Ricardo Montalbán
Mexican-American actor known for Khan, Mr. Roarke, and Chrysler commercials.
He is best known for playing Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island and for his Chrysler Cordoba commercials extolling "rich Corinthian leather"[1][2] Montalbán also earned an Emmy for How the West Was Won and a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.[2] Ricardo Montalbán, who was born in Mexico City, achieved stardom in Mexico after acting in a dozen Spanish-language films, and later signed a long-term contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after they cast him in Fiesta (1947).[3][4][5]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino
- Born
- 25 November 1920
- Birthplace
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Died
- 14 January 2009
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Resting place
- Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
- Occupation
- Actor
- Years active
- 1941–2008
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Montalbán was born on November 25, 1920, in Mexico City to Spanish immigrant parents and was raised Catholic.[3] In 1941 he appeared in three-minute musicals for Soundies film jukeboxes, including the lead in He's a Latin from Staten Island.[6] He returned to Mexico later that year after learning his mother was dying and acted in a dozen Spanish-language films.[4] In 1969 he helped found Nosotros, an organization dedicated to removing negative Hispanic stereotypes from film and television.[7]
Montalbán died at the age of 88.[7]
What the cited sources add
The Guardian obituary notes that Montalbán dreamed of becoming an engineer before being encouraged to go on stage by his siblings.[7] The same source states that he profited from President Roosevelt's "good neighbour" policy toward Central and South America when he got his MGM contract.[7] The Vulture oral history of Lilo & Stitch reveals that Montalbán recorded voice lines for a villainous alien character that was later cut from the film.[8][9] A UPI topic page reports that Fox cast Roselyn Sanchez as Elena Roarke, a descendant of Montalbán's original character, in a Fantasy Island reboot.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ricardo Montalbán Chrysler Cordoba "Corinthian Leather" (1980)", YouTube.com}}{{cbignore, November 12, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brooks, "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present", Ballantine Books, 2003, p. 1429 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Munoz, "Suave actor Ricardo Montalban dies", Los Angeles Times, January 15, 2009; "Ricardo Montalban profile at", Filmreference.com; Dillon, "'Fantasy Island' actor Ricardo Montalban dies at 88", Daily News, January 14, 2009; Muñoz, "Ricardo Montalban dies at 88; 'Fantasy Island' actor", Los Angeles Times, January 15, 2009; "Ricardo Montalban tribute" YouTube, acceptance speech video of Easter Seals Lifetime Achievement Award; "Ricardo Montalban Biography", Yahoo! Movies (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Ricardo Montalban, early Latino leading man, dies", International Herald Tribune, January 15, 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Eddie Mannix Ledger", Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study; "MEXICAN IS SIGNED FOR LEAD IN FILM; Ricardo Montalban to Co-Star in Metro's 'Fiesta'--Western Due at Gotham on Friday", The New York Times, September 25, 1945 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Topic: Ricardo Montalban", UPI (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Obituaries: Ricardo Montalban", The Guardian, January 16, 2009. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Ebiri, "An Oral History of Lilo & Stitch", Vulture, 2022-10-19. facts only, no text reused. vulture.com
- Wikipedia, "Ricardo Montalbán" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ebiri, "An Oral History of Lilo & Stitch", Vulture, 2022-10-19 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Topic: Ricardo Montalban", UPI. facts only, no text reused. upi.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ricardo Montalbán (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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