On Saturday, May 8, Ricardo Montalban will make a rare public appearance at the gala opening of a classic Hollywood theatre newly renamed after him.

The historic Doolittle Theatre near the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Vine will become the Ricardo Montalban Theatre with a star-studded fundraising tribute to the actor. He will be joined by family and friends, celebrities, and government and civic officials along with fans and well-wishers.

The inaugural celebration commences at 6:30 p.m. with red carpet arrivals, followed at 7:30 p.m. by the official unveiling of the new building façade on 1615 N. Vine St.  At 8:00 p.m., the event moves inside the theatre for the tribute presentation and show, with entertainment from stars such as Robert Goulet.

Tickets range from $300 to $1,000, and are available by calling (323) 466-8566. Also check the Related Links below for more information. All funds generated from the event will be administered through the non-profit Ricardo Montalban Foundation.

The opening of this theatre is the culmination of Montalban's dream to create a facility to train and support visionary artists and talents. In 1970 he founded the organization Nosotros to improve the image of Latinos and Hispanics in the entertainment industry, and to promote employment and educational opportunities for Latinos in the performance arts. Nosotros has grown tremendously in 34 years and together with its sister organization, the Ricardo Montalban Foundation, recently purchased the Doolittle Theatre.

The Ricardo Montalban Theatre will be the first major theater facility (1200 seats) in the United States to carry the name of a Latino performing artist.

The 83-year-old actor boasts an illustrious 60-year career that began in Mexico and took him through the golden years of Hollywood as a leading MGM contract player. In the television era Star Trek fans came to know Montalban as "Khan Noonien Singh" from the Original Series episode "Space Seed," a role he reprised in 1982 for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." He is probably most famous for playing "Mr. Roarke" for seven years on Fantasy Island, and more recently starred in the last two "Sky Kids" films. Though now confined to a wheelchair, Montalban still occasionally appears at Star Trek conventions, always drawing huge crowds.