Ricardo Montalban

Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban appeared on stage, television and in films beginning in the 1930s. His heavily accented enthusiasm for their "rich Corinthian leather" sold Chrysler luxury cars in the 1970s, and his iconic turn as Mr. Roarke in the television series Fantasy Island lasted for seven seasons (1978-1984). He also played the villain Khan on an episode of the Star Trek TV show and in the second of the Trek films.Biography.com: Ricardo Montalban Biography

Montalban passed away on January 14, 2009, of natural causes at the age of 88. His son-in-law, Gilbert Smith, reported that Montalban died peacefully at 6:30 a.m., with his daughter by his side.Radar: Fantasy Island Star Ricardo Montalban Dead (Jan. 14, 2009)

1. Star Trek: Khan Noonien Singh
2. Fantasy Island: Mr. Roarke
3. The Naked Gun: Vincent Ludwig

Though Montalban lived and worked in the United States, he remained a Mexican citizen his entire life.Radar Online: Fantasy Island Star Ricardo Montalban Dead (January 14, 2009) As one of the first successful Latino actors to gain worldwide fame, Montalban endeavored to increase the profile and image of other actors of Hispanic descent through his Nostotros Foundation, which helps emerging Latino actors.

Montalban suffered a spinal cord injury in 1951 while working on the film Across the Wide Missouri. This injury reportedly plagued him with pain throughout the rest of his career. In 1993, he had an operation to fix the problem, but it reportedly compounded the issue and left him wheelchair-bound. Montalban did not let this stop his career; he appeared in multiple Spy Kids movies as Antonio Banderas' father and continued doing voiceover work until late in life.

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• November 25, 1920: Born

• 1949: Border Incident

• 1949: Battleground

• 1950: Mystery Street

• 1957: Sayonara

• 1957-1959: Jamaica

• 1966: The Singing Nun

• 1967: Star Trek

• 1971: Escape from the Planet of the Apes

• 1972: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

• 1978: How the West Was Won

• 1982: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

• 1978-1984: Fantasy Island

• 1988: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

• 2002: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams

• 2003: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

• 2002-2007: Kim Possible