The American and Mexican actor of television, theater and cinema Ricardo Montalban continued his successful career until his last days. He starred in the title role in Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, played in the famous TV series Dynasty 2. The Colby Family, and is remembered for his role as Valentine in several parts of the movie Spy Kids.
On television, cinema and theater, Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalban and Merino played for over 65 years. He remained a sought-after performer until his death.
Road to fame
The biography of the future famous artist began in 1920. The child was born in Mexico City on November 20 in the family of Spanish immigrants Genaro Montalban and Ricarda Merina. His elder brother Carlos and sister Carmen grew up with him. My father ran the store. Parents moved with their children to Torreon. Ricardo spent his childhood in this city.
The young man thought about his artistic career after his brother became an actor. Ricardo came to visit him in Los Angeles as a teenager. Together they moved to New York in 1940. The aspiring actor made his debut in the theater. He successfully played a role in the play "Her Cardboard Lover". However, for family reasons, the young man returned to his homeland the next year, abandoning all prospects.
In Mexico, Ricardo's career took off quickly. He starred in Spanish-language films, becoming a real star. For the first time on the set, the young man appeared in 1943. He began with characteristic roles in westerns. Starring in American cinema, the actor made his debut in the musical film Fiesta in 1947.
He reincarnated as Mario, the son of a famous matador who does not want to continue the family dynasty because of his love of music. His dream is to become a composer. As a result, the young author's rhapsody gains popularity, he becomes famous. And in the arena he is successfully replaced by his sister Maria, who from early childhood dreamed of becoming a matador.
Again in the lead role, the actor appeared in the film "Incident at the Border" in 1949 as the investigator Pablo Morales. On November 21, the artist's photo graced the cover of Life magazine. For the first time, a photo of a Spanish-speaking artist appeared in the magazine. In 1950, viewers saw the actor in the guise of police officer Peter Morales, who was first engaged in a murder investigation in the film "Mysterious Street".
Vivid roles
Often, the heroes of the artist's early works were immigrants from Asia. So, in the film "Sayonara" in 1957, he played the role of the Japanese Nakamura. In the 50s and 60s, Montalban became a highly sought after artist. In the 1969 film musical Sweet Charity, Montalban played the role of Vittorio Vidal.
According to the plot, the main character with her friends has to work in a nightclub with a dubious reputation as a dancer. The girl's lover robbed her, depriving all of her savings. Charity meets the famous film actor Vittorio Vidal, the girl's idol. An acquaintance is struck. Charity regains confidence in the best.
One of his most striking works was Mr. Roarke, the hero of the telenovela "Fantasy Island". The actor participated in the television project from 1978 to 1984. As conceived by the creators, the action of the project takes place on a tropical island. The mysterious Mr. Roarke, with the help of assistants, fulfills any wishes of the guests. However, not all the realization of the plan will end in the way that people themselves dreamed.
You have to pay for everything. At first, the performance turns into trouble, but then valuable experience comes. A solution to long-standing problems is being found. Just talk about what is happening can not be anyone. Not everyone is ready for such a condition. Mr. Rourke fulfills the wishes of the guests by creating new opportunities for them. But the source is his own taste. He shows some customers that their judgments are wrong, and that reality is often much better than a pipe dream.
New films
The actor's work in the film "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" became no less famous. Fans in 1982 saw the artist in the title role. In the story of a longtime foe, the crews of the USS Enterprise, Khan Nunyen Singh, were genetically enhanced. 15 years ago he was put on an uninhabited planet as punishment for wrongdoing. However, time passed, Singh got out of captivity and wants revenge. Now the main task of the captain of the cruiser is to defeat the enemy, and information about the secret experiments of the Federation on the transformation of planets.
Notable for his roles in the films "Escape from the Planet of the Apes", "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" in the early seventies and "Naked Pistol" in 1988. In the latter, the hero of the artist was the drug lord Vincent Ludwig. He hides illegal activities from his assistant, Jane Spencer. However, he willingly joins in a conspiracy against the queen.
Ludwig's idea is to create a killer using an audible alarm. The villain is opposed by the hero Frank Drebin, who is in love with Jane. She receives an assignment from the boss to visit the lieutenant and begins to help him on her own initiative. After numerous absurd situations, the lieutenant manages to prevent a terrorist attack. As a result, Ludwig is defeated, and justice prevails.
Family and vocation
At the same time, the artist also starred in serial television projects. In the image of the adventurer Zach Powers, the performer appeared in the television series “Dynasty II. The Colby family."
In the films "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Hopes" and "Spy Kids 3: The Game Over" Ricardo was asked to play the grandfather of the main characters, Valentine. With its help, children find a way out of a computer game, in which they find themselves while completing the next task.
The enemy who lured his grandchildren into a trap turns out to be a longtime enemy Valentin Sebastian. The game breaks into reality. Junie and Carmen realize that they cannot cope with the grandiose scheme of the cyber villain. They call all those close to them for help. By joint efforts, the enemy is defeated, and grandfather forgives Sebastian all his sins. Enemies become friends again.
The artist turned out to be happy in his personal life. His chosen one was Georgiana Young, a model and actress. They became husband and wife in 1944. Four children were born in the marriage. The famous artist passed away in 2009, on January 14. His contribution to the development of cinematography was marked with a personal star on the Walk of Fame.
