Immigration Law

RIP, RUMPOLE AND MR. ROARKE

By Greg Siskind

The death of two gentleman this week has me down.

One of my favorite writers, John Mortimer, died after a long illness at the age of 85. Mr. Mortimer was a successful and famous barrister in London before he embarked on a career as a novelist and screenwriter. He created the wonderful character Horace Rumple nearly 35 years ago. Rumpole, a lovable, irreverent and rotund elderly barrister who fights for justice even if the clients are most unpopular. As an immigration lawyer, I loved Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, Mortimer's second to last book. Rumpole takes on the defense of a Pakistani doctor accused of being linked to terrorists and facing deportation.

Many of you may remember the wonderful ITV television series Rumpole of the Bailey starring the great Australian actor Leo McKern who died in 2002.

The well-known Mexican-born actor Ricardo Montalban died this week at the age of 88. Montalban had a long career and was known to many generations for memorable stage, film and television roles. He'll long be remembered for his role as the title character in the film Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. And many in my generation will smile remembering Mr. Roarke, the suave man in the white suit who hosted B-list celebrity guests on Fantasy Island. My kids remember the actor for his role as the grandfather in the Spy Kids films.

Montalban played an important role in improving the lot of immigrant actors in Hollywood. He co-founded the Nosotros Foundation in 1970 which was an advocacy group for Latino actors in film and television.

Full post as published by Greg Siskind's Blog on January 17, 2009 (boomark / email).