Birth name José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón NationalityPorto rico Birth 8 january 1912 at Santurce Death 26 january 1992 (at 80 years) at Coral Gables (USA) Awards Academy Award for Best Actor, National Medal of Arts
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992), best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, theater, and film director. He was the first Puerto Rican actor, as well as the first Hispanic actor, to win an Academy Award (in 1950, for Cyrano de Bergerac).
To honor his roots, he donated his Oscar award to the University of Puerto Rico. The prolific and distinguished thespian also won several Tony Awards. In 1947, he won the Tony Award for his theatrical performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, and then in 1952, he won the Distinguished Dramatic Actor Award for The Shrike, and also the Outstanding Director Award for directing all three of The Shrike, The Fourposter, and Stalag 17.
Ferrer's contributions to American theater were recognized in 1981, when he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 1985 he received the National Medal of Arts from Ronald Reagan, becoming the first actor to receive that honor. On April 26, 2012, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in Ferrer's honor in its Distinguished Americans series.
Biography
Ferrer was married five times:
Uta Hagen (1938–1948): Ferrer and Hagen had one child, their daughter Leticia (born October 15, 1940). They divorced in 1948, partly due to Hagen's long-concealed affair with Paul Robeson, with whom Hagen and Ferrer had co-starred in the Broadway production of Othello.
Phyllis Hill (1948–1953): Ferrer and Hill wed on May 27, 1948, and they moved to Burlington, Vermont in 1950, where they subsequently found it difficult to keep their marriage together. Ferrer returned to Puerto Rico because his mother died. They divorced on January 12, 1953.
Rosemary Clooney (1953–1961): Ferrer first married Clooney on June 1, 1953 in Durant, Oklahoma. They moved to Santa Monica, California, in 1954, and then to Los Angeles in 1958. Ferrer and Clooney had five children: Miguel (born February 7, 1955), Maria (born August 9, 1956), Gabriel (born August 1, 1957), Monsita (born October 13, 1958) and Rafael (born March 23, 1960). They divorced for the first time in 1961.
Rosemary Clooney (1964–1967): Ferrer and Clooney remarried on November 22, 1964 in Los Angeles; however, the marriage again crumbled while Ferrer was carrying on an affair with the woman who would become his last wife, Stella Magee. Clooney found out about the affair, and she and Ferrer divorced again in 1967.
Stella Magee (1977–1992): Ferrer married Magee in 1977, and they remained so until his death.
He is a cousin of professional tennis player Gigi Fernández.
His marriage(s) to Rosemary Clooney made him uncle, and their five children first cousins, to actor George Clooney.
Ferrer was fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian.
Following a brief battle with colon cancer, Ferrer died in Coral Gables, Florida in 1992, and was interred in Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in Old San Juan in his native Puerto Rico.
, 1h27 Directed byTerry Jones, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Rachel Talalay OriginUnited-kingdom GenresDrama, Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure ThemesFilms about animals, Children's films ActorsSteve Coogan, Bob Hoskins, Eric Idle, Mark Gatiss, Terry Jones, Matt Lucas Rating62% Mole's (Steve Coogan) underground home is knocked in when the field above it is bulldozed by the Weasels; the field was owned by Mr. Toad (Terry Jones), who has sold it to finance his latest fad: caravanning. Mole flees to the river and meets the Water Rat (Eric Idle), who is preparing to embark on a picnic. Seeing Mole's distress, Rat decides to take Mole to see Toad. Toad encourages them to travel with him on the open road, in his newly bought canary-coloured cart. Disaster strikes when a pair of joyriders in a motor car knock over the cart. Rat calms Toad's horse instead of Mole. Toad, however, instantly discards the cart and becomes obsessed with motoring. He is a reckless driver, however, and ends up needing more money from the Weasels. Their volatile Chief (Antony Sher) tries to persuade him to sell Toad Hall.
, 1h13 Directed byTerry Jones, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Rachel Talalay OriginUnited-kingdom GenresComedy, Adventure, Animation ThemesChildren's films ActorsAlan Bennett, Bob Hoskins, Michael Gambon, Mark Gatiss, Rik Mayall, Matt Lucas Rating73% Tired from spring cleaning, Mole ventures out of his hole for the first time and stumbles across a river and a new-found friend Ratty. The two friends enjoy themselves then call on Mr. Toad, who takes them for a trip on the open road by gypsy caravan until a passing motor car causes the caravan to crash and Toad to develop a mania for driving motor cars. Back at the riverbank Ratty gets a temporary phase of a desire to emigrate but Mole snaps him out of it.
, 1h36 Directed byTerry Jones, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Rachel Talalay OriginUSA GenresDrama, Animation ThemesMusical films, Children's films ActorsCharles Nelson Reilly, Bob Hoskins, Roddy McDowall, Mark Gatiss, José Ferrer, Matt Lucas Roles Badger (voice) Rating71% The "well-known and popular" Mr. Toad of Toad Hall (voice of Charles Nelson Reilly), a conceited and impulsive animal, embarks on a madcap river voyage in a paddleboat, nearly shipwrecking his friend Ratty (voice of Roddy McDowall) who is out for a leisurely row. At the same time, Toad whelms the entrance to the subterranean home of Moley (voice of Eddie Bracken). So disturbed, Moley comes above ground for the first time in his life, and is positively amazed by the surface world. At once he meets Ratty, who invites him to come along on his river cruise ("Wind in the Willows"). All too soon, Toad returns and recklessly overturns Ratty's boat, nearly drowning Moley, but Ratty saves him and pushes him along to shore.
, 4h Directed byJerry Thorpe OriginUSA GenresDrama ThemesSeafaring films, Transport films ActorsKris Kristofferson, Jane Alexander, Madeleine Stowe, José Ferrer, Sean Young, Susan Blakely Roles Walter Bergman Rating64% In 1937 Hawaii, four native Hawaiian men find a white woman, beaten nearly to death, and take her to a hospital—only to be charged later with her rape and assault. During their trial, the woman's husband, a lieutenant in the US Navy, fatally shoots one of them and later stands trial himself. The trial brings into stark relief the racial tensions that tear at the social fabric of Territorial Hawaii in the years prior to World War II.
, 2h15 OriginUSA GenresDrama, War, Historical ActorsCarroll Baker, Paul Brooke, Warren Clarke, Michael Elphick, José Ferrer, Lucy Gutteridge Roles Prof. Ludwig Rosenberg Rating64% Helmut and Karl Hoffman are two brothers who grow up in the Great Depression of the Weimar Republic, witness the coming to power of the NSDAP (Nazi Party) and the establishment of the Third Reich. Karl, an unemployed mechanic, is enthusiastic about the Nazis and joins the Sturmabteilung (SA-"Storm Battalion"), the Nazi Party militia, after hearing its commander Ernst Röhm speak at a Nazi Party rally. Helmut is reluctant and thinks the Nazis are simply another political party.
, 8h Directed byBuzz Kulik OriginUSA GenresBiography, Historical ThemesPolitical films ActorsBarry Bostwick, Patty Duke, David Dukes, Jaclyn Smith, Lloyd Bridges, José Ferrer Roles Governor Dinwiddie Rating78% This miniseries covers the life of George Washington, from the time he is a young man, through his experiences in the French and Indian War and his rise to lead the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It concludes shortly after the end of the war, with Washington's return to his home in Mount Vernon.
, 1h35 Directed byLee Philips OriginUSA GenresFantasy, Action, Adventure ThemesFilms about religion, Films based on the Bible, Films about Jews and Judaism ActorsMax von Sydow, Belinda Bauer, Antony Hamilton, Daniel Stern, Angélica Aragón, Victor Mature Roles The High Priest Rating56% Mostly the same as the original biblical story, but with notable differences such as, once again, the expanded role of Delilah (Bauer), the introduction of the garrison commander (Stern) who is friends with Samson (Hamilton), more focus upon Samson's relationship with his first wife, a different handling of the 30 garments bet, and, perhaps the most crucial alteration is to the climax. In the original story, maintained in the 1949 film and the 1996 TV remake, is that Samson only regains his strength after his hair has grown long again, thus allowing him to tear down the Philistine temple. Here, however, Samson is taken to the Philistine temple just after his hair has been cut short, and he prays to God to restore his immense strength despite his short hair, and God complies, allowing Samson enough strength to tear down the stone pillars, thus destroying the temple.
, 1h22 Directed byJackie Kong OriginUSA GenresScience fiction, Horror ActorsMartin Landau, José Ferrer, Dorothy Malone, Ruth Buzzi, Kinky Friedman, Richard Marcus Roles Mayor Gordon Lane Rating44% People have been disappearing in the town of Pottsville, Idaho. Detective Mortimer Lutz (Bill Osco) thinks it is connected to the toxic dump site near the town, but is impeded in his investigation by the Mayor (Jose Ferrer), who is concerned about the economic impact on the town's potato industry should it turn out to be true. In reality, the toxic waste has turned a young child into a cannibalistic mutant monster, devouring anyone who comes across him. When the existence of the mutant is discovered, Lutz begins a run against time to stop it before it consumes the town's entire population.
, 1h25 Directed byWoody Allen OriginUSA GenresComedy, Romance ThemesFilms about sexuality, Erotic films ActorsWoody Allen, Mia Farrow, José Ferrer, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Mary Steenburgen Roles Leopold Rating65% It is the early 1900s. Distinguished philosopher Leopold (Ferrer) and his much younger fiancée, Ariel (Farrow), are going to spend a weekend in the country with Leopold's cousin Adrian (Steenburgen) and her crackpot inventor husband Andrew (Allen). Also on the guest list is womanizing doctor Maxwell (Roberts) and his latest girlfriend, free-thinking nurse, Dulcy (Hagerty). Over the course of the weekend, old romances reignite, new romances develop, and everyone ends up sneaking off behind everyone else's backs.