Ricardo Montalbán only worked as a farmer.
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino , KSG ( [ ˌmɒntəlˈbɑːn ] [ montalˈβan ] ; November 25 , 1920 -- January 14 , 2009 ) was a Mexican actor . His career spanned seven decades , during which he became known for many different performances in a variety of genres , from crime and musicals to comedy and drama . Among his notable roles were Mr. Roarke on the television series Fantasy Island ( 1977 -- 1984 ) , and Khan Noonien Singh on the original Star Trek series beginning in 1967 and the film Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan ( 1982 ) . He won an Emmy Award for his role in the miniseries How the West Was Won ( 1978 ) , and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993 . Montalbán was professionally active into his eighties , when he provided voices for animated films and commercials , and appeared as Grandfather Valentin in the Spy Kids franchise .