Ricardo Montalban Passes Away

Ricardo Montalban, who played bad guy Khan on both the Original Series and in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, passed away Wednesday at the age of 88.

According to the AP obituary, Montalban died "from complications of advancing age." He is survived by two daughters, two sons, and six grandchildren.

Montalban appeared in the Original Series episode "Space Seed" as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced human who ruled much of Earth as a dictator during the Eugenics Wars. The role proved to be so popular that Montalban returned to play the main villain in the second theatrical Trek film, The Wrath of Khan.

Beyond Trek, Montalban was best known for appearing on Fantasy Island. In that show, which ran from 1978 to 1984, Montalban played Mr. Roarke, the host of a tropical island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams. In recent years, he appeared in the Spy Kids trilogy of films, and voiced several characters in animated films.

For more on Montalban's passing, head over to the original report from the AP.

Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!