Ricardo Montalban: 1920 to 2009
By Alexandra Heilbron on January 15, 2009 | 5 Comments
Ricardo Montalban, known best for his role as Mr. Rourke in the TV series Fantasy Island, passed away at the age of 88 from “complications of advancing age” at his Beverly Hills home on Wednesday. His wife of 63 years, Georgiana, died last year. Montalban began his screen career by appearing in dozens of films in the 1940s, but was never elevated to leading man status. He achieved more success on television, including winning an Emmy in 1978 for a guest appearance on How the West Was Won. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Screen Actors Guild in 1994, and has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Montalban leaves behind four children and six grandchildren.
Awe, I used to love that show when I was a kid. Sad to hear but at 88, at least he lived a pretty long life.
plus you forgot to add the best star trek villian ever
Not just the best Star Trek villain ever, but one of the best (and, of course, underrated) villains in the History of Cinema…
I had only know Montalban as the lovable, grandfather type from Fantasy Island. When I saw him as Khan for the first time in Star Trek II I was petrified. In later years, as I got more into Trek and finally watched “Space Seed” – the episode that inspired “the Wrath of Khan,” I realized the true brilliance of this actor.
Montolban put a very clear, calculating personna into Khan. He made Khan a mastermind – a tyrant hungry for power, whom you really didn’t want to mess with. He stole absolutely every scene he was in, and delivered some of the most memorable and quotable lines in sci-fi movie history. Who else could deliver lines like “Come, woman, sit and entertain me,” or “I will chase thee to perdition’s flame, and spit at thee” and make them sound so chilling and downright cool. That was the brilliance of Montoblan in that role. To this day, I still can’t believe that was sweet old Mr. Roarke in that role. Hollywood definitely lost an icon yesterday, especially to us Trekkies…
RIP Mr Rourke, thanks for the entertainment.
Dos Equis should have hired Ricardo Montalban to do a few ads for them, he could have done their “most interesting man in the world” bit perfectly (he has a Spanish accent too)