Biography
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican actor. He had a career spanning seven decades (motion pictures from 1943 to 2006) across radio, television, theatre, and film. During the mid-1970s, Montalbán was most notable as the spokesman in automobile advertisements for the Chrysler Cordoba, in which he famously extolled the "soft Corinthian leather" used for its interior. He also advertised the Chrysler New Yorker. From 1977 to 1984, he became f...
Known For
Complete Filmography
I Know Catherine, the Log Lady
2025
as Self (archive footage)
An authorized feature documentary about Catherine E. Coulson, best known as the Log Lady in David Lynch & Mark Frost's "Twin Peaks".
Perdida
2009
This film traces the unbelievable true story of the Calderón family, who built grand movie palaces in Mexico and the U.S., employing thousands to prod...
The Ant Bully
2006
as Head of Council (voice)
Fed up with being targeted by the neighborhood bully, 10-year-old Lucas Nickle vents his frustrations on the anthill in his front yard ... until the i...
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
2003
as Grandfather
Carmen's caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids' new nemesis, the Toymaker. It's up to Juni to save his sister, and ultimately the worl...
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams
2002
as Grandfather
Exploring the further adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, who have now joined the family spy business as Level 2 OSS agents. Their new mission is to...
Laurindo Almeida, Muito Prazer
1999
as Self
Behind the Planet of the Apes
1998
as Self
Roddy McDowall takes you, film by film, from production meetings to make-up sessions, then right onto the movie set to see the actual filming of the s...
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
1997
as Self
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Ziegfeld Girl. At 20 she earned excellen...
That's Entertainment! III
1994
as (archive footage)
Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929 to Brigadoon, from the first musical talkies to G...
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special
1991
as Self
This documentary is hosted by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and they take us through the history of Star Trek. We also get to see bloopers from th...
Marian Apparitions of the 20th Century: A Message of Urgency
1991
as Narrator
Deeply rooted in humanity's history, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been making repeated visitations throughout the world, particularly in the latter par...
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
1988
as Vincent Ludwig
When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen ...
Cannonball Run II
1984
as King
When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one person crazy enough to hit the road hard with wheel...
Fatima
1984
as Himself
This 60-minute documentary uses the reported miracle at Fatima in 1917 as a springboard for an examination of the relationship between religion and sc...
All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
1983
as Self
A Celebration of the great life of Frank Sinatra with song, dance, and many famous guests.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
1982
as Khan Noonien Singh
The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.
Space For Women
1981
as Narrator
Designed for class instruction and career education, and to prove that space exploration isn’t just for the boys. The film interviews women employed i...
Where Dreams Come True
1979
as Narrator
Directed by African American William Greaves and narrated by actor Ricardo Montalban, Where Dreams Come True is a 1979 NASA film highlighting the cont...
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
1978
as Self
Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Disney’s Wonderful World, Walt Disney, The Disney Sunday Movie, The Magical World of Dis...
El asalto al castillo de la Moncloa
1978
as Felipe (archive footage)
In the style of Woody Allen's "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", this is a comedic redubbing of "Los Amantes del desierto (1957)" that became a spoof of the Sp...
Return to Fantasy Island
1978
as Mr. Roarke
A second feature-length pilot film for the wish-fulfillment series sees six lucky people having their dreams fulfilled on the luxury resort island. Ca...
Captains Courageous
1977
as Manuel
A spoiled little rich boy learns what life is really like after he falls overboard in the middle of the ocean and is picked up by a crusty old sea cap...
Fantasy Island
1977
as Mr. Roarke
Mr. Roarke and his assistant Tattoo greet a former reporter in World War II who wants to relive a brief romance that took place in London 30 years ago...
Mission to Glory: A True Story
1977
as Gen. Lafuente
Father Kino , a 17th-century Jesuit missionary, dedicated his life to helping Native Americans in the Southwest by teaching them agricultural skills a...
Joe Panther
1976
as Turtle George
A young Seminole indian boy comes of age outside the Florida Everglades by trying to enter the establishment (white man's world). He gets work as crew...
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1976
as Silent Film Star
A would-be filmmaker and actress shake up the industry with a trick dog who gets discovered by a studio bus driver in the 1920s.
The Mark of Zorro
1974
as Captain Esteban
The swishing fop Don Diego de la Vega becomes the swashbuckling masked hero Zorro when tyranny threatens his people in nineteenth-century California.
Wonder Woman
1974
as Abner Smith
A super-hero uses her powers to thwart an international spy ring.
Fade In
1973
as Himself
A sophisticated Hollywood film editor, on location for a film she is working on, falls for a local cowboy who is hired to work on the film.
Mustang
1973
as Narrator (voice)
Pechudo is a magnificent jet-black stallion who epitomizes the adjective, "freedom." Running wild in Mexico, Pechudo and his running mates are constan...
The Train Robbers
1973
as The Pinkerton Man
A gunhand named Lane is hired by a widow, Mrs. Lowe, to find gold stolen by her husband so that she may return it and start fresh.
St. Augustine: The Oldest City
1973
as (Self) Narrator
Presents a field trip through the oldest city in the United States, St. Augustine, Fla., showing restored buildings where colonial household industrie...
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1972
as Armando
In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, an...
Fireball Forward
1972
as Jean Duval
A hard-nose general takes over a division with a bad combat record.
The Face of Fear
1971
as Sergeant Frank Ortega
A young Iowa schoolteacher, thinking she is dying of leukemia, goes to San Francisco, where she hires a mob killer to take her life. However, she soon...
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
1971
as Armando
The world is shocked by the appearance of three talking chimpanzees, who arrived mysteriously in a spacecraft. Intrigued by their intelligence, humans...
Sentinels of Silence
1971
Sentinels of Silence is a 1971 short documentary film on ancient Mexican civilizations. The film was directed and written by Mexican filmmaker Robert ...
Sarge: The Badge or the Cross
1971
as Al Matteo
After his wife is murdered, a veteran cop quits the police department and becomes a priest. Several years later he is assigned to a parish where he me...
The Deserter
1970
as Natachai
A young cavalry officer finds his woman tortured by the Apaches and blames the Army for not properly protecting the outpost, so becomes a deserter and...
The Aquarians
1970
as Dr. Luis Delgado
A scientist and his team of underwater explorers search for the culprit who has stolen the world's supply of nerve gas and hidden it somewhere in the ...
Black Water Gold
1970
as Alejandro Zayas
A scuba team, a marine archaeologist and a Mexican historian join forces to reach the wreck of an historic Spanish galleon before a well-armed commerc...
The Desperate Mission
1969
as Joaquin Murieta
A man who has lost everything joins others paid to convey a wealthy man's wife - and a mysterious treasure - to safety in San Francisco.
The Pigeon
1969
as John Stambler / Kane
A private eye is hired to protect a young woman who has a black book on a crime syndicate.
Sweet Charity
1969
as Vittorio
Taxi dancer Charity continues to have faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands, and hope that she will finally ...
Blue
1968
as Ortega
A young man is torn between the woman he loves and his loyalty to his father, the leader of a Mexican gang.
Sol Madrid
1968
as Jalisco
Government agent Sol Madrid travels to Mexico with hooker Stacey to bring mobster Villanova and drug kingpin Dietrich to justice.
The Longest Hundred Miles
1967
as Father Sanchez
During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, an assorted group of refugees, including an American soldier, an Army nurse, a priest and a group of ...
Code Name: Heraclitus
1967
as Janacek
A man who dies on an operating table is brought back to life, but he has total amnesia. A government agent decides that he would make a perfect underc...
Alice Through the Looking Glass
1966
as The White King
Alice returns to Wonderland through the looking glass in this TV musical.
The Singing Nun
1966
as Father Clementi
Belgian nun Sister Ann is sent to another order where she's at first committed to helping troubled souls, like Nichole and little Dominic. When Father...
Madame X
1966
as Phil Benton
A woman married to a wealthy socialite, is compromised by the accidental death of a man who had been romantically pursuing her, and is forced by her m...
The Money Trap
1965
as Pete Delanos
When half a million dollars disappears from a doctor office's safe, the cops assigned to the burglary case, Joe and Pete, decide to find the money and...
¡Buenas noches, año nuevo!
1964
as Fernando
Backstage comedy; singer-dancer and her songwriter husband pretend to have an open relationship, because it makes them look smart and modern.
The Fantasticks
1964
as El Gallo
Widowers Amos and Ben plot to romantically unite Amos’ daughter, Luisa, and Ben’s son, Matt, by pretending to feud and forbidding the teens to associa...
Cheyenne Autumn
1964
as Little Wolf
A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyenne.
Love Is a Ball
1963
as Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau
Etienne makes a good living out of marrying off poor but titled young men to rich but untitled young ladies. Millicent is now in his sights on the Riv...
The Reluctant Saint
1962
as Don Raspi
Cupertino, Italy, 1623: A simple-minded and clumsy young man joins a Franciscan order as a hired hand, overcoming his intellectual and social challeng...
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man
1962
as Major Padula
Young and restless Nick Adams, the only son of a domineering mother and a weak but noble doctor father, leaves his rural Michigan home to embark on an...
Rage of the Buccaneers
1961
as Captain Gordon, the Black Buccaneer
Gordon, The Black Pirate, battles the slavery trade.
Play of the Week: Rashomon
1960
as Bandit Tasmoro
Several different accounts of the same incident tell quite different stories about what happened.
Let No Man Write My Epitaph
1960
as Louie Ramponi
Nick Romano lives in a poor tenement building on the south side of Chicago with his well-meaning but drug-addicted mother, Nellie. She encourages him ...
Sayonara
1957
as Nakamura
Air Force Major Lloyd Gruver is reassigned to a Japanese air base and is confronted with US racial prejudice against the Japanese people. The issue is...
Desert Warrior
1957
as Prince Said
Omar Sultan's army has been defeated. However, Prince Said, son of the Sultan died, encourages people to form an army and fight again to Ibrahim. The ...
Three for Jamie Dawn
1956
as George Lorenz
Three jurors are ripe for bribery by the lawyer of a playgirl up for murder.
A Life in the Balance
1955
as Antonio Gómez
A widower's young son leads the police to a killer of sinners in Mexico City.
The Queen of Babylon
1954
as Amal
In this Biblical epic, a brave Chaldean rebel takes on his evil nemesis, a cruel Assyrian king. En route to his fateful meeting, the rebel hides in th...
Untouched
1954
as Federico Vascon
With the purpose of using barbasco roots in the production of cortisone, a pharmaceutical company sends a scientist to investigate the possibilities o...
The Saracen Blade
1954
as Pietro Donati
Based on the book of the same name by Frank Yerby. Pietro is an orphan who is raised by a family friend in 15th century Italy. When the friend is kill...
Latin Lovers
1953
as Roberto Santos
An heiress searches for true love while vacationing in Brazil.
Sombrero
1953
as Pepe Gonzales
Mexican love stories follow a dying man, a bullfighter's sister and lovers from feuding villages.
My Man and I
1952
as Chu Chu Ramirez
In California, a Mexican-American laborer is falsely accused of shooting the racist farmer he was working for after the farmer stiffed him with a bad ...
The Million Dollar Nickel
1952
as Himself
Short subject anti-communist 'documentary' in which foreign-born movie stars such as Leslie Caron and Ricardo Montalban urge the audience (in their na...
Across the Wide Missouri
1951
as Ironshirt
In the 1830's beaver trapper Flint Mitchell and other white men hunt and trap in the then unnamed territories of Montana and Idaho. Flint marries a Bl...
The Mark of the Renegade
1951
as Marcos Zappa
An agent of Mexico poses as a pirate to foil a would-be emperor in 1820s California.
Two Weeks with Love
1950
as Demi Armendez
The Robinson family are spending two weeks of summer vacation at a resort in the Catskills. Older daughter Patti vies with her friend, Valeria, for th...
Right Cross
1950
as Johnny Monterez
A sportswriter forms a ring triangle with a fight manager's daughter and her Mexican-American boxer.
Mystery Street
1950
as Peter Moralas
When a young woman's skeletal remains turn up on a Massachusetts beach, Barnstable cop Peter Moralas teams with Boston police and uses forensics, with...
Battleground
1949
as Roderigues
Members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division are fighting for their country amidst the rugged terrain of Bastogne, Belgium, in December 1944. Ho...
Border Incident
1949
as Pablo Rodriguez
The story concerns two agents, one Mexican (PJF) and one American, who are tasked to stop the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border t...
Neptune's Daughter
1949
as Jose O'Rourke
Scatterbrained Betty Barrett mistakes masseur Jack Spratt for Jose O'Rourke, the captain of the South American polo team. Spratt goes along with the c...
The Kissing Bandit
1948
as Fiesta Specialty Dancer
Ricardo, the milquetoast son of a Mexican bandit, would rather lead a quiet life in Boston. But the family would rather that he follow in his father's...
On an Island with You
1948
as Ricardo Montalban
A young navy lieutenant is brought in as technical adviser on a song-dance-and-swim film being made by screen star Rosalind Reynolds. Having once done...
Fiesta
1947
as Mario Morales
When a matador leaves town to focus on his music, his twin sister takes on his identity in the bullfighting ring.
Fantasía ranchera
1947
Young composer in a small town where everyone is very nurturing of his talent finishes his first opera and goes to Mexico City to get it produced. Ove...
Pepita Jimenez
1946
as Luis Vargas
On March 22, four days after returning to his home in Andalusia, Luis de Vargas writes the first of his letters to his uncle and favorite professor at...
La casa de la zorra
1945
The owner of an illegal gambling casino witnesses all the problems in the life of her dissolute son and finally acts in a way that'll help him rehabil...
The Hour of Truth
1945
Mexican movie
Nosotros
1945
as Armando Suárez
The tragic romance between a woman with a dubious past and a young thief who reforms his life for love.
Cadetes de la naval
1945
Two young men go through military training, then enlist to fight in WWII
La Fuga
1944
as Teniente
A stagecoach full of conflictive passengers makes its dangerours way from Mexico to Veracruz during the days of the French Intervention.
Cinco fueron escogidos
1943
Cinco fueron escogidos taking place in Slavko, a "peaceful town in Yugoslavia," with only Yugoslavians and Germans as characters, not a Mexican or Spa...
Santa
1943
as Jarameño
Santa is a beautiful and very humble young girl living in Chimalistac, a small and quiet spot south of the 1930's Mexico City. After Santa is cheated ...
The Three Musketeers
1942
as (uncredited)
Cantinflas and three friends return a stolen necklace to an actress who invites them to be extras at Clasa studios. While on the set, he falls asleep ...
He's a Latin from Staten Island
1941
1941 Soundies short starring Ricardo Montalban