Ricardo Montalban dies at 88
Montalban's death was announced at a city council meeting by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death.
"What you saw on the screen and on television and on talk shows, this very courtly, modest, dignified individual, that's exactly who he was," said Montalban's longtime friend and publicist David Brokaw.
Montalban had been a star in Mexican movies when MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. He was cast in the leading role opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta," and starred again with the swimming beauty in "On an Island with You" and "Neptune's Daughter."
But Montalban was best known as the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who presided over a tropical island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams usually at the unexpected expense of a difficult life lesson. Following a floatplane landing and lei ceremony, he greeted each guest with the line: "I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island."
The show ran from 1978 to 1984.
Between movie and TV roles, Montalban was active in the theater. He starred on Broadway in the 1957 musical "Jamaica" opposite Lena Horne, picking up a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.
He toured in Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell," playing Don Juan, a performance critic John Simon later recalled as "irresistible." In 1965 he appeared on tour in the Yul Brynner role in "The King and I."
"The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer," Garcetti said later in a written statement.
"Fantasy Island" received high ratings for most of its run on ABC, and still appears in reruns. Mr. Roarke and his sidekick, Tattoo, played by the 3-foot, 11-inch Herve Villechaize, reached the state of TV icons. Villechaize died in 1993.
In a 1978 interview, Montalban analyzed the series's success:
"What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy, it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities."
Recent comments
I had been wondering about this wonderful actor, and I kept posponing...
lululemon | Jan. 15, 2009 at 5:06 p.m.
They failed to mention that "Wrath of Khan" was a continuation of an...
TommyP | Jan. 15, 2009 at 1:55 a.m.
He was a great actor and person He will be missed
Mayra Anchondo | Jan. 14, 2009 at 4:29 p.m.
Actor Ricardo Montalban is shown in Los Angeles in 1994. The Mexican-born actor, who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died at his home in Los Angeles, City Council President Eric Garcetti said Wednesday. He was 88.
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