Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino was born on the 25th November 1920 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, and was an actor, probably best recognized for starring in the role of Mr. Roarke in the TV series “Fantasy Island” (1977-1984), playing Khan Noonien Singh in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), and as Grandfather in the “Spy Kids” film series. His career was active from 1942 to 2009, when he passed away.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Ricardo Montalban was? According to authoritative sources, it was estimated that the total size of Ricardo’s net worth was over $10 million, accumulated through his successful career in the film industry. Another source came from the sale of his autobiographical book “Reflections: A Life In Two Worlds” (1980).
Ricardo Montalban Net Worth $10 Million
Ricardo Montalban was raised with three siblings in a Roman Catholic family by his father, Genaro Balbino Montalban Busano, who worked as a store manager, and his mother, Ricarda Merino Jimenez. When he was a teenager, he and his brother, Carlos Montalban, also known as an actor, first moved to Los Angeles, California, and then to New York City in 1940. He first attended Los Angeles Belmont High School before getting accepted into the more prestigious Fairfax High School, where he started acting in the school plays. During one of his performances, he was noticed by an MGM executive, who offered him a contract with the studio.
Thus, Ricardo Montalban’s acting career began, when he learned the craft by starring in a number of Spanish language films, including “El Verdugo De Sevilla” (1942), “La Fuga” (1944), “Pepita Jimenez” (1946), before landing his first lead roles in the musical “Fiesta” (1947) starring opposite Esther Williams, “Border Incident” (1949) in which he played the role of Pablo Rodriguez, and “Battleground” (1949) as Roderigues. Since then, his career only went upwards, as well as his net worth.
After that, Ricardo went on to star in many Western films during the 1940s and 1950s, playing characters of various ethnicities – from a Native American such as in “Across The Wide Missouri” (1951) with Clark Gable, to an Asian in “Sayonara” (1957) alongside Marlon Brando, all of which increased his net worth.
During the next decade, he was cast in such film and TV titles as “The Fantasticks” (1964) in the role of El Gallo, “Dr. Kildare” (1966) portraying Damon West, the 1966 TV film “Alice Through The Looking Glass” as The White King, among others, all of which increased further his net worth.
In 1971, Ricardo featured in the film “Escape From The Planet Of The Apes” in the role of Armando, which he reprised in its sequel “Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes” (1972).
Four years later, he was selected to play in two TV series – “Executive Suite” (1976-1977) as David Valerio, and “How The West Was Won” (1976-1978) as Satangkai. His next big role came in 1977, when he became a cast member in the TV series “Fantasy Island”, which brought him international fame and contributed to his fortune.
During the 1980s, Ricardo appeared in Nicholas Meyer’s film “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” (1982) in the role of Khan, which was later followed by the role of Zach Powers in the TV series “The Colbys” (1985-1987). By 2000s he had starred as Vincent Ludwig in “The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad!” (1988), portrayed Mr. Shepherd in “Heaven Help Us” (1994), and appeared as Armando Guitierrez in “Freakazoid!” (1995-1997), all of which added a considerable amount to his wealth.
In the new millennium, Ricardo earned the role of Grandfather in the “Spy Kids” film series, and he also starred in the TV series “Kim Possible” (2002-2007).
Thanks to his accomplishments, Ricardo earned an Emmy Award for his work on “How The West Was Won”, and won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. Posthumously, he received a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Regarding his personal life, Ricardo Montalban was married to model and actress Georgiana Belzer from 1944 until her death in 2007; the couple had four children together. He passed away at the age of 88 from congestive heart failure, on the 14th January 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
