Anti-Vaccine 'Marvel' Actor Dies Of COVID-19

Vachik Mangassarian, who appeared in shows such as Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and “Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died due to COVID-19 after he previously expressed his opposition to vaccines. He was 78.

The actor died of COVID-19 related complications in Burbank, California, Valerie McCaffery, his manager from McCaffery Talent Management, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Mangassarian had shared Facebook posts about his opposition to COVID-19 vaccines prior to his death, according to the Daily Beast.

Additionally, he shared misinformation on social media that suggested the pandemic was part of a grand conspiracy, according to a report by Variety.

"I am more afraid of a Democrat in the White House than I am of COVID-19," an image that Mangassarian posted in October 2021 stated.

However, Mangassarian later got vaccinated as a requirement for film projects, according to his rep.

"I know about his original stance, but after I had a talk with him, his desire to work became more important to him," McCaffery told the Daily Beast.

Mangassarian is survived by his sisters Linda Lalaian and Elda Hacopian, their spouses, his nephews Derek Hacopian and Ara Hacopian and his niece Aida Hacopian.

The Iran-born Armenian emigrated to the United States in the mid-1960s at the age of 23 and worked as a waiter in Los Angeles while immersing himself in the entertainment scene.

Mangassarian landed his first film role in 1978's "The South's Shark" before making appearances in "The Fall Guy," "The A-Team," "Sledge Hammer!" and "Murder, She Wrote," among others.

He was praised for his performance in the 2008 film "The Stoning of Soraya M.," which won an award from The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and took prizes at the Los Angeles and Ghent film festivals.

Mangassarian was also instrumental in getting the script for "Lost and Found in Armenia" made into a movie. The 2012 film, which starred Angela Sharafyan and Jamie Kennedy, was reportedly the first time in Armenian movie history that Armenian and American actors acted alongside one another.

Aside from his film work, Mangassarian also anchored his own radio show, "The Armenian National Network," for a decade. It turned into a television show later in its production, Deadline reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that COVID-19 vaccines are "safe and effective" and that "serious safety problems are rare."

A total of 71,818,876 coronavirus cases and 866,968 deaths have been reported in the U.S. as of Tuesday, according to data provided by the agency.