Born in Mexico City, Ricardo Montalbán had a career spanning seven decades and multiple notable roles. Moving to Los Angeles as a teen, he lived with his older brother Carlos Montalbán who was then pursuing a career in show business. His first role was on stage in the 1940 play Her Cardboard Lover. Returning to Mexico in 1941 to care for his ill mother he had roles in a dozen Spanish-language films before returning to Los Angeles to make his Hollywood debut in the 1947 film Fiesta. His dignified demeanor and rich Spanish accent established him as a popular pitchman for Maxwell House Coffee and Chrysler Corporation.
Ricardo Montalbán died of congestive heart failure at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 88.
