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(1920–2009). Mexican actor.
Provided
voice for animated films:"The
Chip, Part 1," "The Chip, Part 2/Freakazoid Is History" (1995), "The Wrath of
Guitierrez," "Hero Boy" (1996), "Normadeus" (1997), episodes of Freakazoid!;
"Charity" (1998), episode of Adventures from the Book of Virtues;
"Lone Wolf" (2000), episode of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command; "The
New Ron" (2002), "Animal Attraction," "Two to Tutor" (2003), "The Cupid
Effect," "The Big Job" (2007), episodes of Kim Possible; "The Missing
Piece" (2002), episode of Dora the Explorer; The Ant Bully
(John A. Davis 2006); "McStroke" (2008), episode of Family Guy;
"Moon Over Isla Island" (2009), episode of American Dad.
After immigrating to Los Angeles as a
teenager, Montalban first achieved a sort of stardom by returning to Mexico
to appear in various undistinguished films, before he was summoned back to
America to function as a Hollywood version of the Latin lover. But as he matured, he found that his
heavy accent and rugged good looks were mostly wanted for westerns, with
occasional crime dramas. Only in his forties did he begin drifting into occasional
genre roles in series like The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild
West, and Mission: Impossible, usually as a villain. But he
distinguished himself in the Star Trek episode, "Space Seed,"
where he was evocative and ambiguously heroic as a genetically-engineered
superman, both arrogant and admirable. In a series much given to unproblematic
melodrama, Montalban's Khan was one of the few roles that defied easy
categorization. Unfortunately, the role was coarsened into routine villainy for
his return in the second Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan,
and his performance therein was less than remarkable.
His other noteworthy work during his later
years included two appearances as a sympathetic human in Escape from the
Planet of the Apes and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes; a return
to a Roarke-like role as an angel in the short-lived series Heaven Help Us;
and a display of avuncular warmth as the grandfather in two sequels to the
original Spy Kids, though his final decade mostly involved forgettable
chores as a voice for animated cartoons. Outside the scope of this volume, he
also had recurring roles in the series Dynasty (1981-1989) and The
Colbys (1985-1987) and starred in a series of frequently-parodied car
commercials, But as noted in obituaries after his death in 2009, his most
enduring contribution to cinema may be his arduous efforts to encourage
Hollywood to offer more suitable roles for Hispanic and Latino actors; and the
problem he confronted might be best illustrated by the fact that the most
famous performances by this obviously Hispanic actor were as men named Roarke
and Khan.
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