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Jose Ferrer Biography (1912-1992)

Full name, Jose Vincente Ferrer de Otero y Cintron; born January 8, 1912 (some sources say 1909), in Santurce, Puerto Rico; died January 26, 1992, in Coral Gables, FL; son of Rafael (an attorney) and Maria Providencia (Cintron) Ferrer; married Uta Hagen (an actress), December 8, 1938 (divorced, 1948); married Phyllis Hill (an actress), June 19, 1948 (divorced, 1953); married Rosemary Clooney (a singer and actress), July 13, 1953 (divorced, 1962; remarried, 1963; divorced, 1967); married Stella Daphne Magee; children: Leticia Thyra, Miguel, Maria, Gabriel, Monsita, Rafael Francisco.

Nationality

Puerto Rican

Gender

Male

Occupation

actor, director

Birth Details

January 8, 1912

Santurce, Puerto Rico

Death Details

January 26, 1992

Coral Gables, Florida, United States

Famous Works

• Credits; Stage Appearances
• (Broadway debut) Second policeman, A Slight Case of Murder, 48th Street Theatre, 1935.
• Lippincot, Spring Dance, Empire Theatre, New York City, 1936.
• Dan Crawford, Brother Rat, Biltmore Theatre, New York City, 1936.
• Frederick Parsons, In Clover, Vanderbilt Theatre, New York City, 1937.
• Vergez, How to Get Tough about It, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1938.
• Billy Gashade, Missouri Legend, Empire Theatre, 1938.
• Saint Julian, Mamba's Daughters, Empire Theatre, 1939.
• Victor d'Alcale, Key Largo, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1939.
• Lord Fancourt Babberley, Charley's Aunt, Cort Theatre, New York City, 1940.
• George Roberts, Vickie, Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1942.
• Jerry Walker, Let's Face It, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1943.
• Iago, Othello, Shubert Theatre, New York City, 1943.
• Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1946.
• Gregory Smirnov, "The Bear," and Ivan Nyukhin, "On the Harmfulness of Tobacco," produced with other plays as Four One-Act Comedies (also see below), New York City Theatre Company, New York City Center, 1948.
• Oliver Erwenter, The Silver Whistle, Biltmore Theatre, 1948.
• Title role, Volpone (also see below), New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• Mr. Manningham, Angel Street, New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• Jeremy, The Alchemist, New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• Fat Joe, The Long Voyage Home, New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• Felix and Yellow Commander, The Insect Comedy (also see below), New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• Oscar Jaffe, Twentieth Century (also see below), American NationalTheatre and Academy (ANTA), New York City, 1950.
• Jim Downs, The Shrike (also see below), Cort Theatre, 1952.
• Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, New York City Theatre Company, 1953-54.
• Jim Downs, The Shrike (also see below), New York City Theatre Company, 1953-54.
• Title role, Richard III, New York City Theatre Company, 1958.
• Lord Fancourt Babberley, Charley's Aunt, New York City Theatre Company, 1958.
• Edwin, Edwin Booth, 46th Street Theatre, New York City, 1958.
• Title role, Gianni Schicchi, Santa Fe Opera Company, Santa Fe, NM,1960.
• Title role, Gianni Schicchi, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, 1960.
• Amonasro, Aida, Beverly Hills Opera Company, Beverly Hills, CA, 1961.
• Grand Duke Charles, The Girl Who Came to Supper, Broadway Theatre,New York City, 1963.
• Marc Blitzstein Memorial Concert, Philharmonic Hall, New York City, 1964.
• Pseudolus, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, CoconutGrove Playhouse, Coconut Grove, FL, then Tappan Zee Playhouse, Nyack, NY, 1965.
• Multiple roles, Little Me, Mineola Playhouse, Long Island, NY, 1965.
• Dr. Coppelius, Coppelia, Academy Royale Theatre, Palm Beach, FL, 1965.
• Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, ANTA Washington Square Theatre, NewYork City, 1966.
• Quentin, After the Fall, Coconut Grove Playhouse, 1966.
• The Sunshine Boys, Geary Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1968.
• You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, Coconut GrovePlayhouse, 1968.
• Doctor, Medal of Honor Rag (also see below), Chichester Festival,Edinburgh, Scotland, 1975.
• A Gala Tribute to Joshua Logan, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1975.
• Long Day's Journey into Night, Massachusetts Center Repertory Company, Boston, MA, 1977.
• Robert, A Life in the Theatre, Theatre de Lys, New York City, 1978.
• Harry, White Pelicans, Theatre de Lys, 1978.
• Home and Beauty, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theatre, Washington, DC, 1979.
• Paint Your Wagon, Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, 1980.
• Sir, The Dresser, Coconut Grove Playhouse, c. 1982.
• Father, Life with Father, Coconut Grove Playhouse, c. 1983.
• Happy Birthday, Mr. Abbott! or Night of 100 Years, Palace Theatre,New York City, 1987.
• Also appeared in The Periwinkle (stage debut; showboat performance), Long Island, NY, 1934; in Caesar and Cleopatra, Suffern, NY, 1936;in Arms and the Man, 1938; as Admiral in The Admiral Had a Wife, 1941; in Design for Living and Goodbye Again, both at summertheatres, 1947; appeared in title role, Oedipus Rex, Salt Lake City, UT, 1966; in Rhinoceros, London, England, 1990; and in The DazzlingHour.
• Credits; Major Tours
• Second policeman, A Slight Case of Murder, U.S. cities, 1935.
• Boy Meets Girl, U.S. cities, 1935.
• Sandor Turai, The Play's the Thing, U.S. cities, 1945.
• Kenneth Bixby, Goodbye Again, U.S. cities, 1947.
• Leo, Design for Living, U.S. cities, 1947.
• Phineas Fogg, Around the World in Eighty Days, U.S. cities, 1965.
• Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha, U.S. cities, 1966-67.
• Director; also played role of doctor, Medal of Honor Rag, U.S. cities, 1976.
• Also appeared in a touring production of A Song for Cyrano, 1973.
• Credits; Stage Work; Director
• Fol-de-Roi, Triangle Club, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1937.
• (With Frank Mandel) Vickie, Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1942.
• Strange Fruit, Royale Theatre, New York City, 1945.
• "A Tragedian in Spite of Himself" and "The Wedding," produced with otherplays as Four One-Act Comedies, New York City Theatre Company, City Center Theatre, 1948.
• S.S. Glencairn (four one-act plays), New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• The Insect Comedy, New York City Theatre Company, 1948.
• (And producer) Twentieth Century, ANTA Theatre, then Fulton Playhouse, New York City, 1950.
• (And producer) Stalag 17, 48th Street Theatre, New York City, 1951.
• The Fourposter, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1951.
• (And producer) The Shrike, Cort Theatre, 1952.
• The Chase, Playhouse Theatre, New York City, 1952.
• My Three Angels, Morosco Theatre, New York City, 1953.
• (With Joseph Kramm) The Shrike, New York City Theatre Company, 1953-54.
• Cyrano de Bergerac, New York City Theatre Company, 1953-54.
• Charley's Aunt, New York City Theatre Company, 1954.
• Oh, Captain! (also see below), Alvin Theatre, New York City, 1958.
• (And producer) Edwin Booth, 46th Street Theatre, 1958.
• Juno, Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1959.
• The Andersonville Trial, Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, 1959.
• You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running, New London Theatre, London, 1968.
• The Web and the Rock, Theatre de Lys, 1972.
• A Yard of Sun, Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, OH, 1972.
• Cyrano de Bergerac, Chichester Festival, 1975.
• The Interview, Pittsburgh Playhouse, Pittsburgh, PA, 1976.
• The Living Room, Herbert Berghof Studio, New York City, 1978.
• Lewlulu, Herbert Berghof Studio, 1978.
• Home and Beauty, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theatre, 1979.
• Carmelina, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1979.
• A Conflict of Interest, PAF Theatre, Huntington, NY, then HartmanTheatre, Stamford, CT, 1979.
• Off Broadway, Whole Theatre, Montclair, NJ, 1982.
• A Destiny with Half Moon Street, Coconut Grove Playhouse, c. 1982.
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Coconut Grove Playhouse, c. 1983.
• The Glass Menagerie, Coconut Grove Playhouse, 1984.
• Sleuth, Coconut Grove Playhouse, 1984.
• The Best Man, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles,CA, 1987.
• Also director and producer of The Admiral Had a Wife, 1941.
• Credits; Film Appearances
• (Film debut) The dauphin, Charles VII, Joan of Arc, RKO Radio Pictures, 1948.
• David Korvo, Whirlpool, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1949.
• Raoul Farrago, Crisis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1950.
• Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, United Artists (UA), 1950.
• Giorgi, Anything Can Happen, Paramount, 1952.
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge, UA, 1952.
• Alfred Davidson, Miss Sadie Thompson, Columbia, 1953.
• Lieutenant Barney Greenwald, The Caine Mutiny, Columbia, 1954.
• Sigmund Romberg, Deep in My Heart, MGM, 1954.
• Major Stringer, The Cockleshell Heroes (also see below), Columbia,1955.
• Jim Downs, The Shrike (also see below), Universal, 1955.
• Joe Harris, The Great Man (also see below), Universal, 1957.
• Jim Fry, The High Cost of Loving (also see below), MGM, 1958.
• Alfred Dreyfus, I Accuse! (also known as J'Accuse; also seebelow), MGM, 1959.
• Turkish bey, Lawrence of Arabia, Columbia, 1962.
• Superintendent Gopal Das, Nine Hours to Rama (also known as Nine Hours to Live), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1963.
• Cowan the reporter, Stop Train 349 (also known as Delay in Marienborn), Allied Artists, 1964.
• Herod Antipas, The Greatest Story Ever Told, UA, 1965.
• Rieber, Ship of Fools, Columbia, 1965.
• Mr. Marlowe, Enter Laughing, Columbia, 1967.
• Hassam Bey, Arab envoy, The Young Rebel, American International- Commonwealth United, 1969.
• Ironman, The Big Bus, Paramount, 1976.
• Father Alberto, Forever Young, Forever Free (also known as E Lollipop, Lollipop), Universal, 1976.
• Benitez, Voyage of the Damned, AVCO/Embassy, 1976.
• Athos, Behind the Iron Mask (also known as The Fifth Musketeer), Columbia, 1977.
• Mark, Crash, Group I, 1977.
• Robed figure, The Sentinel, Universal, 1977.
• Dr. Vando, Fedora, UA, 1978.
• Lionel McCoy, The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, American International, 1978.
• Dr. Andrews, The Swarm, Warner Bros., 1978.
• Harry Rosenthal, Natural Enemies, Cinema V, 1979.
• Dominic, The Big Brawl, Warner Bros., 1980.
• The Ben, Who Has Seen the Wind, Cinema World, 1980.
• Nereus, Blood Tide (also known as The Red Tide), Twenty- First Century, 1982.
• Leopold, A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Orion, 1982.
• Professor Siletski, To Be or Not To Be, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983.
• Padishah Emperor Shaddana IV, Dune, Universal, 1984.
• Lomelin, The Evil That Men Do, Tri-Star, 1984.
• Don Fulhencio, The Violins Came with the Americans, Sun and Moon Productions, 1987.
• Warner Watney, Old Explorers, Taurus, 1991.
• Also narrator of short films Bolivia, 1948, The Sydenham Plan, 1949, Article 55, 1952, Forbid Them Not, 1961, and Progress for Freedom, 1962. Also appeared in El clan de los immorales (also known as Order to Kill), 1973; Paco, 1975; And They'reOff, 1982; appeared as Mayor, The Being, 1983; Doctor, Blood Birthday (also known as Creeps), 1988; and Inspector Branco, Dracula's Dog (also known as Zoltan, Hound of Dracula).
• Credits; Film Director
• The Cockleshell Heroes, Columbia, 1955.
• The Shrike, Universal, 1955.
• The Great Man, Universal, 1957.
• The High Cost of Loving, MGM, 1958.
• I Accuse! (also known as J'Accuse), MGM, 1959.
• Return to Peyton Place, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1961.
• State Fair, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1962.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Series
• Narrator, The Priceless Treasures of Dresden, PBS, 1978.
• Captain Nemo, The Return of Captain Nemo, CBS, 1978.
• Reuben Marino, Another World, NBC, 1983.
• Morris Kane, Bridges to Cross, CBS, 1986.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Mini-series
• Erich Rhinemann, The Rhinemann Exchange, NBC, 1977.
• President Broussard, The French Atlantic Affair, ABC, 1979.
• Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddle, George Washington, CBS, 1984.
• Professor Henry Leeds, "Strange Interlude," American Playhouse, PBS, 1988.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Episodic
• "Cyrano de Bergerac," Philco Television Playhouse, NBC, 1949.
• "What Makes Sammy Run," Philco Television Playhouse, NBC, 1949.
• "Cyrano de Bergerac," Producers Showcase (also see below), NBC, 1955.
• "Cyrano de Bergerac," George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, CBS, 1955.
• "The Letter," Producers Showcase, NBC, 1956.
• "Survival," G.E. Theatre, CBS, 1959.
• Greatest Show on Earth, ABC, 1963.
• Narrator, Bewitched, ABC, 1964.
• Name of the Game, NBC, 1970.
• "In the Confessional," Orson Welles' Great Mysteries, CBS, 1974.
• Columbo, NBC, 1974.
• "Man from the South," Tales of the Unexpected, syndicated, 1979.
• The Love Boat, ABC, 1980, 1981, and 1985.
• Magnum, P.I., CBS, 1981.
• Quincy, NBC, 1982.
• Arthur VanderKellen, Newhart, CBS, 1982, 1985, 1986, and 1987.
• Fantasy Island, ABC, 1983.
• Hotel, ABC, 1984.
• "Who Has Seen the Wind?," Wonderworks, PBS, 1984.
• Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1984.
• Matlock, NBC, 1986.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Movies
• Alfred Vreeland, The Aquarians, NBC, 1970.
• Lee Jennings, Banyon, NBC, 1971.
• Dr. Charles Bedford, The Cable Car Murder, CBS, 1971.
• Jake Weinhaus, The Marcus-Nelson Murders, CBS, 1973.
• Beckwith Sloan, The Art of Crime, NBC, 1975.
• Dr. William Knowland, Medical Story, NBC, 1975.
• Mr. Warren, The Missing Are Deadly, ABC, 1975.
• Kermit Haas, Exo-Man, NBC, 1977.
• Andre "Pokey" Poquette, Pleasure Palace, CBS, 1980.
• Paul Harrison, Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die, NBC, 1980.
• Herr George Pappas, The Dream Merchants, NBC, 1980.
• Martin Komansky, Berlin Tunnel 21, CBS, 1981.
• Augustin Magaldi, Evita Peron, NBC, 1981.
• Gamaliel, Peter and Paul, CBS, 1981.
• Edward Bennett Williams, Blood Feud, syndicated, 1983.
• Harrison Wooly, This Girl for Hire, CBS, 1983.
• High priest, Samson and Delilah, ABC, 1984.
• James Killian, Seduced, CBS, 1985.
• Victor Noble, Covenant, NBC, 1985.
• Professor Rosenberg, Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil, NBC, 1985.
• Voice of MacBadger, The Wind in the Willows, ABC, 1985.
• Walter Bergman, Blood and Orchids, CBS, 1986.
• Dr. Grimaldi, Young Harry Houdini, ABC, 1987.
• Judge Leatham, Mother's Day, CBN, 1989.
• Abraham Lincoln, The Perfect Tribute, ABC, 1991.
• Also appeared in Ingrid, 1985.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Specials
• Marriage--Handle with Care, CBS, 1959.
• Hajj, Kismet, ABC, 1967.
• A Case of Libel, ABC, 1968.
• "Gideon," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1971.
• Voice of Haramed, The Little Drummer Boy, NBC, 1971.
• Narrator, "Cyrano," ABC Afterschool Special, ABC, 1974.
• Rickles, CBS, 1975.
• Joseph Stalin, "Truman at Potsdam," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1976.
• Francesco, "Fame," Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1978.
• Abe Fortas, "Gideon's Trumpet," Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS, 1980.
• Debby Boone ... The Same Old Brand New Me, NBC, 1980.
• Narrator, Jacques Cousteau: The First Seventy-five Years, syndicated, c. 1985.
• Also appeared as the voice of Cyrano, Cyrano de Bergerac, 1974; narrator, The Horror of It All, 1983; host, Goya, 1986; appearedin The Fortieth Annual Tony Awards and Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, both 1986.
• Credits; Television Work
• Producer, "Cyrano de Bergerac," Producers Showcase, NBC, 1955.
• Credits; Writings
• (With Richard Whorf and Richard Barr) Volpone (stage adaptation),produced at City Center Theatre, 1948.
• (With Al Morgan) The Great Man (screenplay), Universal, 1957.
• (With Morgan) Oh, Captain! (play), produced at Alvin Theatre, 1958.
• Also composer of music for song "Love Is a Beautiful Stranger" for film The Beautiful Stranger, 1953.

Further Reference

Periodicals

• Variety, February 3, 1992, p. 93.