Montalban Sues Over ‘Fantasy Island’ Share

Actor Ricardo Montalban filed suit Tuesday against Columbia Pictures, claiming that the studio didn’t pay him a promised 5% in profits from his “Fantasy Island” TV series.

The Los Angeles Superior Court suit, seeking $10 million in punitive damages in addition to the 5% in profits, claims that the 1977-1983 series earned more than $100 million and was one of the most successful in TV history. The suit charges that Columbia Pictures Television and Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. manipulated accounting practices to avoid paying Montalban a portion of the profits generated by the series.

The studio denies that the show ever turned a profit.