Ricardo Montalban is an American actor originally from Mexico. His film career spanned over sixty years. Even in a wheelchair, Montalban did not stop filming. One of his most significant works is the role of Khan Nunyen Singh in the fantasy film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Early years and the first appearance of Montalban on the screen
The birthplace of Ricardo Montalban was Mexico City. He was born on November 25, 1920. His parents were Spanish immigrants Ricarda Jimenez and Genaro Montalban (it is also known that Genaro was a store manager by profession). Ricardo did not grow up in the family alone - he had a sister, Carmen, as well as brothers Pedro and Carlos.
Ricardo spent his childhood mainly in the Mexican city of Torreon. And as a teenager, he left for the United States, where his brother Carlos already lived. In 1940, young people found themselves in New York, where Ricardo managed to get a role in the production of Her Cardboard Lover.
In 1941, Montalban first appeared on the screen. He starred in a three-minute short video called "Soundies" (a kind of music video of those years). The next year he received news that his mother was dying and returned to Mexico for a while.
Getting started in Hollywood and getting married with Georgiana Young
In 1943, Montalban began working in Hollywood. And a year later, in 1944, an important event took place in his personal life - Ricardo married model and actress Georgiana Young, the sister of the popular film star Loretta Young.
After the wedding, Georgiana actually ended her career and became a housewife. Later, the couple had four children: Laura, Anita, Mark and Victor. As a result, Georgiana and Ricardo lived together for more than sixty years.
In the forties, Montalban began to appear quite often in American films. At first, he was offered to play only minor and minor characters. It was only in 1949 that he actually got his first major role in his life - the role of Pablo Rodriguez in the noir film "A Case on the Border".
In November of the same year, a photo of Montalban was placed on the cover of Life magazine - before that, no Hispanic artist had been so honored.
Generally speaking, most of Ricardo's early work is the role of Indians or Latin American ladies' men in the then sought-after Western films. However, sometimes he still appeared in other roles. For example, in the film "Mysterious Street" he played a police officer.
Life and career in the fifties and sixties
In 1951, Montalban starred in Across the Wide Missouri. On one of the shooting days, he unsuccessfully fell off the horse, lost consciousness and fell under the hooves of another horse. As a result, Ricardo's back was severely injured, and this injury tormented him for the rest of his life.
Overall, in the fifties and sixties, Montalban was one of the few full-time Latin American actors in Hollywood. And his roles during this period were distinguished by a noticeable variety. For example, in the 1957 film Sayonara, he played the Japanese Nakamura, and in the romantic comedy Love Is a Ball (1963) he appeared as an impoverished French duke who was being prepared as a potential husband for a wealthy American woman.
He was also remembered by many viewers in the sixties as the performer of the role of the villain with superhuman abilities Han Nunyen Singh in one of the original series "Star Trek" (1966-1969).
In addition, it is known that during this period he worked on Broadway. For example, in 1957 he participated in the premiere of the Broadway musical Jamaica, and then played in it for about two years.
Further work of the actor
In the early seventies, he starred in two films from the original Planet of the Apes series - Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972).
In 1975, he was chosen as the face of the Chrysler Cordoba. This model became successful and was widely advertised on TV over the next few years. Montalban's speech from the commercial, in which he praised the "soft Corinthian leather" used in the upholstery of Chrysler, was subsequently parodied many times.
In 1976, Montalban starred in the third episode of the fifth season of the famous TV series "Colombo" (the episode was called "A Matter of Honor"). Two years later, in 1978, he starred in the miniseries How the West Was Won, and won an Emmy for this work.
But perhaps Ricardo's most famous TV role in America is in the series Fantasy Island, which aired from 1978 to 1984. This series tells about a mysterious island, where a certain Mr. Roarke (he was just played by Montalban) and his faithful assistant Tutta fulfill, like genies, any fantasies and innermost desires of their guests. The series was for some time one of the highest-rated television projects in the United States and made Montalban a superstar.
In 1982, the actor returned to the character of Khan in the feature film Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. Montalban's work was highly praised by critics. In addition, in some scenes here the actor has demonstrated his excellent physical shape.
In 1988, Montalban had another bright role: he played the main antagonist - drug lord Vincent Ludwig - in the parody comedy "The Naked Gun".
Spine surgery, recent years and death
In 1993, the consequences of an old injury that the actor received in 1951 made themselves felt. Ricardo's pain increased and he needed a complex spinal operation. This operation lasted as long as nine hours, and after it the actor could move only in a wheelchair - his lower limbs were paralyzed.
And the following year, 1994, the Screen Actors Guild of the United States presented Montalban with a special award for his contribution to the cinema.
But this was far from the end of his career. Later he appeared in the TV series "And Heaven Help Us", "Chicago Hope", "Garcia Brothers". Montalban's last big-screen role was the role of Valentin Avellan (grandfather) in the high-budget films Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) and Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003).
It is also worth noting that in 1999, Ricardo Montalban bought a theater in Los Angeles, formerly owned by the University of California, through his foundation. By this time, the theater was no longer used for its intended purpose and needed repairs. Its opening under a new name (Teatro Ricardo Montalbana) took place on May 11, 2004. From that time until now, festivals, art exhibitions and other events have been held here. In addition, film screenings are held on the roof of this theater during the summer. The theater does not stage its own performances, but it is a quality platform for touring troupes.
Montalban died on January 14, 2009 at his own home in Los Angeles. The son-in-law of the great actor Gilbert Smith said that the cause of his death was "complications of old age." Montalban was buried next to his wife, who had died 14 months earlier, at the Holy Cross Cemetery.
