Carlos Montalbán y Merino (June 5, 1904March 28, 1991) was a Mexican character actor.
Early life Montalbán was born in Torreón in Coahuila, Mexico, the son of Ricarda Merino Jiménez and Genaro Balbino Montalbán Busano, a store manager. His parents were Spanish.
Career Montalbán was the older brother of actor Ricardo Montalbán and is remembered for portraying two different characters named "Vargas" in well-remembered films; The Out-of-Towners (1970) starring Jack Lemmon, and Woody Allen's Bananas (1971). His best remembered role is likely in the American boxing drama The Harder They Fall (1956), where he plays the sympathetic manager of a heavyweight contender.
He appeared as "El Exigente" in a series of coffee advertisements for Savarin Coffee in the 1960s and 1970s. Montalbán was also a renowned voice-over actor and announcer, best known as the official Spanish language voice for Marlboro cigarettes worldwide. He also provided translated Spanish narration for documentaries produced by the US Information Agency in the 1960s.
Death Montalbán died on March 28, 1991, in his Manhattan home in New York City of cardiovascular disease and was survived by his wife Mary, a New Yorker, two brothers, Pedro and the actor Ricardo Montalbán, and a sister, Carmen, also from Torreon, Mexico.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1933 Flying Down to Rio 1934 La cruz y la espada Esteban 1934 Un capitan de Cosacos Uncredited1934 Dos más uno dos Ronald 1934 Sadie McKee Pedro 1935 Under the Pampas Moon Dancer Uncredited1935 Rosa de Francia Uncredited1936 The Adventures of Frank Merriwell Rurale Captain Serial, Uncredited1936 El Crimen De Media Noche Johnny 1936 A Message to Garcia Spanish Gunner Uncreditedwith Barbara Stanwyck1936 El carnaval del diablo Uncredited1937 When You're in Love Minor Role Uncreditedwith Grace Moore and Cary Grant1937 Love Under Fire Staff Officer Uncredited1939 Bachelor Father Esteban 1939 El rancho del pinar José 1939 Cuando Canta La Ley 1943La guerra la gano yo 1943 El espejo 1955 Producers Showcase Episode: "Yellow Jack"with Lorne Greene1956 The Harder They Fall Luís Agrandi with Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger1956 Crowded Paradise with Mario Alcalde and Nancy Kelly1957 The Mysterians 1959 English version co-director, with Peter Riethof1959 Flor De Mayo Nacho with Jack Palance1960 Pepe Rodriguez with Shirley Jones and Bing Crosby1961 Go Naked in the World Maitre d' Uncredited1965 Love Has Many Faces Don Julian with Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson, and Stephanie Powers1965–1967 The FBI Gen. Rafael Romero 2 episodes1970 The Out-of-Towners Cuban Diplomat with Jack Lemmon1971 Bananas General Emilio M. Vargas with Woody Allen(final film role)TBA The March of Time Narrator
References
External links
Fandango filmography