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Character actor Vachik Mangassarian has died. He was 78.
A rep for Mangassarian told PEOPLE that he died of COVID-19 related complications on Saturday in Burbank, California.
Born in Iran in 1943, Mangassarian emigrated to the United States at age 23, working as a waiting in Los Angeles while dreaming of a career in Hollywood. He pursed his passion for acting with gigs in theater and a few roles in movies back in Iran, before landing his big break withThe South’s Sharkin 1978.
From there, the actor appeared inThe Fall Guy, The A-Team, Sledge Hammer!, Murder, She Wrote, Murphy Brown, Falcon Crest, Jake and the FatmanandNYPD Blue, among others, perDeadline.
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Later, he would play parts inMarvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(playing Qasim Zaghlul), Curb Your EnthusiasmandNCIS: Los Angeles.
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Mangassarian was of Armenian descent, and kept close ties to his heritage all his life. He was praised for his 2008 performance inThe Stoning of Soraya M.,portraying the father of an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death on false charges. He was also a key player in getting the 2012 filmLost and Found in Armeniainto production. The landmark feature marked the first time in Armenian movie history that Armenian and American actors acted alongside one another, the outlet reported.
Prior to his death, Mangassarian had shared Facebook posts about his opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, including memes suggesting that the pandemic was part of a grand conspiracy, according to theDaily Beast, which obtained a statement from Mangassarian’s rep about the actor ultimately getting vaccinated as a requirement for film projects. “I know about his original stance, but after I had a talk with him, his desire to work became more important to him,” Valerie McCaffery of McCaffery Talent Management toldThe Daily Beast.
source: people.com
