Ricardo Montalban, 1920-2009
Actor Ricardo Montalban, most famous for playing Mr. Roarke on television's Fantasy Island and as the villain Khan in Star Trek, has died:
Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88. Montalban's death was announced at a meeting of the city council by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death."The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District — where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts — stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer," Garcetti said later in a written statement. Montalban had been a star in Mexican movies when MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. He was cast in the leading role opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta." He also starred with the swimming beauty in "On an Island with You" and "Neptune's Daughter." A later generation knew Montalban as the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who presided over an island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams. "Fantasy Island" received high ratings for most of its 1978-1984 span on ABC television and still appears in reruns.
Born Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino in Mexico City, he was a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. In 1978 he won an Emmy Award, and in 1993 he won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild. His wife, Georgiana Young de Montalbán, died in November 2007 after sixty-three years of marriage (yes, 63! Young Hollywood, take note).
This makes me sad...I remember, as a kid, spending Saturday nights watching Fantasy Island and The Love Boat, two of my mom's favorite shows (hey, we were poor and my mom was boring, what can I say). He always seemed to be a gentleman and he was one of the last of a dying breed. And, in a rather odd twist, I actually had a 1977 Chrysler Cordoba...and yes, it really did have Soft Corinthian Leather.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
