Ricardo Montalbán Career Retrospective | Legacy Collection | SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations

Ricardo Montalbán shares stories from his performances in ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘How the West Was Won’ in this conversation about his acting career. He also discusses his Tony-nominated role in ‘Jamaica’ in this in depth discussion moderated by Paul Napier. The following interview was recorded on July 29, 1997.

This career retrospective is part of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Legacy Collection, a series of unique Conversations, recorded between 1979 and 2012, with influential actors and pioneering performers who explore the process and profession of acting. These interviews were captured on a variety of physical media formats and recently digitized in order to share with actors and the public at large.

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0:00:00 Current health and faith
0:11:30 Upbringing in Mexico and Los Angeles
0:15:22 First acting jobs, New York, Talulah Bankhead
0:21:30 First movie roles, Mexico City, Frances Farmer
0:25:43 Santa (1943), Norman Foster
0:26:46 MGM, Esther Williams films
0:32:56 Louis B. Mayer
0:34:57 Dramatic roles
0:42:11 Return to the stage, Nosotros
0:48:18 Chrysler advertising
0:50:09 Fantasy Island
0:55:53 Star Trek: Wrath of Khan (1982)
1:00:54 Don Juan in Hell, Marriage
1:10:21 On set accident, Across the Wide Missouri (1951)
1:13:50 Mexican Americans, Advocacy, Charity
1:22:15 Disability
1:24:56 SAG Board Years
1:30:40 Actors with Disabilities
1:34:37 Pay inequity
1:37:16 Gratitude for a Career
1:39:40 Disappointments
1:47:26 Sustaining a Career