Mel ferrer biography

American actor, director and producer (1917–2008)

Melchor Gastón Ferrer^[1][2] (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American person, director, and producer, active in single, theatre, and television. He achieved celebrity on Broadway before scoring notable layer hits with Scaramouche (1952), Lili (1953), and Knights of the Round Table (also 1953). He starred opposite jurisdiction wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace (1956) and produced cobble together film Wait Until Dark (1967).

Beginning in the 1970s, Ferrer acted by and large in Italian films and appeared terminate several cult hits, including The Antichrist (1974), The Black Corsair (1976) extra Nightmare City (1980). He was as well a co-founder of the La Jolla Playhouse.^[3]

Early life

Ferrer was born in Elberon, New Jersey, of Spanish and Nation descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer (December 3, 1857 – Feb 23, 1920),^[2] was born in Havana, Cuba, of Spanish ancestry.^[4][5] José was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of Material. Vincent's Hospital in New York Megalopolis. He was 59 years old readily obtainable the time of Mel's birth ride died three years later.^[6] Mel Ferrer's US-born mother, Mary Matilda Irene (née O'Donohue; January 28, 1878 – Feb 19, 1967),^[7] was a daughter answer coffee broker Joseph J. O'Donohue, Pristine York's City Commissioner of Parks, natty founder of the Coffee Exchange, abstruse a founder of the Brooklyn-New Royalty Ferry. An ardent opponent of Elimination, Irene Ferrer (as she was known) was named in 1934 as honourableness New York State chairman of class Citizens Committee for Sane Liquor Laws.^[8] Mel's parents married on October 17, 1910, in New York.^[2]

His mother's consanguinity, the O'Donohues, were prominent Roman Catholics. One of his aunts, Marie Louise O'Donohue, was named a papal countess,^[9] while another aunt, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, a leading figure in American Weighty Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted permission by Pope Pius XI to install a private chapel love her New York City apartment.^[10]

Ferrer difficult three siblings. His elder sister, Dr. María Irené Ferrer (July 30, 1915 – November 12, 2004), was unadulterated cardiologist and educator who helped purify the cardiac catheter and electrocardiogram.^[11] She died in 2004 in Manhattan unconscious 89 of pneumonia and congestive give one`s word failure.^[11] Their brother, Dr. Jose Lot. Ferrer (November 23, 1912 – Dec 24, 1982),^[2] was a surgeon; of course died at 70 from complications pills abdominal surgery. Their younger sister, Missionary Ferrer (March 30, 1919 – Feb 12, 2002), was the religion redactor of The New York Herald Tribune and an education editor for Newsweek. She died at 82 from calligraphic thoracic aneurysm.^[8][12]

Ferrer was privately educated mock the Bovée School in New Dynasty (where one of his classmates was the future author Louis Auchincloss) beam Canterbury Prep School in Connecticut. Flair attended Princeton University until his intermediate year, when he dropped out enhance devote more time to acting.^{[citation needed]}

He worked as an editor of smart small Vermont newspaper and wrote justness children's book Tito's Hats (Garden Gen Publishing, 1940).^[a]

Career

Early theatre work

Ferrer began scrupulous in summer stock as a low-grade and in 1937 won the Music hall Intime award for best new throw by a Princeton undergraduate; the frisk was called Awhile to Work weather co-starred another college student, Frances Clupeid, who would become Ferrer's first little woman later the same year.^[13] At 21, he was appearing on the Condition stage as a chorus dancer, construction his debut there as an player two years later. He appeared variety a chorus dancer in two unfortunate musicals, Cole Porter's You Never Know and Everywhere I Roam. After out bout with polio, Ferrer worked pass for a disc jockey in Texas take precedence Arkansas and moved to Mexico put your name down work on the novel Tito's Hat (published 1940).^{[citation needed]}

His first acting roles were in a revival of Kind Lady (1940) and Cue for Passion (1940).^[14][15]

Columbia Pictures

Ferrer was contracted to University Pictures as a director, along sound out several other "potentials" who began thanks to dialogue directors: Fred Sears, William Mansion, Henry Levin and Robert Gordon.^[16]

Among dignity films he worked on were Louisiana Hayride (1944), They Live in Fear (1944), Sergeant Mike (1944), Together Again (1944), Meet Miss Bobby Socks (1944), Let's Go Steady (1944), Ten Cents a Dance (1945), and A Numbers and One Nights (1945). Some were "B" movies but others (Thousand suffer One Nights) were more prestigious. Ferrer directed The Girl of the Limberlost (1945), starring Ruth Nelson.

Broadway

Eventually, significant returned to Broadway, where he marked in Strange Fruit (1945–46), a arena based on the novel by Lillian Smith. It was directed by José Ferrer (no relation). He then confined José Ferrer in the 1946 custom production of Cyrano de Bergerac.^[17] Crystal-clear worked as an assistant on The Fugitive (1947), directed by John Filmmaker in Mexico. Along with Gregory Pepper, Dorothy McGuire and Joseph Cotten, bankruptcy founded the La Jolla Playhouse show San Diego.

Screen actor

Ferrer made reward screen acting debut with a headmistress role in Lost Boundaries (1949), act a black person who passes ejection white. The film was controversial however much acclaimed.^[18]

Howard Hughes's RKO Studios

Ferrer locked away a supporting role in Born command somebody to Be Bad (1950) at RKO, predestined by Nicholas Ray. At that building, he directed Claudette Colbert in The Secret Fury (1950) and directed primitive co-directed Vendetta (1950), The Racket (1951), and Macao (1952). He starred monkey a bullfighter in The Brave Bulls (1951) for Robert Rossen at University. Ferrer fought with Arthur Kennedy twist Marlene Dietrich in Rancho Notorious (1952), directed by Fritz Lang at RKO.

MGM

Ferrer went to MGM, replacing Fernando Lamas as the villain in Scaramouche (1952). The film, particularly notable go all-out for a long, climactic sword fight among Ferrer and Stewart Granger, was dialect trig huge hit. The studio kept him on for Lili (1953) as class title character (played by Leslie Caron)'s love interest. It was another full success; Ferrer and Caron also got a hit single out of make a full recovery, "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo". Saadia (1953), which Ferrer complete with Cornel Wilde, was a put away, but Knights of the Round Table (1954), in which Ferrer played Tedious Arthur, was another hit. Ferrer fall over actress Audrey Hepburn at a party; she wanted to do a terrain together. They appeared in Ondine (1954) on Broadway, and married in Svizzera in September 1954.^[19]

Europe

Ferrer went to Italia to make Proibito (1954) and denote England for Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955), forced by Powell and Pressburger. Neither skin was widely seen, but War presentday Peace (1956) was a big success; Ferrer played Prince Andrei, co-starring converge then-wife Audrey Hepburn. In France, be active co-starred with Ingrid Bergman in Elena and Her Men (1956), directed unwelcoming Jean Renoir.

United States

Ferrer and Actress made Mayerling (1957) for American television; it was released theatrically in trying countries. Ferrer returned to MGM write to make The Vintage (1957) with Floating dock Angeli, which was a big fold down. He made two films for Twentieth Century Fox: an all-star adaptation acquisition The Sun Also Rises (1957) prep added to Fräulein (1958), a war story expanse Dana Wynter. At MGM, he la-de-da one of the last three liquidate on Earth in The World, greatness Flesh and the Devil (1959), concerning flop.^{[citation needed]} Ferrer went to Italia to star in Roger Vadim's tick movie Blood and Roses (1960). Care for an English horror film, The Flash of Orlac (1960), he starred whitehead the Italian adventure film Charge noise the Black Lancers (1962). He was one of several stars in The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962) and The Longest Day (1962). Elegance had a cameo in his wife's Paris When It Sizzles (1964) gleam was Marcus Aurelius Cleander in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).^{[citation needed]}

Television

Ferrer then turned to television, involvement some directing for the series The Farmer's Daughter (1963–66) starring Inger Filmmaker, William Windom, and Cathleen Nesbitt. Ferrer had a supporting role in Sex and the Single Girl (1964). Getaway 1981 to 1984, he appeared en face Jane Wyman as Angela Channing's counsellor (and briefly her husband), Phillip Erikson, on Falcon Crest (as well tempt directing several episodes). He played skilful blackmailing reporter in the Columbo page "Requiem for a Fallen Star", dominant Anne Baxter. He appeared opposite Cyd Charisse in an episode of greatness long-running Angela Lansbury series, Murder She Wrote, and appeared in two provoke miniseries, Peter the Great (1986) very last Dream West (1986). Later credits take in Eye of the Widow (1991) playing field Catherine the Great (1995).^{[citation needed]}

Producer

Ferrer take place and starred in the biopic El Greco (1966), playing the famous puma. He also produced Wait Until Dark (1967), starring his wife, another farreaching hit.

He and Hepburn divorced cultivate 1968.^[20]

Later acting career and European films

Ferrer was mostly a jobbing actor disintegrate the 1970s, working much in Italia. Among his credits were A At an earlier time for Loving (1972); The Antichrist (1974) in Italy; Brannigan (1974), a violation drama set in London that asterisked John Wayne; Silent Action (1975) arm The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975), both for Sergio Martino; The Net (1975), shot in Germany; The Black Corsair (1976), an Italian swashbuckler; Gangbuster (1977) in Italy; The Jammies Girl Case (1977); Seagulls Fly Low (1977).

In the U.S., he was in Hi-Riders (1978), The Norseman (1978), Guyana: Crime of the Century (1979), and The Fifth Floor (1979). Put over 1979, he portrayed Dr. Brogli suspend an episode of Return of integrity Saint. In Europe, he was gratify The Visitor (1979), Island of nobility Fishmen (1980), Nightmare City (1980), The Great Alligator River (1980) and Eaten Alive! (1980). He went to Frg for Lili Marleen (1981). He pretended in two of Spanish actress Marisol's film vehicles: Cabriola and La chica del molino rojo, being the pretentious of the first and acting story the second.

For his contributions signify the motion picture industry, Mel Ferrer has a star on the Tone Walk of Fame at 6268 Feel Blvd.

Personal life

Ferrer married five previous, to four women, with whom agreed had six children. His wives were:

1. Frances Gunby Pilchard, his first tell third wife, an actress who became a sculptor.^[21] They married in 1937, and divorced in 1939 after accepting one child together, who died a while ago their divorce.^[22][23]
2. Barbara C. Tripp, whom Ferrer married in 1940 and later divorced. They had two children: daughter Mela Ferrer and son Christopher Ferrer.
3. Frances Gunby Pilchard, for the 2nd time; they remarried in 1944, and divorced inconvenience 1953, after having two more descendants together: Pepa Philippa Ferrer, who was conceived during his marriage with Tripp, and Mark Young Ferrer.
4. Audrey Hepburn, pay homage to whom he was married from 1954 until 1968. They had one play a part, Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
5. Elizabeth Soukhotine [ru], from Belgique, to whom he was married implant 1971 to his death in 2008.^[22]

Before his marriage to Elizabeth Soukhotine ready money 1971, Ferrer had a relationship be on a par with 29-year-old interior designer Tessa Kennedy.^[24][25]

Death

A abiding of Carpinteria, California,^[12] Ferrer died confiscate heart failure at a convalescent caress in Santa Barbara, California on June 2, 2008, at age 90.^[17]

Filmography

Film

Actor

Filmmaking credits

Television

Actor

Theatre credits

Radio credits

Notes

References

External links