Ricardo Montez

Ricardo Montez (born Levy Isaac Attias; 20 September 1923 – 26 October 2010) was an English actor best known for his role as the Spanish bartender Juan Cervantes, a student in Jeremy Brown's EFL class in the ITV comedy series Mind Your Language and one of four students (along with Giovanni Capello, Anna Schmidt, and Ranjeet Singh) to appear in all four series.

Born Levy Isaac Attias on 23 September 1923 in Gibraltar to Jewish parents, he and his family were evacuated to England during World War II.

On returning home, he worked in different jobs, including as an extra in films shot in Gibraltar.

He married Orivida Hatchwell in 1953; they had a daughter, Clara, and a granddaughter, Sara.

While appearing in the British film Wonderful Things! (1958), the actor Frankie Vaughan persuaded him to travel to London and become an actor, which he did in 1962, changing his name at Vaughan's suggestion to Ricardo Montez.

He appeared primarily in television programmes, including The Saint, The Avengers, Doctor at Sea and Don't Drink the Water, in which he usually played Spanish characters, before being cast in his best known role as Juan Cervantes, the Spanish bartender in a class of mature English language students, in the situation comedy series Mind Your Language from 1977 and 1979, reprising his role in a revival of the series in 1986.

In his later years, Montez continued to appear on television in programmes including Sharpe's Honour and Casualty, as well as in commercials.

His final acting role was in the film Mamma Mia! (2008).

He lived in Richmond, London, and used to visit Gibraltar twice a year.

Montez died from cancer at his daughter's home in Marbella, Spain on 26 October 2010, at the age of 87.

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