From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG ( November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning seven decades (motion pictures from 1943 to 2006) and multiple notable roles. During the mid-1970s, Montalbán was most notable as the spokesman in automobile advertisements for the Chrysler Cordoba, in which he famously extolled the "soft Corinthian leather" used for its interior. He also advertised the Chrysler New Yorker. From 1977 to 1984, he became famous as Mr. Roarke the main star in the television series Fantasy Island. He played Khan Noonien Singh in both the 1967 episode "Space Seed" of the first season of the original Star Trek series, and the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He won an Emmy Award in 1978 for his role in the mini series How the West Was Won and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. Into his 80s, he continued to perform, often providing voices for animated films and commercials, and appearing in several Spy Kids films as "Grandfather Valentin". Date of Death 14 January 2009, Los Angeles, California (congestive heart failure)
Movie | I Know Catherine, The Log Lady | Self (archive footage) | 2025 |
Movie | Perdida | 2009-10-21 | |
Movie | The Ant Bully | Head of Council (voice) | 2006-07-28 |
Movie | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | Grandfather | 2003-07-25 |
Movie | Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams | Grandfather | 2002-08-07 |
Movie | Laurindo Almeida, Muito Prazer | Self | 1999-02-23 |
Movie | Behind the Planet of the Apes | Self | 1998-09-05 |
Movie | That's Entertainment! III | (archive footage) | 1994-07-01 |
Movie | Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special | Self | 1991-09-28 |
Movie | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Vincent Ludwig | 1988-12-02 |
Series | The Colbys | Zach Powers | 1985-11-20 |
Movie | Cannonball Run II | King | 1984-06-29 |
Movie | Fatima | Himself | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra | Self | 1983-12-11 |
Movie | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Khan Noonien Singh | 1982-06-04 |
Movie | El asalto al castillo de la Moncloa | Felipe (archive footage) | 1978-06-21 |
Series | Fantasy Island | Mr. Roarke | 1978-01-28 |
Movie | Fantasy Island | Mr. Roarke | 1977-01-14 |
Movie | Captains Courageous | Manuel | 1977-12-04 |
Movie | Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Silent Film Star | 1976-07-26 |
Movie | Joe Panther | Turtle George | 1976-10-01 |
Movie | The Mark of Zorro | Captain Esteban | 1974-10-29 |
Movie | Wonder Woman | Abner Smith | 1974-03-12 |
Movie | Fade-In | Himself | 1973-11-08 |
Movie | The Train Robbers | The Pinkerton Man | 1973-02-01 |
Movie | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes | Armando | 1972-06-29 |
Movie | Fireball Forward | Jean Duval | 1972-03-05 |
Movie | Centinelas del Silencio | 1971-05-01 | |
Movie | Escape from the Planet of the Apes | Armando | 1971-05-20 |
Movie | The Face of Fear | Sergeant Frank Ortega | 1971-10-08 |
Movie | The Deserter | Natachai | 1970-12-04 |
Movie | The Aquarians | Dr. Luis Delgado | 1970-10-24 |
Movie | The Desperate Mission | Joaquin Murieta | 1969-11-20 |
Movie | The Pigeon | John Stambler / Kane | 1969-11-04 |
Movie | Sweet Charity | Vittorio | 1969-02-25 |
Movie | Blue | Ortega | 1968-05-09 |
Movie | Sol Madrid | Jalisco | 1968-02-07 |
Movie | Code Name: Heraclitus | Janacek | 1967-01-01 |
Movie | The Longest Hundred Miles | Father Sanchez | 1967-01-21 |
Movie | Madame X | Phil Benton | 1966-03-03 |
Movie | The Singing Nun | Father Clementi | 1966-03-17 |
Movie | Alice Through the Looking Glass | The White King | 1966-11-06 |
Movie | The Money Trap | Pete Delanos | 1965-09-07 |
Movie | Cheyenne Autumn | Little Wolf | 1964-10-15 |
Movie | ¡Buenas noches, año nuevo! | Fernando | 1964-12-17 |
Movie | The Fantasticks | El Gallo | 1964-10-17 |
Movie | Love Is a Ball | Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau | 1963-04-24 |
Movie | Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man | Major Padula | 1962-07-25 |
Movie | The Reluctant Saint | Don Raspi | 1962-11-02 |
Movie | Hamlet, Prince of Denmark | Claudius (voice, English dub) | 1961-12-25 |
Movie | Rage of the Buccaneers | Captain Gordon, the Black Buccaneer | 1961-12-15 |
Movie | Let No Man Write My Epitaph | Louie Ramponi | 1960-11-10 |
Movie | Sayonara | Nakamura | 1957-12-25 |
Movie | Desert Warrior | Prince Said | 1957-10-31 |
Movie | Three for Jamie Dawn | George Lorenz | 1956-07-08 |
Movie | A Life in the Balance | Antonio Gómez | 1955-07-01 |
Movie | The Saracen Blade | Pietro Donati | 1954-06-06 |
Movie | Untouched | Federico Vascon | 1954-12-23 |
Movie | The Queen of Babylon | Amal | 1954-12-28 |
Movie | Sombrero | Pepe Gonzales | 1953-04-22 |
Movie | Latin Lovers | Roberto Santos | 1953-08-12 |
Movie | My Man and I | Chu Chu Ramirez | 1952-09-05 |
Movie | Across the Wide Missouri | Ironshirt | 1951-10-12 |
Movie | The Mark of the Renegade | Marcos Zappa | 1951-07-24 |
Movie | Mystery Street | Peter Moralas | 1950-06-23 |
Movie | Right Cross | Johnny Monterez | 1950-10-06 |
Movie | Two Weeks with Love | Demi Armendez | 1950-11-10 |
Movie | Neptune's Daughter | Jose O'Rourke | 1949-06-10 |
Movie | Battleground | Roderigues | 1949-11-09 |
Movie | Border Incident | Pablo Rodriguez | 1949-10-28 |
Movie | On an Island with You | Ricardo Montalban | 1948-05-03 |
Movie | The Kissing Bandit | Fiesta Specialty Dancer | 1948-11-14 |
Movie | Fiesta | Mario Morales | 1947-06-12 |
Movie | Fantasía ranchera | 1947-02-12 | |
Movie | Pepita Jimenez | Luis Vargas | 1946-02-22 |
Movie | La casa de la zorra | 1945-12-06 | |
Movie | Cadetes de la naval | 1945-02-21 | |
Movie | La Fuga | Teniente | 1944-07-04 |
Movie | Santa | Jarameño | 1943-06-10 |
Movie | Cinco fueron escogidos | 1943-07-08 | |
Movie | The Three Musketeers | (uncredited) | 1942-08-27 |