The great Ricardo Montalbán has died in Los Angeles. He will be greatly missed by millions of people around the globe. The following is a brief tribute in words, images, and videos:
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán Merino KCSG (born November 25, 1920; died January 14, 2009) was a Mexican television, theatre, and film actor. He had a career spanning decades and multiple notable roles.
During the late 1970s, he was the spokesperson in automobile advertisements for the Chrysler Cordoba (in which he famously extols the "Corinthian leather" used for its interior).
From 1977 to 1984 he starred as Mr. Roarke in the television series Fantasy Island.
He also played the villainous Khan Noonien Singh in both the 1967 "Space Seed" episode 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, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993.
Ricardo continued to perform through his 80's, often providing voices for animated films and commercials.
Montalbán was born in Mexico City, the son of Ricarda Merino and Jenaro Montalbán, a store manager. He had a brother, actor Carlos Montalbán, and a sister, Carmen.
He was a practicing Roman Catholic and once had said that his religion was the "most important thing" in his life. He remained a Mexican citizen by choice, having never applied for American citizenship.
He married Georgiana Young, an actress, in 1944; they had four children.
She was half-sister of the actresses Sally Blane, Polly Ann Young, and Loretta Young, who nicknamed her "Georgie". After 63 years of marriage, Georgiana Young de Montalbán died on November 13, 2007, at the age of 84.
Montalbán died on January 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 88.
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