Strange, utterly random news: Patrick McGoohan and Ricardo Montalban both died in Los Angeles yesterday. McGoohan was 80; Montalban, 88.
Glenn Kenny celebrates McGoohan’s legacy at his blog, with an appropriately grim quote from David Cronenberg, who directed the actor in “Scanners”; over at the House, Keith Uhlich links to a proper obit for Montalban in the L.A. Times.
I have nothing of weight to add, other than to acknowledge that McGoohan was, as the kids say, the shit — yes, even in “Ice Station Zebra” and “Braveheart” — and Montalban always managed to surprise me with his warmth and his willingness to send himself up at any opportunity. He’s pretty terrific in the “Spy Kids” sequels — stepping perfectly into the series’ kitschy-cool universe as Antonio Banderas’ even-more-suave dad — and freakin’ hysterical as the voice of a slaughterhouse cow in a recent episode of “Family Guy“.
If the cold has trapped you inside today, there are worse ways to pass the time than watching any of those. Actually, you can skip “Spy Kids 3D”; just watch the second one.
Any man who voiced a character named ‘Señor Senior Sr.’ for ‘Kim Possible’ with both humour and (believe it or not) dignity deserves a shout-out on a convenient astral plane. Adios.