Mel Ferrer

Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with Scaramouche, Lili (1953), and Knights of the Round Table (also 1953). He starred opposite his wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace (1956) and produced her film Wait Until Dark (1967).

Beginning in the 1970s, Ferrer acted extensively in Italian films and appeared in several cult hits, including The Antichrist (1974), The Black Corsair (1976) and Nightmare City (1980). He was also a co-founder of the La Jolla Playhouse.

Early life Ferrer was born in Elberon, New Jersey, of Cuban and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer (December 3, 1857 – February 23, 1920), José was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He was 59 years old at the time of Mel's birth and died three years later. Mel Ferrer's US-born mother, Mary Matilda Irene (née O'Donohue; January 28, 1878 – February 19, 1967), 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 of Prohibition, Irene Ferrer (as she was known) was named in 1934 as the New York State chairman of the Citizens Committee for Sane Liquor Laws. Mel's parents married on October 17, 1910, in New York. while another aunt, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, a leading figure in American Roman Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted permission by Pope Pius XI to install a private chapel in her New York City apartment.

Ferrer had three siblings. His elder sister, Dr. María Irene Ferrer (July 30, 1915 – November 12, 2004), was a cardiologist and educator who helped refine the cardiac catheter and electrocardiogram. She died in 2004 in Manhattan at 89 of pneumonia and congestive heart failure.

Ferrer was privately educated at the Bovée School in New York (where one of his classmates was the future author Louis Auchincloss) and Canterbury Prep School in Connecticut. He attended Princeton University until his sophomore year, when he dropped out to devote more time to acting.

He worked as an editor of a small Vermont newspaper and wrote the children's book Tito's Hats (Garden City Publishing, 1940).

Career

Early theatre work Ferrer began acting in summer stock as a teenager and in 1937 won the Theatre Intime award for best new play by a Princeton undergraduate; the play was called Awhile to Work and co-starred another college student, Frances Pilchard, who would become Ferrer's first wife later the same year. 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's You Never Know and Everywhere I Roam. After a bout with polio, Ferrer worked as a disc jockey in Texas and Arkansas and moved to Mexico to work on the novel Tito's Hat (published 1940).

His first acting roles were in a revival of Kind Lady (1940) and Cue for Passion (1940).

Columbia Pictures Ferrer was contracted to Columbia Pictures as a director, along with several other "potentials" who began as dialogue directors: Fred Sears, William Castle, Henry Levin and Robert Gordon.

Among the 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 Thousand and One Nights (1945). Some were "B" movies but others (Thousand and One Nights) were more prestigious. Ferrer directed The Girl of the Limberlost (1945), starring Ruth Nelson.

Broadway Eventually, he returned to Broadway, where he starred in Strange Fruit (1945–46), a play based on the novel by Lillian Smith. It was directed by José Ferrer (no relation). He then directed José Ferrer in the 1946 stage production of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Screen actor Ferrer made his screen acting debut with a starring role in Lost Boundaries (1949), playing a black person who passes for white. The film was controversial and much acclaimed.

Howard Hughes's RKO Studios

Ferrer had a supporting role in Born to Be Bad (1950) at RKO, directed by Nicholas Ray. At that studio, he directed Claudette Colbert in The Secret Fury (1950) and directed or co-directed Vendetta (1950), The Racket (1951), and Macao (1952). He starred as a bullfighter in The Brave Bulls (1951) for Robert Rossen at Columbia. Ferrer fought with Arthur Kennedy over 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 for a long, climactic sword fight between Ferrer and Stewart Granger, was a huge hit. The studio kept him on for Lili (1953) as the title character (played by Leslie 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 with Cornel Wilde, was a flop, but Knights of the Round Table (1954), in which Ferrer played King Arthur, was another hit. Ferrer met actress Audrey Hepburn at a party; she wanted to do a play together. They appeared in Ondine (1954) on Broadway, and married in Switzerland in September 1954.

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

United States Ferrer and Hepburn made Mayerling (1957) for American television; it was released theatrically in some countries. Ferrer returned to MGM to make The Vintage (1957) with Pier Angeli, which was a big flop. He made two films for 20th Century Fox: an all-star adaptation of The Sun Also Rises (1957) and Fräulein (1958), a war story with Dana Wynter. At MGM, he played one of the last three people on Earth in The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959), another flop. Ferrer went to Italy to star in Roger Vadim's vampire movie Blood and Roses (1960). After an English horror film, The Hands of Orlac (1960), he starred in the Italian adventure film Charge of the Black Lancers (1962). He was one of several stars in The Devil and the Ten Commandments (1962) and The Longest Day (1962). He had a cameo in his wife's Paris When It Sizzles (1964) and was Marcus Aurelius Cleander in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).

Television Ferrer then turned to television, doing some directing for the series The Farmer's Daughter (1963–66) starring Inger Stevens, William Windom, and Cathleen Nesbitt. Ferrer had a supporting role in Sex and the Single Girl (1964). From 1981 to 1984, he appeared opposite Jane Wyman as Angela Channing's attorney (and briefly her husband), Phillip Erikson, on Falcon Crest (as well as directing several episodes). He played a blackmailing reporter in the Columbo episode "Requiem for a Fallen Star", starring Anne Baxter. He appeared opposite Cyd Charisse in an episode of the long-running Angela Lansbury series, Murder She Wrote, and appeared in two television miniseries, Peter the Great (1986) and Dream West (1986). Later credits include Eye of the Widow (1991) and Catherine the Great (1995).

Producer Ferrer produced and starred in the biopic El Greco (1966), playing the famous painter. He also produced Wait Until Dark (1967), starring his wife, another big hit.

He and Hepburn divorced in 1968.

Later acting career and European films Ferrer was mostly a jobbing actor in the 1970s, working much in Italy. Among his credits were A Time for Loving (1972); The Antichrist (1974) in Italy; Brannigan (1974), a crime drama set in London that starred John Wayne; Silent Action (1975) and 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 Pyjama 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). In 1979, he portrayed Dr. Brogli in an episode of Return of the Saint. In Europe, he was in The Visitor (1979), Island of the Fishmen (1980), Nightmare City (1980), The Great Alligator River (1980) and Eaten Alive! (1980). He went to Germany for Lili Marleen (1981). He worked in two of Spanish actress Marisol's film vehicles: Cabriola and La 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 the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6268 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life

Ferrer married five times, to four women, with whom he had six children. His wives were: Frances Gunby Pilchard (1917-1985), his first and third wife, an actress who became a sculptor. They married in 1937, and divorced in 1939 after having one child together, who died before their divorce. Barbara C. Tripp (1916-1972), whom Ferrer married in 1940 and later divorced. They had two children: daughter Mela Ferrer and son Christopher Ferrer. Frances Gunby Pilchard, for the 2nd time; they remarried in 1944, and later divorced, after having two more children together: Pepa Philippa Ferrer, who was conceived during his marriage with Tripp, and Mark Young Ferrer. Audrey Hepburn, to whom he was married from 1954 until 1968. They had one son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Elizabeth Soukhotine (1936-2013), from Belgium, to whom he was married from 1971 to his death in 2008.

Death A resident of Carpinteria, California,

Filmography Film Actor YearTitleRoleNotes 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 KarnsteinL'Homme à femmes Georges Gauthier The Hands of Orlac Stephen Orlac 1961 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 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 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 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 Colonel Stone The Fifth Floor Dr. Sidney Coleman Vera's husband 1979 Screamers RadcliffeU.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 Sheriff 1982 A Thousand Billion Dollars Cornelius A. Woeagen Stephan Mathiesen 1984 A Soft Sunset Franz Bollenstein 1991 Eye of the Widow Frankenheimer

Filmmaking credits

Television Actor Year Title Role Notes 1953–1954 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?" 1979–1980 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" 1981–1984 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" 1985–1989 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 1989–1990 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 YearTitleContributed toRoleOriginal venueNotesActorDirectorProducer 1939 American LandscapeAbraham CohenLydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann Arbor Captain Brassbound's ConversionAmerican Bluejacket 1945–1946Strange FruitTracy Deen 1953 Radio Theater Undercurrent