Geno Silva, who is best known for his role in the 1983 film 'Scarface,' has died at age 72.
The actor's family confirmed in a Legacy obituary on Sunday that Silva passed away on May 9 in Los Angeles. In ’Scarface,', Silva plays ’The Skull’ and is the assassin who kills Al Pacino's character, Tony Montana, according to Deadline.
He had suffered from frontotemporal degeneration, a common form of dementia, for 15 years and died from related complications.
Silva's career spanned decades and included more than 100 onscreen and onstage projects.
Silva also delivered memorable performances in Steven Spielberg's 1997 films, 'Amistad' and 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park,' as well as David Lynch's surreal neo-noir mystery, 'Mulholland Drive.' His TV appearances include 'Days of Our Lives,' 'Walker Texas Rangers,' and 'Star Trek: Enterprise and Alias.'
Silva tended to play rougher characters onscreen but his friend, Laura Fuino, said the star was nothing like that in real life.
"He played all the tough guys, but he was very well read and elegant," said Fuino, per USA Today. "He was just a kind, caring person, a real gentle giant."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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