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A photo of Jose Ferrer

Jose Ferrer 1912 - 1992

Jose Ferrer of Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida United States was born on January 8, 1912 in San Juan, El Cinco County, San Juan Puerto Rico. He was married to Rosemary Clooney on July 13, 1953 and they later divorced on May 9, 1962. He had children Miguel Ferrer, Maria Ferrer, Gabriel Ferrer, Monsita Ferrer, and Rafael Ferrer. Jose Ferrer died at age 80 years old on January 26, 1992 in Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida United States, and was buried at Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi Calle Cementerio, in San Juan, San Juan Puerto Rico.
Jose Ferrer
Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida United States
January 8, 1912
San Juan, El Cinco County, San Juan, Puerto Rico
January 26, 1992
Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
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Jose Ferrer's History: 1912 - 1992

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  • Introduction

    José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992), known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor and theatre and film director. He was the first Puerto Rican-born actor, as well as the first Hispanic actor, to win an Academy Award (in 1950 for Cyrano de Bergerac). Relatives‎: ‎Tessa Ferrer‎ (granddaughter) Years active‎: ‎1935–1992 Awards‎: ‎National Medal of Arts‎ (1985) Born‎: ‎José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón; J... ‎Uta Hagen · ‎Phyllis Hill · ‎Cyrano de Bergerac · ‎Santa María Magdalena de ... José Ferrer - IMDb
  • 01/8
    1912

    Birthday

    January 8, 1912
    Birthdate
    San Juan, El Cinco County, San Juan Puerto Rico
    Birthplace
  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Ferrer was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the son of María Providencia Cintrón, who was from the small coastal town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, and Rafael Ferrer, an attorney and writer from San Juan. He was the grandson of Gabriel Ferrer Hernández, a doctor and advocate of Puerto Rican independence from Spain. He had two younger sisters, Elvira and Leticia.
  • Nationality & Locations

    Puerto Rico. Switzerland. Princeton, NJ New York California Florida.
  • Early Life & Education

    The family moved to New York in 1914. Ferrer studied at the Swiss boarding school Institut Le Rosey. In 1933, Ferrer began his university studies at the age of 16, and completed his bachelor's degree in architecture at Princeton University, where he wrote his senior thesis on "French Naturalism and Pardo Bazán". Ferrer was also a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and played piano in a band, "José Ferrer and His Pied Pipers". Ferrer then studied Romance languages at Columbia University for 1934-35.
  • Professional Career

    He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. In real life, the actor pierced his left ear in 1972 at age 60 at the urging of his girlfriend (later wife). For the rest of his career, he often enjoyed incorporating an earring into a role, even if it was anachronistic in certain productions. Among the roles in which he wears jewelry in his pierced ear: Paco (1976); The Amazing Captain Nemo (1978); Fedora (1978); The Fifth Musketeer (1979); Tales of the Unexpected: The Man from the South (1979); Battle Creek Brawl (1980); Evita Peron (1981); and Dune (1984). In Fedora (1978), a joke about it is even included in the dialog: "Don't let this earring fool you.". He spoke Italian quite well. Is one of 13 actors who have received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a real-life king. Appears in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Moulin Rouge (1952), The Caine Mutiny (1954) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), with the last being the only winner. Jose Ferrer was also a Director. Film director Ferrer made his debut as film director at Universal with an adaptation of The Shrike (1955), in which he also starred opposite June Allyson. Ferrer then performed Cyrano in an episode of Producer's Showcase on television, directed by Mel Ferrer and co-starring Claire Bloom. He went to England to star in and direct a war movie for Warwick Productions, The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), alongside Trevor Howard; it was a success at the British box office. Ferrer co-wrote, directed and starred in the film The Great Man (1956), at Universal. He directed and starred in two films for MGM: I Accuse! (1958), where he played Captain Alfred Dreyfus, and The High Cost of Loving (1958) a comedy with Gena Rowlands. Both flopped at the box office. Back on Broadway, Ferrer co-wrote and directed the stage musical Oh, Captain! (1958) with Tony Randall, which only had a short run. He directed and starred in Edwin Booth (1958), playing the title role; it was not a success. In 1958, Ferrer narrated the children's album Tubby the Tuba, which was nominated for the Best Recording For Children at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards. Ferrer took over the direction of the troubled musical Juno (1959) from Vincent J. Donehue, who had himself taken over from Tony Richardson. The show, which starred Shirley Booth, folded after 16 performances and mixed-to extremely negative critical reaction. However, he followed it directing the original stage production of Saul Levitt's The Andersonville Trial (1959–60), about the trial following the revelation of conditions at the infamous Civil War prison. It was a hit and featured George C. Scott, running for 179 performances. Around this time Ferrer also appeared in television in episodes of General Electric Theater and The United States Steel Hour. 20th Century Fox Ferrer signed a contract with 20th Century Fox to direct films. He made Return to Peyton Place (1962) and State Fair (1962), both of which were commercial disappointments. Ferrer had a key support role in the film Lawrence of Arabia (1962) which was a huge success. Although Ferrer's performance was only small he said it was his best on screen. At Fox, he played an investigating police officer in Nine Hours to Rama (1963). He also guest starred on The Greatest Show on Earth.
  • Personal Life & Family

    Jose Ferrer - 1952.jpg Ferrer in 1952 Born José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón January 8, 1912 San Juan, Puerto Rico Died January 26, 1992 (aged 80) Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. Resting place Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery Occupation Actor, director Years active 1935–1992 Spouse(s) Uta Hagen (1938–1948) Phyllis Hill (1948–1953) Rosemary Clooney (1953–1961 and 1964–1967) Stella Magee (1977–1992) Children 6, including Miguel and Rafael Ferrer Relatives Tessa Ferrer (granddaughter) Awards National Medal of Arts (1985)
  • 01/26
    1992

    Death

    January 26, 1992
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida United States
    Death location
  • Gravesite & Burial

    mm/dd/yyyy
    Funeral date
    Cementerio Santa María Magdalena de Pazzi Calle Cementerio, in San Juan, San Juan 00926, Puerto Rico
    Burial location
  • Obituary

    Jose Ferrer, Actor, Writer And Director, 80, Is Dead By Bruce Lambert Jan. 27, 1992 Jose Ferrer, Actor, Writer And Director, 80, Is Dead Credit...The New York Times Archives Jose Ferrer, renowned as the cool, cerebral, and idiosyncratic actor who won an Academy Award playing Cyrano de Bergerac, died yesterday at Doctors' Hospital in Coral Gables, Fla. A family spokesman gave his age as 80, although some reference works said he was 83. He was a resident of Miami. His family said he died after a brief illness but did not disclose its nature. 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 was a musician as well. "Jack of all trades, and master of most of them," commented David Shipman in his book "The Great Movie Stars" (St. Martin's, 1972). Broadway Return Called Off Mr. Ferrer's work spanned the stage, films, and television for over half a century. He had planned a return to Broadway this spring, starring opposite Judd Hirsch in "Conversations With My Father," but his name was removed from the marquee because of his failing health. To sample the breadth of his work: He organized a successful cruise ship band in college, played Iago to Paul Robeson's Othello, appeared in the original television pilot of "Kojak," sang opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Beverly Hills Opera, and made guest appearances on the "Newhart" series. His first Tony Award came in 1947, for his role as the lovelorn lead with the prodigious proboscis in "Cyrano de Bergerac." A television version followed in 1949. His film performance of the role captured the Academy Award in 1950, and his career surged at its peak. That same year he played opposite Gloria Swanson in "Twentieth Century" on stage, just after she had filmed "Sunset Boulevard." Her contract stipulated that she appear only with him. In 1952, he won three Critics' Circle prizes and twin Tony Awards on Broadway. One Tony was for directing three different plays, "Stalag 17," "The Fourposter" and "The Shrike," which also won the Pulitzer Prize. The second Tony was for acting in "The Shrike." He ended that year by filming "Moulin Rouge," directed by John Houston. In it, the tall Mr. Ferrer literally got down on his knees, with his legs strapped up, to portray the hobbling Toulouse-Lautrec. His performance won another Oscar nomination. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Jose Vicente Ferrer y Cintron made his first visit to the mainland as a young boy for an operation on his palate. His family moved permanently to the mainland when he was 6. His parents were from Spain, and his father was a lawyer. Young Mr. Ferrer attended public and private schools in New York City. He passed the entrance examination for Princeton University at the precocious age of 14, but at the urging of Princeton, he first took an extra year of preparation at a school in Switzerland. He was a promising young pianist and, for a time, was expected to become a concert performer. Once at Princeton, however, he turned to the study of architecture. But show business tugged at him as he got involved with campus productions that also used of James Stewart and Joshua Logan. It was during this same period that he organized his band, the Pied Pipers. He did a brief showboat stint on Long Island in 1935, then went to Suffern, N.Y., on the straw-hat circuit with Mr. Logan, working as a stage manager. His first major stage role was the lead in "Charley's Aunt" in 1940. Soon he took over a part played by Danny Kaye in "Let's Face It," then did "Othello" with Paul Robeson. Sharing that bill later brought him under scrutiny on the suspicion of sharing Mr. Robeson's leftist sympathies, which Mr. Ferrer denied. His film debut was as the Dauphin with Ingrid Bergman in "Joan of Arc" in 1948, which earned the first of his three Oscar nominations. In his later years in film, he played memorable character roles in movies as disparate as "The Caine Mutiny," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Ship of Fools" and Woody Allen's "Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy." On Broadway he starred in "Man of La Mancha" and directed "The Andersonville Trial." On television he appeared in fare both serious and light, including "Gideon's Trumpet" and "Magnum, P.I." While his skill and intellect were often praised, some critics regretted that he failed to project much warmth. Like most performers, he had his share of duds. His last stage appearances were in 1990 in London and at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J. He remained active directing, including Lee Richardson and Frances Sternhagen in tour of "All My Sons" in 1988 and a production of "The Best Man" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. President Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Arts in 1985, the first actor to receive that honor. Until recently, he was president of the Players club, founded by Edwin Booth, and was active in the Actors Fund. Three of Mr. Ferrer's marriages ended in divorce, with the German actress Uta Hagen from 1938 to 1948, Phyllis Hill from 1948 to 1953, and the singer Rosemary Clooney twice in the 50's and 60's. Surviving are his fourth wife, the former Stella Magee; three sons, Rafael Francisco, of New York City, and Miguel Jose and Gabriel Vicente, both of Los Angeles; three daughters, Leticia Thyra Ferrer of New York City, Maria Providencia Ferrer of Los Angeles and Monsita Teresa Botwick of Virginia Beach, Va.; eight grandchildren; two sisters, Leticia Garcia and Elvira Villafane, and a half-brother, Rafael. The family plans no funeral or memorial services.
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20 Memories, Stories & Photos about Jose

Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A Montage by Robert Dockery.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer
Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer
They were married and five children.
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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Jose Ferrer as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
Jose Ferrer as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
The movie was The Song of Moulin Rouge.
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Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney and Family.
Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney and Family.
Family Portrait.
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer
A photo of Jose Ferrer
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