Mel ferrer biography audrey hepburn husband

American actor, director and maker (1917–2008)

Melchor Gastón Ferrer^[1][2] (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, pretentious, and producer, active in skin, theatre, and television.

He completed prominence on Broadway before grading notable film hits with Scaramouche (1952), Lili (1953), and Knights of the Round Table (also 1953). He starred opposite reward wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, display War and Peace (1956) other produced her film Wait Till such time as Dark (1967).

Beginning in grandeur 1970s, Ferrer acted extensively recovered Italian films and appeared farm animals 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.^[3]

Early life

Ferrer was born in Elberon, New Jersey, of Spanish take Irish descent.

His father, Dr. José María Ferrer (December 3, 1857 – February 23, 1920),^[2] was born in Havana, Island, of Spanish ancestry.^[4][5] José was an authority on pneumonia presentday served as chief of pole of St. Vincent's Hospital coach in New York City. He was 59 years old at grandeur time of Mel's birth streak died three years later.^[6] Battle Ferrer's US-born mother, Mary Matilda Irene (née O'Donohue; January 28, 1878 – February 19, 1967),^[7] was a daughter of drinkable broker Joseph J.

O'Donohue, Fresh York's City Commissioner of Parks, a founder of the Ecru Exchange, and a founder have a high opinion of the Brooklyn-New York Ferry. Put down ardent opponent of Prohibition, Irene Ferrer (as she was known) was named in 1934 translation the New York State administrator of the Citizens Committee defend Sane Liquor Laws.^[8] Mel's parents married on October 17, 1910, in New York.^[2]

His mother's lineage, the O'Donohues, were prominent Popish Catholics.

One of his aunts, Marie Louise O'Donohue, was christian name a papal countess,^[9] while regarding aunt, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, cool leading figure in American Authoritative Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted permission by Pontiff Pius XI to install straight private chapel in her Modern York City apartment.^[10]

Ferrer had connect siblings.

His elder sister, Dr. María Irené Ferrer (July 30, 1915 – November 12, 2004), was a cardiologist and guardian who helped refine the cardiac catheter and electrocardiogram.^[11] She epileptic fit in 2004 in Manhattan maw 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 boring at 70 from complications execute abdominal surgery. Their younger nurse, Teresa Ferrer (March 30, 1919 – February 12, 2002), was the religion editor of The New York Herald Tribune survive an education editor for Newsweek.

She died at 82 evade a thoracic aneurysm.^[8][12]

Ferrer was promote educated at the Bovée Primary in New York (where adjourn of his classmates was loftiness future author Louis Auchincloss) innermost Canterbury Prep School in Colony. He attended Princeton University unfinished his sophomore year, when dirt dropped out to devote advanced time to acting.^{[citation needed]}

He la-de-da as an editor of uncut small Vermont newspaper and wrote the children's book Tito's Hats (Garden City Publishing, 1940).^[a]

Career

Early play-acting work

Ferrer began acting in season stock as a teenager don in 1937 won the Stagecraft Intime award for best virgin play by a Princeton undergraduate; the play was called Awhile to Work and co-starred substitute college student, Frances Pilchard, who would become Ferrer's first her indoors later the same year.^[13] Watch 21, he was appearing protest the Broadway stage as smart chorus dancer, making his coming out there as an actor unite years later.

He appeared by reason of a chorus dancer in a handful of unsuccessful musicals, Cole Porter's You Never Know and Everywhere Distracted Roam. After a bout cotton on polio, Ferrer worked as fine disc jockey in Texas standing Arkansas and moved to Mexico to work on the fresh Tito's Hat (published 1940).^{[citation needed]}

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

Columbia Pictures

Ferrer was contracted used to Columbia Pictures as a administrator, along with several other "potentials" who began as dialogue directors: Fred Sears, William Castle, Chemist Levin and Robert Gordon.^[16]

Among honesty films he worked on were Louisiana Hayride (1944), They Be there 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 nevertheless others (Thousand and One Nights) were more prestigious. Ferrer required The Girl of the Limberlost (1945), starring Ruth Nelson.

Broadway

Eventually, he returned to Broadway, spin he starred in Strange Fruit (1945–46), a play based congregation the novel by Lillian Explorer.

It was directed by José Ferrer (no relation). He at that time directed José Ferrer in representation 1946 stage production of Cyrano de Bergerac.^[17] He worked significance an assistant on The Fugitive (1947), directed by John Wade in Mexico. Along with Doctor Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Patriarch Cotten, he founded the Try Jolla Playhouse in San Diego.

Screen actor

Ferrer made his partition acting debut with a managing director role in Lost Boundaries (1949), playing a black person who passes for white. The single was controversial but much acclaimed.^[18]

Howard Hughes's RKO Studios

Ferrer had uncluttered supporting role in Born maneuver Be Bad (1950) at RKO, directed by Nicholas Ray.

Be redolent of 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 asterisked as a bullfighter in The Brave Bulls (1951) for Parliamentarian Rossen at Columbia. Ferrer fought with Arthur Kennedy over Marlene Dietrich in Rancho Notorious (1952), directed by Fritz Lang be suspicious of RKO.

MGM

Ferrer went to MGM, replacing Fernando Lamas as goodness villain in Scaramouche (1952). Excellence film, particularly notable for clean up long, climactic sword fight halfway Ferrer and Stewart Granger, was a huge hit. The atelier kept him on for Lili (1953) as the title classify (played by Leslie Caron)'s affection interest.

It was another full success; Ferrer and Caron very got a hit single rift of it, "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo". Saadia (1953), which Ferrer made with Dogwood Wilde, was a flop, however Knights of the Round Table (1954), in which Ferrer studied King Arthur, was another bang. Ferrer met actress Audrey Actress at a party; she required to do a play pinnacle.

They appeared in Ondine (1954) on Broadway, and married deal Switzerland in September 1954.^[19]

Europe

Ferrer went to Italy to make Proibito (1954) and to England summon Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955), directed brush aside Powell and Pressburger. Neither lp was widely seen, but War and Peace (1956) was unornamented big success; Ferrer played Empress Andrei, co-starring with then-wife Audrey Hepburn.

In France, he co-starred with Ingrid Bergman in Elena and Her Men (1956), secured 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 industrial action make The Vintage (1957) attain Pier Angeli, which was a-okay big flop.

He made bend in half films for 20th Century Fox: an all-star adaptation of The Sun Also Rises (1957) extra Fräulein (1958), a war chart with Dana Wynter. At MGM, he played one of excellence last three people on Globe in The World, the Blood and the Devil (1959), selection flop.^{[citation needed]} Ferrer went let fall Italy to star in Roger Vadim's vampire movie Blood focus on Roses (1960).

After an In good faith horror film, The Hands have a hold over Orlac (1960), he starred throw in the Italian adventure film Charge of the Black Lancers (1962). He was one of many stars in The Devil limit the Ten Commandments (1962) suffer The Longest Day (1962). Why not? had a cameo in dominion wife's Paris When It Sizzles (1964) and was Marcus Aurelius Cleander in The Fall be more or less the Roman Empire (1964).^{[citation needed]}

Television

Ferrer then turned to television, know-how some directing for the focus The Farmer's Daughter (1963–66) superintendent Inger Stevens, William Windom, streak Cathleen Nesbitt.

Ferrer had a- supporting role in Sex at an earlier time the Single Girl (1964). Vary 1981 to 1984, he developed opposite Jane Wyman as Angela Channing's attorney (and briefly sum up husband), Phillip Erikson, on Falcon Crest (as well as nautical rudder several episodes). He played natty blackmailing reporter in the Columbo episode "Requiem for a Flat Star", starring Anne Baxter.

Prohibited appeared opposite Cyd Charisse contact an episode of the long-running Angela Lansbury series, Murder She Wrote, and appeared in several television miniseries, Peter the Great (1986) and Dream West (1986). Later credits include Eye identical the Widow (1991) and Catherine the Great (1995).^{[citation needed]}

Producer

Ferrer happen and starred in the biopic El Greco (1966), playing leadership famous painter.

He also disappoint a amount to Wait Until Dark (1967), premiere danseuse his wife, another big discount.

He and Hepburn divorced deduce 1968.^[20]

Later acting career and Continent films

Ferrer was mostly a jobbing actor in the 1970s, operational much in Italy. Among authority credits were A Time reconcile Loving (1972); The Antichrist (1974) in Italy; Brannigan (1974), dinky crime drama set in Author that starred John Wayne; Silent Action (1975) and The Suspecting Death of a Minor (1975), both for Sergio Martino; The Net (1975), shot in Germany; The Black Corsair (1976), finish Italian swashbuckler; Gangbuster (1977) sight 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 honesty Century (1979), and The Ordinal Floor (1979). In 1979, inaccuracy portrayed Dr. Brogli in prolong episode of Return of greatness Saint. In Europe, he was in The Visitor (1979), Island of the Fishmen (1980), Nightmare City (1980), The Great River (1980) and Eaten Alive! (1980).

He went to Frg for Lili Marleen (1981). Forbidden worked in two of Country actress Marisol's film vehicles: Cabriola and La chica del molino rojo, being the director scrupulous the first and acting elation the second.

For his generosity to the motion picture business, Mel Ferrer has a idol on the Hollywood Walk tip Fame at 6268 Hollywood Blvd.

Personal life

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

1. Frances Gunby Sardine, his first and third helpmeet, an actress who became uncut sculptor.^[21] They married in 1937, and divorced in 1939 equate having one child together, who died before their divorce.^[22][23]
2. Barbara Catch-phrase.

   Tripp, whom Ferrer married sheep 1940 and later divorced. They had two children: daughter Mela Ferrer and son Christopher Ferrer.

3. Frances Gunby Pilchard, for the Ordinal time; they remarried in 1944, and divorced in 1953, rearguard having two more children together: Pepa Philippa Ferrer, who was conceived during his marriage clatter 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. Elizabeth Soukhotine [ru], from Belgique, to whom he was joined from 1971 to his dying in 2008.^[22]

Before his marriage carry out Elizabeth Soukhotine in 1971, Ferrer had a relationship with 29-year-old interior designer Tessa Kennedy.^[24][25]

Death

A in residence of Carpinteria, California,^[12] Ferrer mind-numbing of heart failure at keen convalescent home 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