IN MEMORY YET GREEN - "It Is Better To Reign In Hell Than To Serve In Heaven" Ricardo Montalbán 1920 - 2009
(BEST SEEN INFAMOUSLY LARGE... "STAND ASIDE, I TAKE LARGE STEPS!")
“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee”
(Captain Ahab. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville/ Also quoted by Khan Noonien Singh. in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan)
Actor Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (born Mexico City, November 25, 1920) died on January 14th, 2009.
His seventy year career in both the United States of America and Mexico spanned radio, television, movies, and theatre. A champion of U.S/Mexican friendship and active in the cause of raising the profile of latino actors. Montalbán often, during his early career in Hollywood at least, played Asian, Arab and Native American characters, as well as "Latin Lovers", particularly in musicals, where he also showcased his talents as a song and dance man. (Khan Singh? Yes. He. Can! The Powers That Be wanted him to change his name to "Ricky Martin"....a bullet he fortunately dodged!)
To science fiction and fantasy fans he was famous for his roles as Star Trek's villainous Khan Noonien Singh and Fantasy Island's Mr Roarke.
Montalbán played the 20th Century genetically engineered 'superman', Khan, twice, in the 1967 episode of classic Trek, "Space Seed" (written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber, based on a story by Carey Wilber, and directed by Marc Daniels) and fifteen years later in the second Star Trek movie, "The Wrath Of Khan". (Written by Nicholas Meyer and Jack B. Sowards, Directed by Nicholas Meyer) He was Mr Roarke in the Fantasy Island television series from 1977 to 1984. Ironically, Montalbán was replaced in the revival of Fantasy Island by Malcom McDowell, the actor whose character in the film Star Trek: Generations WOULD infamously succeed where Khan failed in bringing about the death of Captain James T. Kirk.
Genre buffs may also recall that Montalbán played the circus owner in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971) and Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972).
Other movies he acted in included The Saracen Blade, Across The Wide Missouri, The Queen of Babylon, Sayonara, Madame X, The Singing Nun, Fiesta, Santa, La Fuga, The Naked Gun, The Kissing Bandit, Cannonball Run II and of course the Spy Kids series. It was during the filming of the 1951 Western, Across The Wide Missouri that Montalbán was reportedly injured in a riding accident, which left him with back and leg pain that would trouble him for the rest of his life, ultimately resulting in him becoming wheelchair bound after an operation in 1993. His disability does not seem to have slowed his career much, as he was still playing an action hero grandfather in a rocket assisted wheelchair in the 21st Century's Spy Kids series!
Apart from a notable roles in The Colbys and Dynasty he also appeared in person or as a voice actor on television in genre shows like Wonder Woman, Kim Possible, Heaven Help Us, Mission Impossible, Freakazoid!, The Man From Uncle, Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command and Dora The Explorer. One of his final roles was playing a genetically Engineered cow in an episode of Family Guy, where he satirised his Khan character.
I first saw Montalbán in The Saracen Blade, and kept spotting him in both movies and television, finally catching up with his Khan role in Star Trek sometime in the 1970s. It became a favourite episode and I was quite chuffed when the actor reprised his role in the second Star Trek movie. Although I was very much impressed by the first Star trek film's mix of upbeat futurism and spectacular special effects I also welcomed the more traditional space opera approach of the second film in the long running series and thought that Khan was a terrific villain, so effectively played by Montalbán exploiting his commanding voice and physical presence (still serious buff in his sixties...and apparently into his seventies as well!).
I saw both films far more times than I did Star Wars, and those first two movies helped consolidate what I expect will be a lifelong love of Star Trek. Happily, Star Trek was also instrumental in helping to give me an enduring interest in general literature, supplementing my passion for science fiction and fantasy. Captain Kirk was always quoting this or that book, which, with the help of Bjos Trimble's Star Trek Concordance I would then dutifully track down and devour. (Trivia note: Ironically, I would later go on to contribute Khan related illustrations, amongst other artwork, to a later edition of the Concordance.)
The Wrath Of Khan, famously, contains a shuttlecraft full of references, from the copy of A Tale of Two Cities that Spock gives as a birthday gift to Kirk, to the ramshackle bookshelf of titles that Chekov discovered in the cargo containers that Khan and his followers made as their home when marooned on the doomed Ceti Alpha V. (Incidentally, Khan's original spaceship was the S.S Botany Bay, a name guaranteed to make any Aussie sit up and take notice..)
The books were chosen for the film to reflect Khan's vengeful, arrogant mindset, and he quotes extensively from that epic Whale's Tail of obsessive revenge, Moby-Dick. There's also a couple of copies of Milton's "Paradise Lost" (qouted in Space Seed), King Lear, Dante's Inferno and a Bible.
I had copies of most of these books from the 1980s and coupled with some Micromachines Star Trek starships (U.S.S Enterprise and the hijacked U.S.S Reliant) I thought these would make an appropriate setting to display the 6 inch Art Asylum Khan Action Figure. There's a couple of books that I left out, such as what looks to be 'mundane' Federation guide to Statutes Governing Commerce and what may be a Complete Works Of Shakespeare. I've never been religious so it's charitable of me to include the Bible, but it seems to me that Khan, if anything, soaked up all the 'wrathful' content ("An eye for an eye"). Setting them up as monolithic steps seemed to work well, and for the base how could I possibly bypass a length of "Soft Corinthian leather...." (To quote one of R.M's automobile commercials)
Photoshop was my ally for eliminating assorted rigging and providing a suitably dark and stormy spacescape as well as creating firey phaser blasts for Khan to smite poor Enterprise, harpooning his nemesis in best Ahabian tradition...
Ricardo Montalbán was, by all accounts, a remarkably chivalrous and unfailingly polite old school gentleman so it does him something of a disservice to memorialise him by referencing the tyrannical Khan.
Still, what a great role for an actor!
And what a great inspiration for the young Trekker that I was back then. I fondly recall writing a long fan story about Khan's adventures on Ceti Alpha V, where he fought and defeated the survivors of a Klingon shipwreck...collecting an old Klingon proverb or two as a trophy. ("Reveng is a dish best served cold"...is actually Sicilian, but what's an attribution amongst enemies!) Little did I know back then that Greg Cox would expand splendidly on the whole Khan saga in his trilogy "The Rise & Fall Of Khan Noonien Singh" or that the supermen/augments would later feature in Star Trek: Enterprise. Vonda McIntyre also did a wonderful job expanding upon the movie script and Khan's character. amongst others, in her sophisticated novelization.
But it all started with Ricardo, and his masterful turn as Khan.....
IN MEMORY YET GREEN - "It Is Better To Reign In Hell Than To Serve In Heaven" Ricardo Montalbán 1920 - 2009
(BEST SEEN INFAMOUSLY LARGE... "STAND ASIDE, I TAKE LARGE STEPS!")
“To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee”
(Captain Ahab. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville/ Also quoted by Khan Noonien Singh. in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan)
Actor Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino (born Mexico City, November 25, 1920) died on January 14th, 2009.
His seventy year career in both the United States of America and Mexico spanned radio, television, movies, and theatre. A champion of U.S/Mexican friendship and active in the cause of raising the profile of latino actors. Montalbán often, during his early career in Hollywood at least, played Asian, Arab and Native American characters, as well as "Latin Lovers", particularly in musicals, where he also showcased his talents as a song and dance man. (Khan Singh? Yes. He. Can! The Powers That Be wanted him to change his name to "Ricky Martin"....a bullet he fortunately dodged!)
To science fiction and fantasy fans he was famous for his roles as Star Trek's villainous Khan Noonien Singh and Fantasy Island's Mr Roarke.
Montalbán played the 20th Century genetically engineered 'superman', Khan, twice, in the 1967 episode of classic Trek, "Space Seed" (written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber, based on a story by Carey Wilber, and directed by Marc Daniels) and fifteen years later in the second Star Trek movie, "The Wrath Of Khan". (Written by Nicholas Meyer and Jack B. Sowards, Directed by Nicholas Meyer) He was Mr Roarke in the Fantasy Island television series from 1977 to 1984. Ironically, Montalbán was replaced in the revival of Fantasy Island by Malcom McDowell, the actor whose character in the film Star Trek: Generations WOULD infamously succeed where Khan failed in bringing about the death of Captain James T. Kirk.
Genre buffs may also recall that Montalbán played the circus owner in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971) and Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972).
Other movies he acted in included The Saracen Blade, Across The Wide Missouri, The Queen of Babylon, Sayonara, Madame X, The Singing Nun, Fiesta, Santa, La Fuga, The Naked Gun, The Kissing Bandit, Cannonball Run II and of course the Spy Kids series. It was during the filming of the 1951 Western, Across The Wide Missouri that Montalbán was reportedly injured in a riding accident, which left him with back and leg pain that would trouble him for the rest of his life, ultimately resulting in him becoming wheelchair bound after an operation in 1993. His disability does not seem to have slowed his career much, as he was still playing an action hero grandfather in a rocket assisted wheelchair in the 21st Century's Spy Kids series!
Apart from a notable roles in The Colbys and Dynasty he also appeared in person or as a voice actor on television in genre shows like Wonder Woman, Kim Possible, Heaven Help Us, Mission Impossible, Freakazoid!, The Man From Uncle, Buzz Lightyear Of Star Command and Dora The Explorer. One of his final roles was playing a genetically Engineered cow in an episode of Family Guy, where he satirised his Khan character.
I first saw Montalbán in The Saracen Blade, and kept spotting him in both movies and television, finally catching up with his Khan role in Star Trek sometime in the 1970s. It became a favourite episode and I was quite chuffed when the actor reprised his role in the second Star Trek movie. Although I was very much impressed by the first Star trek film's mix of upbeat futurism and spectacular special effects I also welcomed the more traditional space opera approach of the second film in the long running series and thought that Khan was a terrific villain, so effectively played by Montalbán exploiting his commanding voice and physical presence (still serious buff in his sixties...and apparently into his seventies as well!).
I saw both films far more times than I did Star Wars, and those first two movies helped consolidate what I expect will be a lifelong love of Star Trek. Happily, Star Trek was also instrumental in helping to give me an enduring interest in general literature, supplementing my passion for science fiction and fantasy. Captain Kirk was always quoting this or that book, which, with the help of Bjos Trimble's Star Trek Concordance I would then dutifully track down and devour. (Trivia note: Ironically, I would later go on to contribute Khan related illustrations, amongst other artwork, to a later edition of the Concordance.)
The Wrath Of Khan, famously, contains a shuttlecraft full of references, from the copy of A Tale of Two Cities that Spock gives as a birthday gift to Kirk, to the ramshackle bookshelf of titles that Chekov discovered in the cargo containers that Khan and his followers made as their home when marooned on the doomed Ceti Alpha V. (Incidentally, Khan's original spaceship was the S.S Botany Bay, a name guaranteed to make any Aussie sit up and take notice..)
The books were chosen for the film to reflect Khan's vengeful, arrogant mindset, and he quotes extensively from that epic Whale's Tail of obsessive revenge, Moby-Dick. There's also a couple of copies of Milton's "Paradise Lost" (qouted in Space Seed), King Lear, Dante's Inferno and a Bible.
I had copies of most of these books from the 1980s and coupled with some Micromachines Star Trek starships (U.S.S Enterprise and the hijacked U.S.S Reliant) I thought these would make an appropriate setting to display the 6 inch Art Asylum Khan Action Figure. There's a couple of books that I left out, such as what looks to be 'mundane' Federation guide to Statutes Governing Commerce and what may be a Complete Works Of Shakespeare. I've never been religious so it's charitable of me to include the Bible, but it seems to me that Khan, if anything, soaked up all the 'wrathful' content ("An eye for an eye"). Setting them up as monolithic steps seemed to work well, and for the base how could I possibly bypass a length of "Soft Corinthian leather...." (To quote one of R.M's automobile commercials)
Photoshop was my ally for eliminating assorted rigging and providing a suitably dark and stormy spacescape as well as creating firey phaser blasts for Khan to smite poor Enterprise, harpooning his nemesis in best Ahabian tradition...
Ricardo Montalbán was, by all accounts, a remarkably chivalrous and unfailingly polite old school gentleman so it does him something of a disservice to memorialise him by referencing the tyrannical Khan.
Still, what a great role for an actor!
And what a great inspiration for the young Trekker that I was back then. I fondly recall writing a long fan story about Khan's adventures on Ceti Alpha V, where he fought and defeated the survivors of a Klingon shipwreck...collecting an old Klingon proverb or two as a trophy. ("Reveng is a dish best served cold"...is actually Sicilian, but what's an attribution amongst enemies!) Little did I know back then that Greg Cox would expand splendidly on the whole Khan saga in his trilogy "The Rise & Fall Of Khan Noonien Singh" or that the supermen/augments would later feature in Star Trek: Enterprise. Vonda McIntyre also did a wonderful job expanding upon the movie script and Khan's character. amongst others, in her sophisticated novelization.
But it all started with Ricardo, and his masterful turn as Khan.....