Ricardo Montalban, famous Mr.Roarke of the popular 80s TV show has died at the age of 88. His death was announced at a city council meeting by president Eric Garcetti, but the cause of death was not revealed.
Ricardo Montalban started with some splashy musicals in the 1940s. His most famous one of these was in which he was swimming opposite MGM star Esther Williams. Later he got recognition through his role as Khan in an original 1960s Star Trek episode and then in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
After this he did a role of the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who reigned over a tropical island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams, at the unexpected expense of a difficult life lesson. Following a floatplane landing and lei ceremony, he greeted each guest with the line: "I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island." The show was aired from 1978 to 1984.
So honestly, have you ever wondered what Mr. Roarke exactly was? An angel, a demon? In a 1978 interview, Montalban analyzed the mysterious quality of his character: "Was he a magician? A hypnotist? Did he use hallucinogenic drugs? I finally came across a character that works for me. He has the essence of mystery, but I need a point of view so that my performance is consistent. I now play him 95 percent believable and 5 percent mystery. He doesn't have to behave mysteriously; only what he does is mysterious."
