Vachik Mangassarian, a character actor who appeared on "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "The Mentalist" has died of Covid-19 complications, according to his manager. He was 78.
Mangassarian was vaccinated, his manager Valerie McCaffrey told NBC News.
He had posted several anti-vaccine and anti-President Joe Biden memes on his Facebook in recent months.
McCaffrey didn't offer a comment on the posts beyond saying Tuesday: "Just be aware, Vachik had a sense of humor."
He had recently been filming the movie “Moving On,” starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, and had also shared photos of him and the actresses on his Facebook page.
The Iran-born Armenian actor moved to the United States at age 23 and worked as a waiter in Los Angeles while immersing himself into the entertainment scene. Mangassarian then landed his first film role for “The South’s Shark” in 1978.
As a strong supporter of the Armenian community, the actor also anchored his own radio and later television show, “The Armenian National Network,” where guests discussed politics, film and art. In 2012, he helped bring the feature film “Lost and Found in Armenia,” in which he also appeared, to U.S. audiences.
His other TV credits include “The Mentalist,” “JAG,” “NYPD Blue" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
