Earlier today, Ricardo Montalban, the excellent veteran actor, passed away in his home at the age of 88. His massive body of work reads like a history of 20th-century filmed entertainment, with appearances in everything from Bonanza to Hawaii Five-O to even Dora the Explorer. His role as Fantasy Island's Mr. Rourke from 1978 to 1984 made him a household name, and his role as Kahn Noonien Singh in the 1967 Star Trek episode, "Space Seed," would be reprised on the silver screen 15 years later in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn -- arguably the best Star Trek film, due in large part to Montalban's mesmerizing performance. But for those of us of a certain age, he'll also be forever remembered for making the phrase "Corinthian Leather" part of the lexicon. Rest in peace, Ricardo.
I heard, perhaps on the Merv Griffin Show, that he made up the term "Corinthian Leather", that he liked the sound of it.
On the same show he was asked by Merv Griffin about his sponsorship of Chrysler and wether he found his identity in public too bound by it. He responded with an anecdote about the time he was stopped at a red light. Another car pulls up next to him and this being L.A. or Hollywood it was warm and both cars had their windows down. The man in the other car looks over and sees Ricardo Montalban, and without missing a beat says "Have you driven a Ford lately".
