El Mariachi actor Peter Marquardt has died, aged 50.

Marquardt passed away on 19 July (14), a spokesperson for a funeral home in Austin, Texas confirmed on Sunday (27Jul14). The cause of his death has yet to be revealed.

The actor was best known for playing drug lord Moco in the 1992 film El Mariachi, which was considered the first movie in director Robert Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy.

The acclaimed filmmaker cast Marquardt in the movie after a chance meeting with him in a research facility, and he subsequently cast him in the film despite the fact he didn't speak Spanish.

Rodriguez continued to collaborate with Marquardt in three more films, including the second trilogy instalment, 1995's Desperado, as well as Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and The Shadow People (2011).