park: The Lost World” and the drama “Amistad.” Some of his other film credits included small roles in David Lynch’s “Mulholland Dr.,” “Tequila Sunrise” and “A Man Apart.” He most recently acted in the 2005 film “Tortilla Heaven.”
On television, he starred as Hector Allegria in the American drama series “Key West.” He also popped up in episodes of “Days of Our Lives,” “Alias,” “Walker: Texas Ranger” and “MacGyver.”
Silva was born in 1948 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was also a veteran stage actor, appearing alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman in a 1994 production of “The Merchant of Venice.” He also starred in the play “Sueño” written by Jose Rivera.