Protean Broadway actor-director-producer whose noteworthy stage performances include Iago to Paul Robeson's "Othello" (1942), a Tony-winning "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1946) and the prince in the Noel Coward musical, "The Girl Who Came to Supper" (1964).
Ferrer made his Hollywood debut in "Joan of Arc" (1948) and, thanks to his sonorous voice and urbane manner, excelled at playing pedants and snobs, like the pompous Nazi professor in Mel Brooks's 1983 remake of "To Be or Not to Be". He proved his versatility, though, as the murderous hypnotist in "Whirlpool" (1949), the defending officer in "The Caine Mutiny" (1954), the sadistic Turkish bey in "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) and the ham actor in "Enter Laughing" (1966).
Ferrer's work as a film director has been generally undistinguished, one exception being his scathing look at the TV industry, "The Great Man" (1956). He was married to actress Uta Hagen (1938-48) and singer Rosemary Clooney (1953-66), and his son is character actor Miguel Ferrer.
Family
FATHER: Rafael Ferrer. Lawyer. From San Juan.
MOTHER: Maria Providencia Ferrer. From Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
HALF-BROTHER: Rafael Ferrer.
SISTER: Leticia Garcia.
SISTER: Elvira Villafane.
DAUGHTER: Leticia Thyra Ferrer. Actor. Born in 1940; mother, Uta Hagen.
SON: Miguel Jose Ferrer. Actor. Born in 1955; mother, Rosemary Clooney; appeared with father in a 1981 episode of "Magnum, P.I.".
SON: Rafael Francisco Ferrer. Born in 1956; mother, Rosemary Clooney.
DAUGHTER: Maria Providencia Ferrer. Children's tapestry designer. Born in 1957; mother ,Rosemary Clooney.
SON: Gabriel Vicente Ferrer. Born in 1959; mother, Rosemary Clooney; married to singer-actress Debby Boone; they have four children together: Jordan (born c. 1980), twin girls Gabrielle and Dustin (born c. 1983) and Tessa (born c. 1986).
DAUGHTER: Monsita Teresa Botwick. Born in 1960; mother, Rosemary Clooney.
Companion
WIFE: Uta Hagen. Actor, acting teacher. Married on December 8, 1938, divorced in June 1948; wrote books including "Respect for Acting"; had one daughter together.
WIFE: Phyllis Hill. Actor, ballerina. Married on June 19, 1948, just days after his divorce from Uta Hagen; divorced in July 1953; died on January 1, 1993 at age 72; daughter of actor Peggy Johnson Hill.
WIFE: Rosemary Clooney. Singer. Married on July 13, 1953; divorced in 1962; remarried in 1963; divorced a second time in 1966; had five children together; noted pop songstress of the 1950s; made comeback on TV and nightclubs in the 1980s.
WIFE: Stella Daphne Magee. Fourth wife.
Milestone
1918: First visited the United States for an operation on his palate; family later moved to the USA when he was six
Organized a successful cruise ship band, the Pied Pipers, while a college student
1934: Made professional debut on a showboat on Long Island
1935: Joined Joshua Logan's Suffern (New York) stock company as assistant stage manager
1935: Broadway debut in "A Slight Case of Murder"
1940: First major stage role in Broadway revival of "Charley's Aunt"
1941: Broadway directing debut, Marcel Pagnol's "Topaz"
1942 - 1943: Played Iago to Paul Robson's Othello on Broadway
1945: Broadway producing debut, "Strange Fruit" (also director)
1945: Turned down lead in Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend"
1946: Film debut as narrator of short, "Bolivia"
1948: Film acting debut (feature) in "Joan of Arc"
1949: Starred in TV version of his 1947 stage triumph, "Cyrano de Bergerac"; also starred in 1950 film version
Recorded hit duets, "Man" and "Woman" with Rosemary Clooney in the mid-1950s
1955: Film directing debut, "The Shrike" (also actor)
1958: Co-writing debut, "Oh, Captain" on Broadway (also director)
1990: Last American stage appearance at the Paper Mill Playhouse's revival of the Harold Rome musical "Fanny" in Millburn, New Jersey
1990: Final stage performance opposite Mandy Patinkin in the RSC's musical "Born Again" (based on Ionesco's "Rhinoceros")
1991: Planned to return to Broadway in the spring of 1992 to star opposite Judd Hirsch in Herb Gardner's "Conversations with My Father"; forced to bow out due to illness
Education
Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey - architecture and music composition - BA - 1928-1933 - passed entrance exam for Princeton at age of 14, but took an extra year of preparation at a school in Switzerland at urging of Princeton; had plans to become a concert pianist; began acting with Princeton's undergraduate Triangle Club
"Versatility, intelligence and longevity were the hallmarks of his extraordinary career in entertainment. He was successful as an award-winning actor and a producer, writer and director, and he was a musician as well....While his skill and intellect were often praised, some critics regretted that he failed to project much warmth."--Bruce Lambert ("New York Times" obituary, January 27, 1992)
He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1980.
He was the first actor to be awarded the National Medal of the Arts (1985), presented by former President Ronald Regan.
Assumed presidency of the Players Club in NY (1983-91).
Received a honorary Masters Degree from Princeton in 1947.
He was given a honorary H.H.D. from the University of Puerto Rico in 1949.
Contributions
Ferrer received his first Academy Award nomination for his film debut in Joan of Arc in 1948. Ferrer won an Academy Award as "Best Actor" for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the 1950 film.
In 1952, Ferrer portrayed French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in John Huston's Moulin Rouge , for which he was Oscar nominated for the third time.
In the midst of his film work, Ferrer would return to the stage every so often, and the most notable performance of his later career was in the dual role of Miguel de Cervantes and his fictional creation Don Quixote in the hit musical Man of La Mancha. Ferrer took over the role from Richard Kiley in 1967, and subsequently went on tour with it in the first national company of the show.
He considered Lawrence of Arabia in 1962,to be his finest film performance.
-- Submitted by: albatros1
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