Ricardo Montalban
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
198
Gender
Male
Birthday
1920-11-25 (104 years old)
Place of Birth
Mexico City, Mexico
Acting

2025

I Know Catherine, The Log Lady as Self (archive footage)

2018

Star Trek: Short Treks as Khan (voice) (archive footage)

2009

Perdida as Not available

2006

The Ant Bully as Head of Council (voice)

2005

American Dad! as General Juanito Pequeño (voice)

2003

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over as Grandfather

2002

Kim Possible as Señor Senior Sr. (voice)

2000

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command as Vartkes (voice)

2000

Titans as Not available

1999

Family Guy as The Cow (voice)

1998

Love Boat: The Next Wave as Manuel Kaire

1995

Freakazoid! as Armondo Guitierrez (voice)

1994

Chicago Hope as Not available

1994

Heaven Help Us as Not available

1994

That's Entertainment! III as (archive footage)

1992

The Golden Palace as Lawrence Gentry

1990

Dream On as Alejandro Goldman

1989

B.L. Stryker as Not available

1986

American Masters as Self

1985

The Colbys as Zach Powers

1984

Murder, She Wrote as Vaclav Maryska

1984

Cannonball Run II as King

1984

Fatima as Himself

1982

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as Khan Noonien Singh

1981

Dynasty as Not available

1981

Dynasty as Zachary 'Zach' Powers

1981

Space For Women as Narrator

1979

B. J. and the Bear as Not available

1979

Where Dreams Come True as Narrator

1978

Fantasy Island as Mr. Roarke

1978

The Magic of David Copperfield as Not available

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

McNaughton's Daughter as Dist. Atty. Charles Quintero

1976

Joe Panther as Turtle George

1975

Wonder Woman as Abner Smith

1975

Switch as Jean-Paul

1974

The Mark of Zorro as Captain Esteban

1974

Wonder Woman as Abner Smith

1973

Police Story as Not available

1973

Griff as Not available

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

Fireball Forward as Jean Duval

1971

Columbo as Luis Montoya

1971

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour as Not available

1971

Nichols as Colonel Diego Alcazar

1971

The Face of Fear as Sergeant Frank Ortega

1971

Sentinels of Silence as Not available

1970

Dan August as Not available

1970

Black Water Gold as Alejandro Zayas

1970

The Deserter as Natachai

1970

The Aquarians as Dr. Luis Delgado

1969

Marcus Welby, M.D. as Rick Rivera

1969

Bracken's World as Not available

1969

Sweet Charity as Vittorio

1969

The Desperate Mission as Joaquin Murieta

1969

The Pigeon as John Stambler / Kane

1968

Hawaii Five-O as Tokura

1968

Hawaii Five-O as Alex Pareno

1968

The Name of the Game as Not available

1968

The Name of the Game as Bernard Torres

1968

It Takes a Thief as Nick Grobbo

1968

Here's Lucy as Prince Phillip Gregory

1968

Blue as Ortega

1968

Sol Madrid as Jalisco

1967

Ironside as Not available

1967

The High Chaparral as El Tigre

1967

The High Chaparral as Padre Eduardo Sanchez

1967

The Longest Hundred Miles as Father Sanchez

1967

Code Name: Heraclitus as Janacek

1966

Mission: Impossible as Gerard Sefra

1966

Star Trek as Khan Noonien Singh

1966

Felony Squad as Not available

1966

Madame X as Phil Benton

1966

The Singing Nun as Father Clementi

1966

Alice Through the Looking Glass as The White King

1965

The Wild Wild West as Not available

1965

The Long, Hot Summer as Not available

1965

The Money Trap as Pete Delanos

1964

Daniel Boone as Count Alfonso De Borba

1964

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as Not available

1964

The Rogues as Not available

1964

Slattery's People as Not available

1964

Cheyenne Autumn as Little Wolf

1964

The Fantasticks as El Gallo

1963

Burke's Law as Nicholas Amenor

1963

Burke's Law as Armand Dubovier

1963

The Greatest Show on Earth as Not available

1963

The Great Adventure as Philip Crow

1963

The Great Adventure as Jean Lafitte

1963

The Lieutenant as Not available

1963

Love Is a Ball as Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau

1962

The Virginian as Enrique Cuellar

1962

The Virginian as Louis Boissevain

1962

The Virginian as Francisco Sosentes

1962

Combat! as Barbu

1962

The Lloyd Bridges Show as Not available

1962

The Reluctant Saint as Don Raspi

1961

The Mike Douglas Show as Self - Co-Host

1961

Dr. Kildare as Damon West

1961

Ben Casey as Not available

1961

The Defenders as 'Spanish John' Espejo

1961

The Dick Powell Show as Stephen Baird

1961

Cain's Hundred as Vincent Pavanne

1961

Alcoa Premiere as Not available

1961

Rage of the Buccaneers as Captain Gordon, the Black Buccaneer

1960

Checkmate as Not available

1960

Let No Man Write My Epitaph as Louie Ramponi

1960

Play of the Week: Rashomon as Bandit Tasmoro

1959

Bonanza as Matsou

1959

Adventures in Paradise as Captain Henri Privaux

1959

Riverboat as Lt. Devereaux

1959

Play of the Week as Not available

1958

The Dick Clark Show as Self

1957

Sayonara as Nakamura

1957

Desert Warrior as Prince Said

1956

Three for Jamie Dawn as George Lorenz

1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Tony Lorca

1955

Gunsmoke as Chato

1955

The 20th Century Fox Hour as Not available

1955

A Life in the Balance as Antonio Gómez

1954

Climax! as Pete McLean

1954

Climax! as Joe Bermudes

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney as Not available

1954

Untouched as Federico Vascon

1954

The Saracen Blade as Pietro Donati

1953

Letter to Loretta as Self - Guest Host / Gino

1953

Letter to Loretta as Joe Martinez

1953

Letter to Loretta as Angelo Pelligrini

1953

Letter to Loretta as Nemo Rustin

1953

Letter to Loretta as Frank

1953

Letter to Loretta as Father Garcia

1953

Letter to Loretta as Tony Santos

1953

Letter to Loretta as Frank Montclair

1953

Letter to Loretta as Father William Gomez

1953

General Electric Theater as Esteban Espinosa

1953

Sombrero as Pepe Gonzales

1953

Latin Lovers as Roberto Santos

1952

My Man and I as Chu Chu Ramirez

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as El Gallo

1951

Across the Wide Missouri as Ironshirt

1951

The Mark of the Renegade as Marcos Zappa

1950

What's My Line? as Self - Panelist

1950

Star Time as Self

1950

Right Cross as Johnny Monterez

1950

Mystery Street as Peter Moralas

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

On an Island with You as Ricardo Montalban

1948

The Kissing Bandit as Fiesta Specialty Dancer

1947

Fiesta as Mario Morales

1947

Fantasía ranchera as Not available

1946

Pepita Jimenez as Luis Vargas

1945

La casa de la zorra as Not available

1945

Nosotros as Armando Suárez

1945

Cadetes de la naval as Not available

1945

The Hour of Truth as Not available

1944

La Fuga as Teniente

1943

Santa as Jarameño

1943

Cinco fueron escogidos as Not available

1942

The Three Musketeers as (uncredited)

1941

He's a Latin from Staten Island as Not available