Ricardo Montalban
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1920-11-25
Day of Death
2009-01-14 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Mexico City, Mexico
Ricardo Montalban
Biography
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican actor. He had a career spanning seven decades (motion pictures from 1943 to 2006) across radio, television, theatre, and film. 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.
Known For
Acting
(2025)
I Know Catherine, The Log Lady
as Self (archive footage)
(2009)
(2006)
The Ant Bully
as Head of Council (voice)
(2003)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
as Grandfather
(2002)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
as Grandfather
(1999)
(1998)
(1997)
(1994)
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
(1991)
(1991)
(1988)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
as Vincent Ludwig
(1984)
Cannonball Run II
as King
(1984)
Fatima
as Himself
(1983)
(1982)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
as Khan Noonien Singh
(1981)
Space For Women
as Narrator
(1979)
Where Dreams Come True
as Narrator
(1978)
(1978)
Return to Fantasy Island
as Mr. Roarke
(1978)
El asalto al castillo de la Moncloa
as Felipe (archive footage)
(1977)
Mission to Glory: A True Story
as Gen. Lafuente
(1977)
Captains Courageous
as Manuel
(1977)
Fantasy Island
as Mr. Roarke
(1976)
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
as Silent Film Star
(1976)
Joe Panther
as Turtle George
(1974)
Wonder Woman
as Abner Smith
(1974)
The Mark of Zorro
as Captain Esteban
(1973)
The Train Robbers
as The Pinkerton Man
(1973)
Fade In
as Himself
(1973)
Mustang
as Narrator (voice)
(1973)
St. Augustine: The Oldest City
as (Self) Narrator
(1972)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
as Armando
(1972)
Fireball Forward
as Jean Duval
(1971)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
as Armando
(1971)
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
as Al Matteo
(1971)
(1971)
The Face of Fear
as Sergeant Frank Ortega
(1970)
The Deserter
as Natachai
(1970)
Black Water Gold
as Alejandro Zayas
(1970)
The Aquarians
as Dr. Luis Delgado
(1969)
The Desperate Mission
as Joaquin Murieta
(1969)
Sweet Charity
as Vittorio
(1969)
The Pigeon
as John Stambler / Kane
(1968)
Blue
as Ortega
(1968)
Sol Madrid
as Jalisco
(1967)
Code Name: Heraclitus
as Janacek
(1967)
The Longest Hundred Miles
as Father Sanchez
(1966)
The Singing Nun
as Father Clementi
(1966)
Madame X
as Phil Benton
(1966)
Alice Through the Looking Glass
as The White King
(1965)
The Money Trap
as Pete Delanos
(1964)
Cheyenne Autumn
as Little Wolf
(1964)
The Fantasticks
as El Gallo
(1964)
¡Buenas noches, año nuevo!
as Fernando
(1963)
Love Is a Ball
as Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau
(1962)
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
as Major Padula
(1962)
The Reluctant Saint
as Don Raspi
(1961)
Rage of the Buccaneers
as Captain Gordon, the Black Buccaneer
(1960)
Let No Man Write My Epitaph
as Louie Ramponi
(1960)
Play of the Week: Rashomon
as Bandit Tasmoro
(1957)
Sayonara
as Nakamura
(1957)
Desert Warrior
as Prince Said
(1956)
Three for Jamie Dawn
as George Lorenz
(1955)
A Life in the Balance
as Antonio Gómez
(1954)
The Queen of Babylon
as Amal
(1954)
Untouched
as Federico Vascon
(1954)
The Saracen Blade
as Pietro Donati
(1953)
Sombrero
as Pepe Gonzales
(1953)
Latin Lovers
as Roberto Santos
(1952)
My Man and I
as Chu Chu Ramirez
(1952)
The Million Dollar Nickel
as Himself
(1951)
Across the Wide Missouri
as Ironshirt
(1951)
The Mark of the Renegade
as Marcos Zappa
(1950)
Mystery Street
as Peter Moralas
(1950)
Right Cross
as Johnny Monterez
(1950)
Two Weeks with Love
as Demi Armendez
(1949)
Battleground
as Roderigues
(1949)
Border Incident
as Pablo Rodriguez
(1949)
Neptune's Daughter
as Jose O'Rourke
(1948)
The Kissing Bandit
as Fiesta Specialty Dancer
(1948)
On an Island with You
as Ricardo Montalban
(1947)
Fiesta
as Mario Morales
(1947)
(1946)
Pepita Jimenez
as Luis Vargas
(1945)
Nosotros
as Armando Suárez
(1945)
(1945)
(1945)
(1944)
La Fuga
as Teniente
(1943)
Santa
as Jarameño
(1943)
(1942)
The Three Musketeers
as (uncredited)
(1941)