Wikipedia

Mel Ferrer

Melchor Gastón Ferrer[1][2](August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence onBroadwaybefore scoring notable film hits withScaramouche(1952),Lili(1953), andKnights of the Round Table(also 1953).He starred opposite his wife, actressAudrey Hepburn,inWar and Peace(1956) and produced her filmWait Until Dark(1967).

Mel Ferrer
Ferrer in 1960
Born
Melchor Gastón Ferrer

(1917-08-25)August 25, 1917
Elberon, New Jersey,U.S.
DiedJune 2, 2008(2008-06-02)(aged 90)
Santa Barbara, California,U.S.
Alma materPrinceton University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film director
  • theatre director
  • producer
Years active1937–1998
Spouses
Frances Pilchard
​
​
(m.1937;div.1939)​
​
​
(m.1944;div.1954)​
Barbara C. Tripp
​
​
(m.1940;div.1944)​
​
​
(m.1954;div.1968)​
Elizabeth Soukhotine
​
​
(m.1971)​
Children6, includingSean Hepburn Ferrer
RelativesEmma Ferrer(granddaughter)

Beginning in the 1970s, Ferrer acted extensively in Italian films and appeared in severalcult hits,includingThe Antichrist(1974),The Black Corsair(1976) andNightmare City(1980). He was also a co-founder of theLa Jolla Playhouse.[3]

Early life

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

His mother's family, the O'Donohues, were prominentRoman Catholics.One of his aunts, Marie Louise O'Donohue, was named apapal countess,[9]while another aunt, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, a leading figure in American Roman Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted permission byPope Pius XIto install a private chapel in her New York City apartment.[10]

Ferrer had three siblings. His elder sister, Dr. María Irené Ferrer (July 30, 1915 – November 12, 2004), was a cardiologist and educator who helped refine the cardiac catheter andelectrocardiogram.[11]She died in 2004 inManhattanat 89 of pneumonia and congestive heart failure.[11]Their brother, Dr. Jose M. Ferrer (November 23, 1912 – December 24, 1982),[2]was a surgeon; he died at 70 from complications of abdominal surgery. Their younger sister, Teresa Ferrer (March 30, 1919 – February 12, 2002), was the religion editor ofThe New York Herald Tribuneand an education editor forNewsweek.She died at 82 from a thoracic aneurysm.[8][12]

Ferrer was privately educated at the Bovée School in New York (where one of his classmates was the future authorLouis Auchincloss) andCanterbury Prep Schoolin Connecticut. He attendedPrinceton Universityuntil his sophomore year, when he dropped out to devote more time to acting.[citation needed]

He worked as an editor of a smallVermontnewspaper and wrote the children's bookTito's Hats(Garden City Publishing, 1940).[a]

Career

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Early theatre work

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Ferrer began acting insummer stockas a teenager and in 1937 won the Theatre Intime award for best new play by a Princeton undergraduate; the play was calledAwhile to Workand co-starred another college student, Frances Pilchard, who would become Ferrer's first wife later the same year.[13]At 21, he was appearing on the Broadway stage as a chorus dancer, making his debut there as an actor two years later. He appeared as a chorus dancer in two unsuccessful musicals,Cole Porter'sYou Never KnowandEverywhere I Roam.After a bout withpolio,Ferrer worked as a disc jockey in Texas and Arkansas and moved to Mexico to work on the novelTito's Hat(published 1940).[citation needed]

His first acting roles were in a revival ofKind Lady(1940) andCue for Passion(1940).[14][15]

Columbia Pictures

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Ferrer was contracted toColumbia Picturesas a director, along with several other "potentials" who began as dialogue directors:Fred Sears,William Castle,Henry LevinandRobert Gordon.[16]

Among the films he worked on wereLouisiana 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), andA Thousand and One Nights(1945). Some were "B" movies but others (Thousand and One Nights) were more prestigious. Ferrer directedThe Girl of the Limberlost(1945), starringRuth Nelson.

Broadway

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Eventually, he returned to Broadway, where he starred inStrange Fruit(1945–46), a play based on the novel byLillian Smith.It was directed byJosé Ferrer(no relation). He then directed José Ferrer in the 1946 stage production ofCyrano de Bergerac.[17]He worked as an assistant onThe Fugitive(1947), directed by John Ford in Mexico. Along withGregory Peck,Dorothy McGuireandJoseph Cotten,he founded theLa Jolla PlayhouseinSan Diego.

Screen actor

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Ferrer made his screen acting debut with a starring role inLost Boundaries(1949), playing a black person whopasses for white.The film was controversial but much acclaimed.[18]

Howard Hughes's RKO Studios

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Ferrer withMiroslavainThe Brave Bulls(1951)

Ferrer had a supporting role inBorn to Be Bad(1950) atRKO,directed byNicholas Ray.At that studio, he directedClaudette ColbertinThe Secret Fury(1950) and directed or co-directedVendetta(1950),The Racket(1951), andMacao(1952). He starred as a bullfighter inThe Brave Bulls(1951) forRobert Rossenat Columbia. Ferrer fought withArthur KennedyoverMarlene DietrichinRancho Notorious(1952), directed byFritz Langat RKO.

MGM

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Ferrer went to MGM, replacingFernando Lamasas the villain inScaramouche(1952). The film, particularly notable for a long, climactic sword fight between Ferrer andStewart Granger,was a huge hit. The studio kept him on forLili(1953) as the title character (played byLeslie Caron)'s love interest. It was another big success; Ferrer and Caron also got a hit single out of it, "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo".Saadia(1953), which Ferrer made withCornel Wilde,was a flop, butKnights of the Round Table(1954), in which Ferrer played King Arthur, was another hit. Ferrer met actressAudrey Hepburnat a party; she wanted to do a play together. They appeared inOndine(1954) on Broadway, and married in Switzerland in September 1954.[19]

Europe

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Ferrer went to Italy to makeProibito(1954) and to England forOh... Rosalinda!!(1955), directed byPowell and Pressburger.Neither film was widely seen, butWar and Peace(1956) was a big success; Ferrer played Prince Andrei, co-starring with then-wife Audrey Hepburn. In France, he co-starred withIngrid BergmaninElena and Her Men(1956), directed byJean Renoir.

United States

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Ferrer and Hepburn madeMayerling(1957) for American television; it was released theatrically in some countries. Ferrer returned to MGM to makeThe Vintage(1957) withPier Angeli,which was a big flop. He made two films for20th Century Fox:an all-star adaptation ofThe Sun Also Rises(1957) andFräulein(1958), a war story withDana Wynter.At MGM, he played one of the last three people on Earth inThe World, the Flesh and the Devil(1959), another flop.[citation needed]Ferrer went to Italy to star inRoger Vadim's vampire movieBlood and Roses(1960). After an English horror film,The Hands of Orlac(1960), he starred in the Italian adventure filmCharge of the Black Lancers(1962). He was one of several stars inThe Devil and the Ten Commandments(1962) andThe Longest Day(1962). He had a cameo in his wife'sParis When It Sizzles(1964) and wasMarcus Aurelius CleanderinThe Fall of the Roman Empire(1964).[citation needed]

Television

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Ferrer then turned to television, doing some directing for the seriesThe Farmer's Daughter(1963–66) starringInger Stevens,William Windom,andCathleen Nesbitt.Ferrer had a supporting role inSex and the Single Girl(1964). From 1981 to 1984, he appeared oppositeJane Wymanas Angela Channing's attorney (and briefly her husband),Phillip Erikson,onFalcon Crest(as well as directing several episodes). He played a blackmailing reporter in theColumboepisode "Requiem for a Fallen Star", starringAnne Baxter.He appeared oppositeCyd Charissein an episode of the long-runningAngela Lansburyseries,Murder She Wrote,and appeared in two television miniseries,Peter the Great(1986) andDream West(1986). Later credits includeEye of the Widow(1991) andCatherine the Great(1995).[citation needed]

Producer

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Ferrer produced and starred in the biopicEl Greco(1966), playing thefamous painter.He also producedWait Until Dark(1967), starring his wife, another big hit.

He and Hepburn divorced in 1968.[20]

Later acting career and European films

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Ferrer was mostly a jobbing actor in the 1970s, working much in Italy. Among his credits wereA Time for Loving(1972);The Antichrist(1974) in Italy;Brannigan(1974), a crime drama set inLondonthat starredJohn Wayne;Silent Action(1975) andThe Suspicious Death of a Minor(1975), both forSergio Martino;The Net(1975), shot in Germany;The Black Corsair(1976), an Italian swashbuckler;Gangbuster(1977) in Italy;The Pyjama Girl Case(1977);Seagulls Fly Low(1977).

In the U.S., he was inHi-Riders(1978),The Norseman(1978),Guyana: Crime of the Century(1979), andThe Fifth Floor(1979). In 1979, he portrayed Dr. Brogli in an episode ofReturn of the Saint.In Europe, he was inThe Visitor(1979),Island of the Fishmen(1980),Nightmare City(1980),The Great Alligator River(1980) andEaten Alive!(1980). He went to Germany forLili Marleen(1981). He worked in two of Spanish actressMarisol's film vehicles:CabriolaandLa chica del molino rojo,being the director of the first and acting in the second.

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Mel Ferrer has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6268 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life

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Ferrer withAudrey HepburninWar and Peace(1955)

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

  1. Frances Gunby Pilchard, his first and third wife, an actress who became a sculptor.[21]They married in 1937, and divorced in 1939 after having one child together, who died before 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 in 1953, after having two more children together: Pepa Philippa Ferrer, who was conceived during his marriage with Tripp, and Mark Young Ferrer.
  4. Audrey Hepburn,to whom he was married from 1954 until 1968. They had one son,Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
  5. ElizabethSoukhotine[ru],from Belgium, to whom he was married from 1971 to his death in 2008.[22]

Before his marriage to Elizabeth Soukhotine in 1971, Ferrer had a relationship with 29-year-old interior designerTessa Kennedy.[24][25]

Death

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A resident ofCarpinteria, California,[12]Ferrer died of heart failure at a convalescent home inSanta Barbara, Californiaon June 2, 2008, at age 90.[17]

Filmography

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Film

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Actor

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Year Title Role Notes
1947 The Fugitive Father Serra Uncredited
1949 Lost Boundaries Scott Mason Carter
1950 Born to Be Bad Gobby
1951 The Brave Bulls Luis Bello
1952 Rancho Notorious Frenchy Fairmont
Scaramouche Noel, Marquis de Maynes
1953 Lili Paul Berthalet
Knights of the Round Table King Arthur
Saadia Henrik
1954 Proibito Don Paolo Salinas
1955 Oh... Rosalinda!! Capt. Alfred Westerman
1956 War and Peace Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Elena and Her Men Henri de Chevincourt
1957 The Vintage Giancarlo Barandero
The Sun Also Rises Robert Cohn
1958 Fräulein Maj. Foster MacLain
1959 The World, the Flesh and the Devil Benson Thacker
1960 Blood and Roses Leopoldo De Karnstein
L'Homme à femmes Georges Gauthier
The Hands of Orlac Stephen Orlac
1961 Love, Freedom and Treachery[it] Mirko
1962 Charge of the Black Lancers Andrea Di Tula
The Devil and the Ten Commandments Philip Allan Segment: "Luxurieux point ne seras"
The Longest Day Maj. General Robert Haines [26]
Marco Polo Unfinished
1963 Charade Man Smoking Cigarette in Nightclub Uncredited
1964 Paris When It Sizzles Costume Party Jekyll & Hyde
The Fall of the Roman Empire Cleander
Sex and the Single Girl Rudy
Who Are My Own[es] Juan Bautista de La Salle
1966 El Greco El Greco
1967 Wait Until Dark Radio Announcer (voice) Uncredited
1972 A Time for Loving Dr. Harrison
1973 The Girl from the Red Cabaret[es] Dalton Harvey
1974 The Antichrist Massimo Oderisi
1975 Brannigan Fields
Silent Action District Attorney Mannino
The Suspicious Death of a Minor Police Superintendent
The Net Aurelio Morelli
1976 Eaten Alive Harvey Wood
The Black Corsair Van Gould
1977 Gangbuster Peseti, the Boss
1978 Seagulls Fly Low Roberto Micheli
The Pyjama Girl Case Professor Henry Douglas
Hi-Riders Sheriff
The Norseman King Eurich
Yesterday's Tomorrow[de] Colonel Stone
The Fifth Floor Dr. Sidney Coleman
L'immoralità[it] Vera's husband
1979 Screamers Radcliffe U.S. cut only
The Visitor Dr. Walker
The Great Alligator River Joshua
1980 Eaten Alive! Professor Carter
Nightmare City General Murchison
1981 Lili Marleen David Mendelsson
Vultures on the City[fr] Sheriff
1982 A Thousand Billion Dollars Cornelius A. Woeagen
Deadly Game[it] Stephan Mathiesen
1984 A Soft Sunset Franz Bollenstein
1991 Eye of the Widow Frankenheimer

Filmmaking credits

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Year Title Contributed to Notes
Director Producer Other
1944 Louisiana Hayride Yes As dialogue coach
They Live in Fear Yes
Sergeant Mike Yes
Together Again Yes
Meet Miss Bobby Socks Yes
1945 Let's Go Steady Yes
Ten Cents a Dance Yes
Boston Blackie's Rendezvous Yes
A Thousand and One Nights Yes
The Girl of the Limberlost Yes Directorial Debut
1947 The Fugitive Yes As directorial assistant
1950 The Secret Fury Yes
Vendetta Yes ReplacedStuart Heisler
1951 The Racket Yes Uncredited; directed additional scenes
1952 Macao Yes Uncredited; directed one day of reshoots[27]
1959 Green Mansions Yes
1965 Cabriola Yes Executive Yes Also writer
1966 El Greco Yes
1967 Wait Until Dark Yes
1971 The Night Visitor Yes
1972 Embassy Yes

Television

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Actor

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Year Title Role Notes
1953–54 Omnibus Chairman of the Board / Jeff Talbot 2 episodes
1957 Producers' Showcase Crown Prince Rudolph Episode: "Mayerling"
ITV Play of the Week Episode: "Lost Boundaries"
1959 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Marshal Monty Elstrode Episode: "The Ghost"
Rendezvous Episode: "London in the Spring"
1963 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Peter Carrington Episode: "The Fifth Passenger"
1973 Columbo Jerry Parks Episode: "Requiem for a Falling Star"
Carola Gen. Franz von Clodius Television film
Tenafly Charlie Rush Episode: "Pilot"
Search John Rickman Episode: "Suffer My Child"
1974 Police Story Dr. Ross Episode: "Wyatt Earp Syndrome"
Marcus Welby, M.D. Carlo Episode: "Designs"
1976 Ellery Queen Brandon Childs Episode: "The Adventure of the Disappearing Dagger"
Origins of the Mafia Armando Della Morra Episode: "La legge"
1977 Hawaii Five-O Emil Radick / Father Neill 2 episodes
Baretta Alex Kramer Episode: "Everybody Pays the Fare"
The Fantastic Journey Appolonius Episode: "Funhouse"
Lanigan's Rabbi Mike Rushmore Episode: "In Hot Weather, the Crime Rate Soars"
The New Adventures of Wonder Woman Fritz Gerlich Episode: "Anschluss '77"
Logan's Run Analog Episode: "Man Out of Time"
Sharon: Portrait of a Mistress David Television film
1978 Black Beauty Nicholas Skinner Television miniseries
How the West Was Won Hale Burton 3 episodes
The Return of Captain Nemo Dr. Robert Cook Television film
1979 Return of the Saint Dr. Paolo Brogli Episode: "Vicious Circle"
Eischied Episode: "Who Is the Missing Woman?"
1979–80 Dallas Harrison Page 2 episodes
1980 Top of the Hill Andreas Heggener Television film
Hagen Poole Episode: "The Straw Man"
The Memory of Eva Ryker Dr. Sanford Television film
Fugitive Family Anthony Durano Television film
1981 Behind the Screen Evan Hammer Episode: "Pilot"
1981–84 Falcon Crest Phillip Erikson 54 episodes
1982 Fantasy Island Moriarity / Lord Collingwood Episode: "The Case Against Mr. Roarke/Save Sherlock Holmes"
One Shoe Makes It Murder Carl Charnock Television film
1984 Finder of Lost Loves George Matthews Episode: "Forgotten Melodies"
1985 Seduced Arthur Orloff Television film
Hotel Garrett Hardy / Anthony Palandrini 2 episodes
The Love Boat Jack Powers 2 episodes
Glitter Episode: "Nightfall"
1985–89 Murder, She Wrote Miles Austin / Eric Brahm 2 episodes
1986 Peter the Great Frederick Television miniseries
Outrage! Judge Michael Lengel Television film
Dream West Judge Elkins Television miniseries
1989 Wild Jack Television miniseries
1989–90 Christine Cromwell Doctor 4 episodes
1995 Catherine the Great Patriarch Television film
1998 Stories from My Childhood Geppetto(voice) Episode: "Pinocchio and the Golden Key"

Theatre credits

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Year Title Contributed to Role Original venue Notes
Actor Director Producer
1939 American Landscape Yes Abraham Cohen Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre,Ann Arbor [28]
Captain Brassbound's Conversion Yes American Bluejacket [28]
1940 Kind Lady Yes Peter Stanard Playhouse Theatre,Broadway [28]
Cue for Passion Yes Reporter Royale Theatre,Broadway [29]
1945–46 Strange Fruit Yes Tracy Deen [29]
1946–47 Cyrano de Bergerac Yes Alvin Theatre,Broadway [29]
Yes Ethel Barrymore Theatre,Broadway [29]
1947 Dear Ruth Yes La Jolla Playhouse,San Diego [28]
1949 Command Decision Yes [28]
The Importance of Being Earnest Yes [28]
Ring Round the Moon Yes [28]
1950 Our Town Yes [28]
1951 The Voice of the Turtle Yes Yes Bill Page [28]
1952 Strike a Match Yes Yes [28]
1952–53 Yes Yes U.S. tour [28]
1954 Ondine Yes Hans von Wittenstein zu Wittenstein 46th St. Theatre,Broadway [28]

Radio credits

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Year Program Episode/source
1952 Family Theater Hound of Heaven[30]
1953 Radio Theater Undercurrent[31]

Notes

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  1. ^The book's illustrations are byJean Charlot.

References

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  1. ^Some sources spell his first name as MELCHIOR but this is incorrect based on Ferrer's records at Princeton University. Also he was named for his paternal grandfather, Melchor Ferrer. And the name MELCHOR G. FERRER was used on the cover ofTito's Hats,a children's book that Ferrer wrote in 1940.
  2. ^abcdAncestry Library Edition[verification needed]
  3. ^"Mel Ferrer: Charming actor who made his mark in La Jolla and Hollywood".SDNews.com.September 30, 2024.RetrievedDecember 25,2024.
  4. ^"MEL FERRER, TV actor, Producer and Film director".thecubanhistory.com.January 12, 2017.
  5. ^"Biography of Mel Ferrer (1917-2008)".TheBiography.us.2018. Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2020.RetrievedJuly 20,2020.
  6. ^"Dr. José M. Ferrer".The New York Times.Obituaries. February 24, 1920.
  7. ^"Weddings: Ferrer-O'Donohue",The New York Times,October 19, 1910.
  8. ^ab"Mrs. J.M. Ferrer, Civic Leader, 89".The New York Times.February 21, 1967.
  9. ^"Joseph O'Donohue, Real Estate Man, Dead".The New York Times.October 31, 1937.
  10. ^"Teresa O'Donohue, Charities Worker".The New York Times.August 18, 1937.
  11. ^ab"Changing the Face of Medicine | M. Irené Ferrer".cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov.US:National Institutes of Health.
  12. ^ab"Terry Ferrer, 82, Education Editor".The New York Times.April 1, 2002.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  13. ^"M.G. Ferrer Wins Prize Play Award",The New York Times,March 3, 1937, p. 27
  14. ^"Kind Lady".Internet Broadway Database. Archived fromthe originalon April 16, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2017.
  15. ^"Cue for Passion".Internet Broadway Database. Archived fromthe originalon July 8, 2019.RetrievedNovember 16,2017.
  16. ^Tom Weaver (April 29, 2008)."Katz-mania".Films of the Golden Age.
  17. ^abThomas, Bob (June 3, 2008)."Mel Ferrer, actor-director, husband of Audrey Hepburn, dies".Yahoo! News.Associated Press. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2008.RetrievedSeptember 16,2020.
  18. ^Margaret Lilliard (July 25, 1989)."Landmark '49 Film About Family Passing for White Recalled".Los Angeles Times.
  19. ^"Audrey Hepburn married".The Sun News-Pictorial:1. September 27, 1954.
  20. ^Miller, Julie (June 14, 2016)."Audrey Hepburn Reveals Heartbreak and Discusses Secret Wedding in Never-Before-Seen Letters".Vanity Fair.RetrievedMay 15,2020.
  21. ^"Catharsis", Time, February 10, 1941
  22. ^abBergan, Ronald (June 5, 2008)."Obituary: Mel Ferrer".The Guardian.RetrievedFebruary 3,2018.
  23. ^Paris, Barry (September 2001).Audrey Hepburn - Barry Paris (Book).Penguin.ISBN9781101127780.
  24. ^Paris, Barry (2001).Audrey Hepburn.Penguin Publishing. pp.247–248.ISBN0-425-18212-6.
  25. ^Cawthorne, Nigel (2004).Sex Lives of the Hollywood Goddesses Part 2.Prion. p. 271.ISBN1-85375-514-1.
  26. ^"Notre jour le plus long" [Our longest day] (in French). La Presse de la Manche. 2012.
  27. ^"Macao (1952)".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.RetrievedDecember 26,2024.
  28. ^abcdefghijkl"Mel Ferrer theatre profile".www.abouttheartists.com.RetrievedDecember 26,2024.
  29. ^abcd"Mel Ferrer – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.RetrievedDecember 26,2024.
  30. ^Kirby, Walter (April 20, 1952)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Daily Review.The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46.RetrievedMay 9,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
  31. ^Kirby, Walter (November 29, 1953)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Daily Review.The Decatur Daily Review. p. 50.RetrievedJuly 14,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
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