Ricardo Montalban
Ricardo Montalban has died. He starred in films in the 40s and became a regular television presence beginning in the 50s. But it's two characters for which he'll be remembered.
In the 70s, he starred as the mysterious Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island. Then, in the 80s, he appeared as the title villain in Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan, reviving a guest shot he'd done on the original series.
It's a tough call which one is more famous, but, with Trek having such obsessive fans, I figure it's the latter.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:12 AM
4 Comments:
I was always taken with his seminal role as a circus owner/quasi-owner/friend of the the talking ape, Caesar in the 3d and 4th Planet of the Apes movies.
And was it he or his carbon copy, Fernando Lamas, who inspired Billy Crystal and "it is better to look good than to feel good" line.
I realize it's difficult to judge size from the clip, but for a "small" Chrysler that car was a boat! It was like driving a pontoon!
And yes, Montalban will always be Khan, forever linked with William Shatner as Kirk.
Follow-up: Yahoo News (among others) has noted that Billy Crystal based his character on Fernando Lamas but that it was often mistaken for a depiction of Ricardo Montalban as it does sort of fit the pitchman for "soft Corrrinthian Leather"
Watching the commercial, I was struck by how absurdly huge that car is. Especially with just one driver.
Then at the end, it says, "Cordoba: The Small Chrysler."
How times have changed....
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