A Spaniard by birth, Jos Ferrer is an actor who began his career playing minor roles in film, television and on the stage. Eventually, he would go on to win major awards including an Academy Award for his role in the film Singing in the Rain, a BAFTA for the TV series The Killing, and a Golden Globe for his performance in the musical Hairspray. He has also worked on numerous other films and television shows.
Early life
Jose Ferrer was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His parents were wealthy plantation owners. They moved to New York when he was young. He attended public and private schools in the city. During his school years, he acted in school plays and performed on the saxophone.
Eventually, Ferrer became an actor and stage manager. He starred in several Broadway plays. In 1947, he won the Tony Award for best dramatic actor. His role as Iago in “Othello” set a record for Broadway performances of a Shakespearean play.
After his success on the stage, he decided to become an actor in movies. During his career, he appeared in a wide variety of films. Among them, he played Cyrano de Bergerac. As a result, he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 1951.
Later in his career, he became a director. Among his many films were The Fourposter, Whirlpool, Crisis, and The Shrike. Among his other accomplishments, he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1950.
Jose Ferrer’s father, Rafael Ferrer, was a well-known lawyer. Although he was born with a cleft palate, he was able to overcome his problem. At age eighteen, he went to Princeton University.
He graduated from the university in 1933. In addition to studying architecture, he joined the Triangle Club. While at the university, he was involved with several theatrical productions. Afterwards, he toured Europe.
Eventually, Ferrer’s theater career began to fall apart. Nevertheless, he continued to act in various touring companies. Throughout his career, he was also adept in various languages. Besides acting, he also served as a band director. Moreover, he narrated the pilot episode of the hit sitcom “Bewitched” and the children’s album Tubby the Tuba.
Stage career
Ferrer’s life is a testament to rebirth, reinvention and versatility. His stage career began in 1935, and by the early 1950s he had established a successful film career. He starred in several films, and directed his own projects.
Ferrer gained experience acting in theatre, performing in Long Island-based theater and summer stock. After his debut on Broadway in 1935, he was cast as Iago in Shakespeare’s “Othello” in 1943. The play was an instant hit. In addition to playing the lead role, he was awarded his first Tony Award for Best Actor.
In 1947, Ferrer played Cyrano de Bergerac on Broadway. That year, he also won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Ferrer’s first feature film, “Joan of Arc”, was a Technicolor epic. A film noir, “Whirlpool”, followed. The following year, he directed his first movie, “The Great Man”.
Ferrer had a number of stage appearances in the 1950s. At MGM, he starred in two films, “Edwin Booth” and “The High Cost of Loving”. At Universal, he co-wrote and starred in the comedy “Sticky-In-The-Mud”, and later played a persecuted French Jew in “I Accuse!”.
He also directed several TV movies and miniseries. In the 1980s, he served as artistic advisor for Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse.
By the early 1990s, Ferrer’s stage career had come to an end. His health problems prompted him to retire. However, he continued to act occasionally.
In 1985, Ferrer received the first National Medal of Arts. As a renowned actor, he was one of twelve recipients of the award.
José Vicente Ferrer Otero y Cintron was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He studied architecture and drama at Princeton University.
Film career
Jos Ferrer’s film career is a storied one. He is the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award. The Oscar went to him for his performance in “Cyrano de Bergerac” in 1950.
In addition to his work on the screen, Ferrer also had a successful television career. He appeared in such shows as Banyon and United States Steel Hour. Additionally, he narrated the first episode of the 1964 sitcom, Bewitched.
While he remained active on the stage, his film and television career never quite equaled his earlier successes. He received the National Medal of Arts from President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
Ferrer made a stage debut in New York in 1935, starring in A Slight Case of Murder. He was cast as Cyrano de Bergerac in the Broadway version of the play in 1946 and 1947. The production ran for 296 performances. Despite the critical acclaim, the play was financially unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, Ferrer won the Tony for best actor in the play. He played the title role in a film adaptation of the play.
Ferrer then directed in New York and stock theaters. He also directed in Britain. Some of his directing credits include The Fourposter (1951-53), Return to Peyton Place (1961), and Hume Cronyn (also 1961).
After a break from Hollywood, Ferrer returned to the big screen with The Caine Mutiny (1954), a film co-starring Van Johnson. It received a British Academy Award nomination.
During the 1960s, he appeared in several films. He also appeared in TV movies, such as Crisis (1950), I Accuse! (1958), and Spring Dance (1960). Afterwards, he was mainly a regional theater performer.
Television appearances
During the course of his career, Jos Ferrer has appeared in a wide variety of movies and plays. He had many successful roles on the big screen and on television, including the character of Iago in Othello, the Turkish Bey in Lawrence of Arabia, and the Romanian police inspector in Zoltan, Hound of Dracula.
The Puerto Rican-born Ferrer was first trained in architecture at Princeton University. After graduating, he landed a stage manager’s job at the Suffern Country Playhouse. In addition, he directed several high-profile plays. His first stage appearance was in the comedy “A Slight Case of Murder” in 1935.
By the late 1940s, Ferrer had become a popular actor, and he appeared in a number of films. One of his most notable film appearances was in the movie version of Cyrano de Bergerac. This role earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
After the success of his film debut, Ferrer appeared in other films such as Moulin Rouge and Man of La Mancha. He also played a number of roles on television, such as the character of Felix Valdez in The Protector. He even voiced an Arab merchant named Ben Haramed in the television series “Jackie Chan Adventures”.
As his career progressed, Ferrer continued to appear on the stage. He starred in The Greatest Story Ever Told and played Don Quixote in the musical “Moulin Rouge”.
He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Joan of Arc. Interestingly, Ferrer also won a Tony award for this performance.
Ferrer’s life is a great example of an American success story. He started his acting career in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that he began to gain prominence.
Awards
Jose Ferrer (November 15, 1908 – June 25, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director. He was the first Hispanic to win an Academy Award, and the first to receive the National Medal of Arts.
Ferrer started his career in 1935, appearing in several plays on Broadway. After his debut, he earned acclaim for his role as the title character in Charley’s Aunt. From there, he stretched his talent to opera, ballet, and cabaret.
In 1947, Ferrer won a Tony for Best Actor in a play for Cyrano de Bergerac. This performance earned him three Oscar nominations. A short time later, he reprised his role as Cyrano onstage at the New York City Center. Afterwards, Ferrer became known as Cyrano for the rest of his life.
The Puerto Rican native was also a writer, a member of the Princeton Triangle Club, and an attorney. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
He was married four times. In 1977, he married Stella Magee, who was his wife until his death. Throughout his acting career, he won two Tony Awards, one for directing and another for best actor.
He was the first actor to be inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. He received a National Medal of Arts from President Ronald Reagan in 1985. During his lifetime, Ferrer had a number of television roles. For instance, he was a detective on the radio series Philo Vance, played Julia Duffy’s father on Another World, and guest-starred on several television shows.
Before his death, Ferrer donated his Oscar to the University of Puerto Rico. His daughter and granddaughter are also actors.
