Ricardo Montalbán

Lore & Background

Ricardo Montalbán was born on November 25, 1920, in Mexico City, and grew up in Torreón, the son of Spanish immigrants. He was born with an arteriovenous malformation in his spine. As a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles to live with his brother Carlos, then to New York City in 1940, where he earned a minor role in the play Her Cardboard Lover. He began his career in short musical films for Soundies jukeboxes in 1941, then returned to Mexico after learning his mother was dying, acting in a dozen Spanish-language films and becoming a star in his homeland.

Reader's Guide

Montalbán's significance lies in his long and varied career, bridging Mexican and American cinema and television. He was the first Hispanic actor to appear on the front cover of Life magazine in 1949. His later roles as the genetically enhanced villain Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek and as the enigmatic Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island made him a pop culture icon. He also served as a spokesman for Chrysler for thirteen years, famously extolling the 'rich Corinthian leather' in the Cordoba. He won an Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries How the West Was Won and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. His career continued into his eighties, with voice work and appearances in the Spy Kids franchise.

Did You Know?

• Montalbán was born with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his spine.
• He was the first Hispanic actor to appear on the front cover of Life magazine on November 21, 1949.
• He won an Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries How the West Was Won (1978).
• He was a spokesman for Chrysler for thirteen years, featuring in commercials for the Cordoba.