View source for José Ferrer

{{Short description|Puerto Rican actor and director (1912–1992)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Family name hatnote|Ferrer de Otero|Cintrón|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = José Ferrer
| image              = Jose Ferrer - 1952.jpg
| caption            = Ferrer in 1952
| birth_name         = José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1912|1|8|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1992|1|26|1912|1|8|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Coral Gables, Florida]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery]], San Juan
| education          = [[Princeton University]] (1933, [[Bachelor of Architecture|B.Arch]])
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|film director|theatre director}}
| yearsactive        = 1935–1992
| awards             = [[National Medal of Arts]] (1985)
| children           = 6, including [[Miguel Ferrer]]
| spouse             = {{ubl
  | {{marriage|[[Uta Hagen]]|1938|1948|reason=divorce}}
  | {{marriage|[[Phyllis Hill]]|1948|1953|reason=divorce}}
  | {{marriage|[[Rosemary Clooney]]|1953|1961|reason=divorce}}<br/>{{marriage||1964|1967|reason=divorced}}
  | {{marriage|Stella Magee|1977}} 
  }}
| relatives          = {{ubl
  | [[Debby Boone]] (daughter-in-law)
  | [[Tessa Ferrer]] (granddaughter)
  | [[George Clooney]] (nephew)
}}
}}

'''José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón'''<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/205004/Jose-Ferrer "Jose Ferrer (American actor)"] ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Retrieved on 2012-05-12.</ref> (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a [[Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic American]] actors during his lifetime and after, with a career spanning nearly 60 years between 1935 and 1992. He achieved prominence for his portrayal of [[Cyrano de Bergerac]] in the [[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|play of the same name]], which earned him the inaugural [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] in 1947. He reprised the role in a [[Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)|1950 film version]] and won an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]], making him both the first Hispanic and the first Puerto Rican–born actor to win an [[Academy Award]].

His other notable film roles include [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] in ''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]'' (1948), [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]] in [[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|''Moulin Rouge'']] (1952), defense attorney Barney Greenwald in [[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|''The Caine Mutiny'']] (1954), [[Alfred Dreyfus]] in ''[[I Accuse!]]'' (1958), which he also directed; the Turkish Bey in [[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|''Lawrence of Arabia'']] (1962), Siegfried Rieber in ''[[Ship of Fools (film)|Ship of Fools]]'' (1965), and [[Emperor Shaddam|Emperor Shaddam IV]] in [[Dune (1984 film)|''Dune'']] (1984). Ferrer also maintained a prolific acting and directing career [[Broadway theatre|on Broadway]], winning a second Best Actor Tony for [[The Shrike (play)|''The Shrike'']], and [[Tony Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for ''The Shrike'', ''[[The Fourposter]]'', and ''Stalag 17'', Additionally, Ferrer appeared numerous times in the works of [[Shakespeare]], notably as [[Iago]] in [[Othello]].

Ferrer was the father of actor [[Miguel Ferrer]], the brother of [[Rafael Ferrer (artist)|Rafael Ferrer]], the grandfather of actress [[Tessa Ferrer]], and the uncle of actor [[George Clooney]]. His contributions to American theatre were recognized in 1981 when he was inducted into the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/03/theater/26-elected-theater-hall-fame-26-broadway-voted-into-theater-hall-fame.html| title=26 Elected to the Theater Hall of Fame| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=3 March 1981| access-date=February 10, 2014}}</ref> In 1985, he received the [[National Medal of Arts]] from [[President Reagan]], becoming the first actor so honored.

==Early life==
Ferrer was born in [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], the son of Rafael Ferrer, a local attorney and writer, and María Providencia Cintrón, of [[Yabucoa, Puerto Rico|Yabucoa]]. He was the grandson of Gabriel Ferrer Hernández, a doctor and advocate of [[Puerto Rican independence]] from [[Spain]]. He had two younger sisters, Elvira and Leticia.<ref>1920 United States Federal Census</ref> As a consequence of being born into a wealthy family, his upbringing was influenced by the arts, music and humanities. <ref name="Rivera71">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=71}}</ref>

The family moved to New York in 1914, when Ferrer was two years old, following the death of his mother.<ref name="Rivera71"/> He studied part of his elemental education at Colegio San José in Río Piedras.<ref name="Rivera71"/> From there, Ferrer was enrolled at the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] boarding school [[Institut Le Rosey]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/18/opinion/l-jose-ferrer-was-proud-of-puerto-rican-roots-881192.html| title=Jose Ferrer Was Proud Of Puerto Rican Roots| newspaper=The New York Times| date=February 18, 1992}}</ref> He was interested in literature, music and painting, but only the first of these was widespread there.<ref name="Rivera71"/> Ferrer, who had speech issues early in his life, went on to learn five languages,  Spanish, English, French, and Italian.<ref name="Rivera71"/>

In 1933, Ferrer completed his [[bachelor's degree]] in architecture at [[Princeton University]], where he wrote his senior thesis on "French Naturalism and [[Pardo Bazán]]". Ferrer was also a member of the [[Princeton Triangle Club]] and played piano in a band, "José Ferrer and His Pied Pipers". At Princeton he took part in plays by James Stewart and Joshua Logan.<ref name="Rivera71"/> His studies in architecture gave him insight on painting techniques.<ref name="Rivera71"/> Bret Bush of the Triangle Club convinced him to participate in an audition that changed his life.<ref name="Rivera71"/> Ferrer then studied Romance languages at [[Columbia University]] for 1934–35.<ref name="auto">{{cite press release| url=https://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2011/pr11_133.htm| title=USPS honors Jose Ferrer on 2012 forever stamp| publisher=US Postal Service| date=December 5, 2011| access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref>

==Career==
===Theatre===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}

[[File:Scene from Othello with Paul Robeson 8e07910v.jpg|thumb|[[Paul Robeson]] (Othello) and Ferrer (Iago) in the 1943 [[Theatre Guild]] production of ''Othello'']]
Ferrer's first professional appearance as an actor was at a "showboat" theater on Long Island in the summer of 1934.

In 1935, Ferrer was the stage manager at the Suffern Country Playhouse, operated by [[Joshua Logan]], whom Ferrer had known at Princeton. [[Ruth Gordon]] and [[Helen Hayes]] recommended him to the theatrical producer [[Jed Harris]].
 
Ferrer made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in 1935 in ''[[A Slight Case of Murder]]'' which ran for 69 performances.

He was also seen in ''Stick-in-the-Mud'' (1935) and ''Spring Dance'' (1936). Ferrer's first big success was in ''[[Brother Rat]]'' (1936–38) which ran for 577 performances. ''In Clover'' only ran for three performances. ''How to Get Tough About It'' (1938) also had a short run, as did ''Missouri Legend'' (1938).

''Mamba's Daughters'' (1939) ran for 163 performances. Ferrer followed it with ''[[Key Largo (play)|Key Largo]]'' (1939–40) with [[Paul Muni]] and directed by [[Guthrie McClintic]], which went for 105 shows and was later turned into a film.

Ferrer had a huge personal success in the title role of ''[[Charley's Aunt]]'' (1940–41), partly in [[drag (clothing)|drag]], under the direction of [[Joshua Logan]]. It went for 233 performances.

Ferrer then replaced [[Danny Kaye]] in the musical ''[[Let's Face It!]]'' (1943).

===Theatre director and Cyrano===
Ferrer made his debut on Broadway as director with ''Vickie'' (1942) in which he also starred. It only had a short run.

He played [[Iago]] in [[Margaret Webster]]'s Broadway production of ''[[Othello]]'' (1943–44), which starred [[Paul Robeson]] in the [[Othello (character)|title role]], Webster as [[Emilia (Othello)|Emilia]], and Ferrer's wife, [[Uta Hagen]], as [[Desdemona (Othello)|Desdemona]]. That production still holds the record for longest-running repeat performance of a [[Shakespeare]]an play presented in the United States, going for 296 performances (it would be revived in 1945).

Ferrer produced and directed, but did not appear in, ''[[Strange Fruit (novel)#Adaptations|Strange Fruit]]'' (1945–46), starring [[Mel Ferrer]] (no relation).

Among other radio roles, Ferrer starred as detective [[Philo Vance]] in a 1945 series of the same name.<ref>Old Time Radio Researchers Group, [https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Philo_Vance_Singles Philo Vance — Single Episodes] at the [[Internet Archive]]</ref>

===''Cyrano de Bergerac''===
[[File:Actor Jose Ferrer in costume at Maple Leaf Gardens.jpg|left|thumb|Ferrer in costume in an unnamed play at Maple Leaf Gardens]]
Ferrer may be best remembered for his performance in the title role of ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'', which he first played on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1946. Ferrer feared that the production would be a failure in rehearsals, due to the open dislike for the play by director [[Mel Ferrer]] (no relation), so he called in [[Joshua Logan]] (who had directed his star-making performance in ''[[Charley's Aunt]]'') to serve as "play doctor" for the production. Logan wrote that he simply had to eliminate pieces of business which director Ferrer had inserted in his staging; they presumably were intended to sabotage the more sentimental elements of the play that the director considered to be corny and in bad taste.<ref>{{cite book| first=Joshua| last=Logan| title=Josh, My Up and Down, In and Out Life| publisher=Delacorte Press| date=1 May 1976| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IqUR9zWAGv0C&q=cyrano| pages=79–80| isbn=978-0440042358| url-access=subscription}}</ref> The production became one of the hits of the 1946/47 Broadway season, winning Ferrer the first Best Actor [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play|Tony Award]] for his depiction of the long-nosed poet/swordsman.

On January 9, 1949, Ferrer made his television debut when he starred in ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]''{{'}}s one-hour adaptation of the play.<ref name=v>{{cite magazine |date=January 12, 1949 |page=30 |title=Tele Follow-up Comment |magazine=Variety |url=https://archive.org/details/variety173-1949-01/page/n306/mode/1up?view=theater |accessdate=January 3, 2023}}</ref>

Ferrer directed, but did not appear in, ''As We Forgive Our Debtors'' (1947), which ran 5 performances. There was another short run for ''[[Volpone]]'' (1947) which Ferrer adapted and played the title role.<ref>{{cite news| title=Jose Ferrer (Cartoon)| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/04/20/archives/jose-ferrer.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=20 April 1947| page=SM25| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Early films===
Ferrer made his film debut in the Technicolor epic ''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]'' (1948) as the weak-willed Dauphin opposite [[Ingrid Bergman]] as Joan. Ferrer's performance earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

At the [[New York City Center|City Center]], he acted in revivals of ''[[Angel Street (play)|Angel Street]]'' (1948) and ''[[The Alchemist (play)|The Alchemist]]'' (1948) and directed ''S. S. Glencairn'' (1948) and ''The Insect Comedy'' (1948) (also appearing in the latter).<ref>{{cite web| title=New York City Theatre Company| url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/new-york-city-theatre-company-474695| website=[[Internet Broadway Database]]| access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref>

Ferrer had another Broadway hit with ''[[The Silver Whistle (play)|The Silver Whistle]]'' (1948–49) which ran for 219 performances.<ref>"Jose Ferrer-Erwenter" ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' 25 September 1948: p.11.</ref> He performed two shows for ''[[The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse]]'' on TV in 1949: Cyrano, playing the title role, and an adaptation of ''[[What Makes Sammy Run?]]'', playing Sammy Glick (adapted by [[Paddy Chayefsky]]).

Ferrer returned to Hollywood to appear in [[Otto Preminger]]'s ''[[Whirlpool (1950 film)|Whirlpool]]'' (1950), supporting [[Gene Tierney]], and [[Richard Brooks]]' ''[[Crisis (1950 film)|Crisis]]'' (1950), opposite [[Cary Grant]].

===Film stardom===
Ferrer then played the title role in ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' (1950), directed by [[Michael Gordon (film director)|Michael Gordon]] and produced by [[Stanley Kramer]]. Ferrer won the Best Actor Oscar, becoming the first actor to win the Oscar for the same role which won him the Tony. The film was widely seen although it lost money.<ref name="tino">{{cite book| first=Tino| last=Balio| title=United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry| publisher=[[University of Wisconsin Press]]| date=December 15, 1987| page=47| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QljKdIYzncoC| isbn=978-0299114404| url-access=subscription}}</ref> After winning the Oscar, Ferrer was received with fanfare in Puerto Rico which included the appearance of his friend and fellow actor [[Juano Hernández]] and was hosted by the governor.<ref name="Rivera170">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=170}}</ref> Ferrer donated the Oscar to the [[University of Puerto Rico]] (UPR), and it was subsequently stolen in 2000.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jose-ferrer-oscar-mystery-statuette-867616| title=Jose Ferrer Oscar Mystery: Statuette MIA, and the Academy Won't Replace It| newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]| language=en| last=Morrison| first=Mark| access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref>
 
Ferrer returned to Broadway for a revival of ''[[Twentieth Century (play)|Twentieth Century]]'' (1950–51) which he directed and starred in, opposite [[Gloria Swanson]]; it went for 233 performances. Immediately following, he produced and directed, but did not appear in, ''Stalag 17'' (1951–52), a big hit running for 472 performances. Even more popular was ''[[The Fourposter]]'' (1951–53) in which he directed [[Hume Cronyn]] and [[Jessica Tandy]]; it ran for 632 performances.

Ferrer returned to cinema screens in the comedy ''[[Anything Can Happen]]'' (1952), directed by [[George Seaton]], where Ferrer played an immigrant.

More popular was ''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]'' (1952) in which Ferrer played the role of [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec|Toulouse-Lautrec]] under [[John Huston]]'s direction.<ref>'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', ''Variety'', 13 January 1954</ref> Ferrer received 40% of the profits<ref>{{cite court| date=5 June 1952| url=http://openjurist.org/304/f2d/125/commissioner-of-internal-revenue-v-ferrer| vol=304| court=F. 2d Cir| opinion=125| litigants=Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Ferrer| access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref> as well as his third and final Oscar nomination. Despite not being an activist and having been interviewed by the HUAC, Ferrer's stances placed him at odds with the [[American Legion]], which disapproved the content of ''Moulin Rouge''.<ref name="Rivera72">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=72}}</ref>

Back on Broadway, Ferrer directed and starred in ''[[The Shrike (play)|The Shrike]]'' (1952), which ran for 161 performances.<ref>Coe, Richard L. (10 February 1952). "48th Street Salutes Genius of Ferrer". ''[[The Washington Post]]'': L1.</ref>

His next two shows were as director only: [[Horton Foote]]'s ''The Chase'' (1952) only had a short run but ''[[My Three Angels (play)|My Three Angels]]'' (1953–54), went for 344 performances.<ref>{{cite journal| url=https://www.playbill.com/production/my-3-angels-morosco-theatre-vault-0000002439| title=My 3 Angels| journal=Playbill Vault| access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref>

Ferrer had another cinema hit with ''[[Miss Sadie Thompson]]'' (1953) starring [[Rita Hayworth]].<ref>'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1954', ''Variety Weekly'', January 5, 1955</ref> Ferrer briefly revived some of his shows at the City Centre in 1953: Cyrano, ''The Shrike'', ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', ''Charley's Aunt''.<ref>Chapman, John (29 November 1953). "Jose Ferrer Donates Self to City Center" ''Chicago Daily Tribune'': E5.</ref>
[[File:Jose Ferrer in Caine Mutiny.jpg|thumb|Ferrer as Lieutenant Barney Greenwald in ''[[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|The Caine Mutiny]],'' released in 1954]]

He returned to films with ''[[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|The Caine Mutiny]]'' (1954) for Kramer, co-starring with [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Van Johnson]], playing defense lawyer Barney Greenwald; the film was a huge hit.<ref>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1954/0CMUT.php "''The Caine Mutiny'': Summary"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928234117/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1954/0CMUT.php |date=2013-09-28 }}. ''The Numbers''. Retrieved April 15, 2013.</ref> Greenwald's [[Judaism|Jewish]] faith, so prominent in the novel that it informed his judgments of the U.S.S. ''Caine's'' officers, was downplayed in the film, as Ferrer, being Puerto Rican, was nominally [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]].

Also popular was ''[[Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|Deep in My Heart]]'' (1955) where Ferrer played [[Sigmund Romberg]], and which made a profit of over $1 million.<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title=The Eddie Mannix Ledger| publisher=Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study| place=Los Angeles}}</ref>

===Film director===
Ferrer made his debut as film director at Universal with an adaptation of ''[[The Shrike (film)|The Shrike]]'' (1955), in which he also starred opposite [[June Allyson]]. He decided to work on this film after becoming frustrated that he was only being cast in stereotypical roles that degraded Latinos to the predjudices of the era.<ref name="Rivera72"/>

Ferrer then performed Cyrano in an episode of ''[[Producer's Showcase]]'' on television, directed by Mel Ferrer and co-starring [[Claire Bloom]].

He went to England to star in and direct a war film for [[Warwick Productions]], ''[[The Cockleshell Heroes]]'' (1955), alongside [[Trevor Howard]]; it was a success at the British box office.<ref name="warwick">{{cite magazine|date=8 December 2025|access-date=8 December 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-cubby-broccoli-and-irving-allen/|title=Forgotten British Film Moguls: Cubby Broccoli and Irving Allen}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Film Pact Signed By Joshua Logan: He Will Make His Debut as Screen Director in 'Picnic' Adaptation for Columbia| first=Thomas M.| last=Pryor| newspaper=The New York Times| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/01/07/archives/film-pact-signed-by-joshua-logan-he-will-make-his-debut-as-screen.html| date=7 January 1955| page=16| url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=British Films Made Most Money: Box-Office Survey| work=The Manchester Guardian| date=28 December 1956| page=3}}</ref>

Ferrer co-wrote, directed and starred in the film ''[[The Great Man]]'' (1956), at Universal. He directed and starred in two films for MGM: ''[[I Accuse!]]'' (1958), where he played [[Captain Alfred Dreyfus]], and ''[[The High Cost of Loving]]'' (1958) a comedy with [[Gena Rowlands]]. Both flopped at the box office.

Back on Broadway, Ferrer co-wrote and directed the stage musical ''[[Oh, Captain!]]'' (1958) with [[Tony Randall]], which only had a short run. He directed and starred in ''[[Edwin Booth]]'' (1958), playing the title role; it was not a success.

In 1958, Ferrer narrated the children's album ''Tubby the Tuba'', which was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Album for Children|Best Recording For Children]] at the [[1st Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Jose Ferrer |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/jose-ferrer |website=Grammy.com |access-date=18 February 2019 |language=en |date=15 February 2019}}</ref>

Ferrer took over the direction of the troubled musical ''[[Juno (musical)|Juno]]'' (1959) from [[Vincent J. Donehue]], who had himself taken over from [[Tony Richardson]]. The show, which starred [[Shirley Booth]], folded after 16 performances and mixed to extremely negative critical reaction.

However, he followed it directing the original stage production of [[Saul Levitt]]'s ''[[The Andersonville Trial]]'' (1959–60), about the trial following the revelation of conditions at the infamous [[American Civil War|Civil War]] prison. It was a hit and featured [[George C. Scott]], running for 179 performances.

Around this time, Ferrer also appeared in television in episodes of ''[[General Electric Theater]]'' and ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]''.

===20th Century Fox===
Ferrer signed a contract with [[20th Century Fox]] to direct films. He made ''[[Return to Peyton Place (film)|Return to Peyton Place]]'' (1961) and ''[[State Fair (1962 film)|State Fair]]'' (1962), both of which were commercial disappointments.<ref>Schaumach, Murray (18 July 1961). [https://www.nytimes.com/1961/07/18/archives/jose-ferrer-ends-long-film-famine-actordirector-in-deal-with-fox.html?searchResultPosition=1 "Jose Ferrer Ends Long Film Famine: Actor-Director in deal With Fox, Explains 4-Year Lapse"]. ''The New York Times'': 33.</ref>

Ferrer had a key support role in the film ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' (1962) which was a huge success. Although Ferrer's performance was only small he said it was his best on screen.

At Fox, he played an investigating police officer in ''[[Nine Hours to Rama]]'' (1963). He also guest starred on ''[[The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)|The Greatest Show on Earth]]''.<ref>Humphrey, Hal (11 August 1963). "Jose Ferrer---TV's Reluctant Ham". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'': D26.</ref>

Ferrer returned to Broadway to star in [[Noël Coward]]'s musical ''[[The Girl Who Came to Supper]]'' (1963–64) which ran for 112 performances.<ref name=bway>[http://www.playbill.com/production/the-girl-who-came-to-supper-broadway-theatre-vault-0000012282# " 'The Girl Who Came to Supper' Broadway"]. ''Playbill'' (vault), accessed December 5, 2016</ref>

He narrated the first episode of the popular 1964 [[sitcom]] ''[[Bewitched]]'', in mock documentary style.

Ferrer went to Germany to make ''[[Stop Train 349]]'' (1963) with [[Sean Flynn (photojournalist)|Sean Flynn]]. He appeared in the 1964 French film ''[[Cyrano et d'Artagnan]]'' directed by [[Abel Gance]].

Back in Hollywood, Ferrer played [[Herod Antipas]] in ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965) and was in ''[[Ship of Fools (film)|Ship of Fools]]'' (1965) for Stanley Kramer.

A notable performance of his later stage career was as [[Miguel de Cervantes]] and his fictional creation [[Don Quixote]] in the hit musical ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''. Ferrer took over the role from [[Richard Kiley]] in 1966 and subsequently went on tour with it in the first national company of the show. Tony Martinez continued in the role of [[Sancho Panza]] under Ferrer, as he had with Kiley.

Ferrer starred in [[Carl Reiner]]'s ''[[Enter Laughing (film)|Enter Laughing]]'' (1967) and did a production of ''[[Kismet (1967 film)|Kismet]]'' (1967) on TV. He went to Europe to do ''[[Cervantes (film)|Cervantes]]'' (1967) and appeared in ''[[A Case of Libel]]'' (1968) for US TV. He also provided the voice of the evil Ben Haramed in the 1968 [[Rankin/Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]] Christmas TV special ''[[The Little Drummer Boy (TV special)|The Little Drummer Boy]]''. In 1968 the IRS sent him a tax bill of $122,000 going back to 1962.<ref>"IRS Cracks Down on Actor Jose Ferrer". ''Los Angeles Times.'' 8 May 1968: G23.</ref>

===1970s===
Ferrer appeared in the [[television film]]s ''[[The Aquarians]]'' (1970), ''Gideon'' (1971) and ''Crosscurrent'' (1971) and guest-starred on ''[[The Name of the Game (TV series)|The Name of the Game]]'' and ''[[Banyon]]''.<ref>"Jose Ferrer Set for 'Banyon' Role". ''Los Angeles Times.'' 25 December 1970: E38.</ref>

Ferrer directed ''The Web and the Rock'' (1972) on stage in New York and appeared in ''[[List of Kojak episodes|The Marcus-Nelson Murders]]'' (1973), ''[[Orson Welles Great Mysteries]]'' (1973), and ''[[Columbo]]''.

Around 1973, he narrated ''A Touch of Royalty'', a documentary on the life and death of [[Puerto Rico]]'s [[baseball]] star [[Roberto Clemente]]. Ferrer voiced both versions, Spanish and English.

Ferrer voiced a highly truncated cartoon version of ''Cyrano'' for an episode of ''[[The ABC Afterschool Special]]'' in 1974.

Ferrer appeared in ''The Missing Are Deadly'' (1975), ''[[Forever Young, Forever Free]]'' (1975), ''Order to Assassinate'' (1975), ''[[Medical Story]]'' (1975), ''The Art of Crime'' (1975), ''Truman at Potsdam'' (1976) (playing Stalin), ''[[The Big Bus]]'' (1976), ''Paco'' (1976)., ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' (1976), ''[[Crash!]]'' (1976), ''[[The Sentinel (1977 film)|The Sentinel]]'' (1977), ''[[Zoltan, Hound of Dracula]]'' (1977), ''[[Exo-Man]]'' (1977), ''[[Who Has Seen the Wind (1977 film)|Who Has Seen the Wind]]'' (1977), ''[[The Rhinemann Exchange]]'', ''[[The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover]]'' (1977), ''[[Fedora (1978 film)|Fedora]]'' (1978) from [[Billy Wilder]], ''[[The Amazing Captain Nemo]]'' (1978) (in the title role), and ''[[The Swarm (1978 film)|The Swarm]]''. He guest starred on ''[[Starsky and Hutch]]'' and ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]''.

During the Bicentennial, Ferrer narrated the world premiere of [[Michael Jeffrey Shapiro]]'s ''A Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776'' for narrator and orchestra with Martin Rich leading the Philharmonic Symphony of Westchester.

Ferrer was a replacement cast member in a production of [[David Mamet]]'s ''[[A Life in the Theatre]]'' (1977–78). He produced and starred in ''White Pelicans'' (1978) and directed ''[[Carmelina]]'' (1979) on stage but it only ran 17 performances.

He was in ''[[The Fifth Musketeer]]'' (1979), ''[[The Concorde ... Airport '79]]'' (1979), ''[[Natural Enemies]]'' (1979), ''[[The French Atlantic Affair]]'' (1979), ''[[A Life of Sin]]'', a 1979 film by Puerto Rican director Efraín López Neris which also starred [[Raul Julia]], [[Míriam Colón]] and [[Henry Darrow]], and ''Battles: The Murder That Wouldn't Die'' (1980). He did ''The Merchant'' on stage in Canada.<ref>"Briefly: Jose Ferrer set". ''The Globe and Mail.'' 23 August 1979: P.13.</ref>

===1980s===
In 1980, he had a role as future Justice [[Abe Fortas]] in the made-for-[[television film]] version of [[Anthony Lewis]]' ''[[Gideon's Trumpet]]'', opposite [[Henry Fonda]] in an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]]-nominated performance as [[Clarence Earl Gideon]].

He also appeared in ''[[Battle Creek Brawl]]'' (1980), ''[[Pleasure Palace]]'' (1980), ''[[The Dream Merchants (miniseries)|The Dream Merchants]]'' (1980), ''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'', ''Evita Peron'' (1981), ''Berlin Tunnel 21'' (1981), ''[[Peter and Paul (film)|Peter and Paul]]'' (1981) with [[Anthony Hopkins]], ''[[Bloody Birthday]]'' (1981), [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy]]'' (1982) (a classy yet somewhat antagonistic university professor/author whose booming voice both begins and ends the film), ''[[Blood Tide]]'' (1982), [[Blood Feud (1983 film)|''Blood Feud'']] (1982), ''This Girl for Hire'' (1983), ''[[The Being]]'' (1983) and [[Mel Brooks]]'s version of [[To Be or Not to Be (1983 film)|''To Be or Not to Be'']] (1983).

From 1982 to 1985, he was artistic director of the Coconut Grove Theatre in Miami.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ferrer Ends Reign Over Miami Theater| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-01-17-8501100093-story.html| date=17 January 1985| agency=Knight-Ridder Newspapers| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref>

He guest-starred on ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'', ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'', ''[[Fantasy Island]]'', ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]'', ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[Bridges to Cross]]'', and ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''.

Ferrer was in ''[[The Evil That Men Do (film)|The Evil That Men Do]]'' (1984), ''[[Samson and Delilah (1984 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1984), and ''[[George Washington (miniseries)|George Washington]]'' (1984). He was the Emperor in ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]'' (1984) and was in ''[[Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil]]'' (1985), ''Seduced'' (1985), ''Covenant'' (1985), ''[[Blood & Orchids]]'' (1986), ''Young Harry Houdini'', and ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' (1987).

Ferrer made his farewell to Cyrano by performing a short passage from the play for the [[40th Tony Awards|1986 Tony Awards]] telecast.

Although not the original actor to play the character, Ferrer, beginning in the third season, had a recurring role as [[Julia Duffy]]'s [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestant|WASPy]] father in the long-running television series ''[[Newhart]]'' in the 1980s.

In an interview given in the 1980s, he bemoaned the lack of good character parts for aging stars, and admitted that he now took on roles mostly for the money, such as his roles in the horror potboilers ''[[The Swarm (1978 film)|The Swarm]]'', in which he played a doctor, and ''[[Dracula's Dog]]'', in which he played a police inspector.

Ferrer's final performances include ''The Sun and the Moon'' (1987), ''[[American Playhouse]]'' ("[[Strange Interlude]]" with [[Kenneth Branagh]]), ''[[Mother's Day (1989 film)|Mother's Day]]'' (1989), ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'', ''[[Hired to Kill (1990 film)|Hired to Kill]]'' (1990), ''[[Old Explorers]]'' (1990) and ''[[Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews|The Perfect Tribute]]''.

His final appearances in theater took place in ''The Best Man'' (1988) and ''All my sons'' (1990).<ref name="Rivera74"/> He was cast in a Broadway play ''[[Conversations with My Father]]'' (1991) but withdrew due to poor health.<ref name=LAT>"Stage, Film Actor Jose Ferrer Dies". ''Los Angeles Times'' 27 January 1992: VYA3</ref> ''Lam Gong juen ji fan fei jo fung wan'' (1992) was Ferrer's final film.<ref name="Rivera73">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=73}}</ref>

===Legacy===
* Ferrer was the first [[Hispanic]] actor to win an [[Academy Award]].
* In 2005, the [[Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors]] (HOLA) renamed its Tespis Award to the ''HOLA José Ferrer Tespis Award''.
* Ferrer was honored for his theatrical and cinematic works with an induction into the American Theatre Hall of Fame and a National Medal of Arts, becoming the first actor and Hispanic to be presented with the prestigious award.
* Ferrer's sons Rafael Ferrer and [[Miguel Ferrer]], his daughter (Letty Ferrer), and his granddaughter [[Tessa Ferrer]] also became actors and actresses.
* Ferrer donated his Academy Award to the [[University of Puerto Rico]]. The award was stolen after being misplaced during the remodeling of the university's theater.
* On April 26, 2012, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a stamp in Ferrer's honor in its [[Distinguished Americans series]].<ref name="auto"/>

==Personal life==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}}
He had two sisters, Leticia García and Elvira Villafañe, and a half brother Rafael.<ref name="Rivera73"/>

Ferrer was married five times and had six children:

*[[Uta Hagen]] (1938–1948): Ferrer and Hagen met while playing summer stock in [[Ridgefield, Connecticut|Ridgefield]], Connecticut in 1938.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spector |first=Susan |title=Uta Hagen. The Early Years: 1919-1951 |year=1982 |series=Dissertation |location=New York University |pages=121}}</ref> They had one child, Leticia (born October 15, 1940). They divorced in 1948, partly due to Hagen's long-concealed affair with [[Paul Robeson]], with whom Hagen and Ferrer had co-starred in the Broadway production of ''[[Othello]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Klein |first=Alvin |date=May 17, 1998 |title=Theater. Uta Hagen: A Legend In Theater |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/17/nyregion/theater-uta-hagen-a-legend-in-theater.html}}</ref>
*[[Phyllis Hill]] (1948–1953): Ferrer and Hill wed on May 27, 1948, and they moved to [[Burlington, Vermont]] in 1950. Ferrer returned to Puerto Rico because his mother died. They divorced on January 12, 1953.
*[[Rosemary Clooney]] (1953–1961): Ferrer first married Clooney on July 13, 1953, in [[Durant, Oklahoma]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19530714&id=N-8gAAAAIBAJ&pg=5074,2039063| title=Just Married to Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer Gives Party for Olivia DeHavilland| newspaper=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]]| location=New London, Conn| date=14 July 1953| agency=[[Associated Press]]| access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref> They moved to [[Santa Monica, California]], in 1954, and then to [[Los Angeles]] in 1958. Ferrer and Clooney had five children in quick succession: [[Miguel Ferrer|Miguel]] (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017), Maria (born August 9, 1956), Gabriel (born August 1, 1957), Monsita (born October 13, 1958) and Rafael (born March 23, 1960).<ref name="Rivera72"/> They divorced for the first time in 1961.
*[[Rosemary Clooney]] (1964–1967): Ferrer and Clooney remarried on November 22, 1964, in Los Angeles; however, the marriage again crumbled because Ferrer was carrying on an affair with the woman who would become his last wife, Stella Magee. Clooney found out about the affair, and she and Ferrer divorced again in 1967.
*Stella Magee (1977–1992): They remained together until his death in 1992.<ref name="Rivera73"/> Through his marriage to Clooney, Ferrer was the uncle of actor [[George Clooney]], the father-in-law to singer [[Debby Boone]] and actress [[Leilani Sarelle]], and the grandfather of actress [[Tessa Ferrer]].

In October 1949, Ferrer received an honoris causa degree from the UPR.<ref name="Rivera72"/> In his free time, he was an aficionado of the sport of boxing.<ref name="Rivera73"/> Ferrer supported Miguel's decision to become an actor and both worked together in an episode of ''Magnum P.I.''.<ref name="Rivera133">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=133}}</ref> Although he preferred that his son become a pianist, he allowed Miguel to play the battery as long as he practiced often.<ref name="Rivera133"/> Ferrer is the topic of a poem, ''Señor Actor'', which reflects on his accomplishments as an actor.<ref name="Rivera74">{{Harvnb|Rivera|2010|pp=74}}</ref>

==Death==
Ferrer died of [[colorectal cancer]] in [[Coral Gables, Florida]], on January 26, 1992, 18 days after his 80th birthday, and was interred in [[Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery]] in [[Old San Juan]] in his native [[Puerto Rico]].<ref name=LAT/>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
!Year 
!Title 
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1948
| ''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]''
| [[Charles VII of France|The Dauphin, Charles VII]]
| Nominated – [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1950
| ''[[Whirlpool (1949 film)|Whirlpool]]''
| David Korvo
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Secret Fury}}''
| José
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Crisis (1950 film)|Crisis]]''
| Raoul Farrago
|
|-
| ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''
| [[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] <br/> [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]] <br/> Nominated – [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1952
| ''[[Anything Can Happen]]''
| Giorgi Papashvily
|
|-
| ''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]''
| [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]]
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]
|-
| 1953
| ''[[Miss Sadie Thompson]]''
| Alfred Davidson
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1954
| ''{{sortname|The|Caine Mutiny|The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)}}''
| Lt. Barney Greenwald
| Nominated – [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]]
|-
| ''[[Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|Deep in My Heart]]''
| [[Sigmund Romberg]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1955
| ''{{sortname|The|Shrike|The Shrike (film)}}''
| Jim Downs
| rowspan="6" | Also director
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Cockleshell Heroes}}''
| Major Stringer
|-
| 1956
| ''{{sortname|The|Great Man}}''
| Joe Harris
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Four Girls in Town]]''
| Director 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1958
| ''[[I Accuse!]]''
| Capt. [[Alfred Dreyfus]]
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|High Cost of Loving}}''
| Jim "Jimbo" Fry
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Return to Peyton Place (film)|Return to Peyton Place]]''
| Voice of Mark Steele 
| Also director, uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1962
| ''[[State Fair (1962 film)|State Fair]]''
| 
| Director
|-
| ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]''
| Turkish Bey
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1963
| ''[[Nine Hours to Rama]]''
| Supt. Gopal Das
|
|-
| ''[[Stop Train 349]]''
| Cowan the Reporter
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Cyrano et d'Artagnan]]''
| [[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1965
| ''{{sortname|The|Greatest Story Ever Told}}''
| [[Herod Antipas]]
|
|-
| ''[[Ship of Fools (film)|Ship of Fools]]''
| Siegfried Rieber
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1967
| ''[[Enter Laughing]]''
| Mr. Harrison B. Marlowe
|
|-
| ''[[Cervantes (film)|Cervantes]]''
| Hassan Bey
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1975
| ''[[Forever Young, Forever Free]]''
| Father Alberto
| Aka: ''e'Lollipop''
|-
| ''{{sortname|El|clan de los immorales}}''
| Inspector Reed
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1976
| ''Paco''
| Fermin Flores
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Big Bus}}''
| Ironman
|
|-
| ''[[Voyage of the Damned]]''
| Manuel Benitez
|
|-
| ''[[Crash!]]''
| Marc Denne
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1977
| ''{{sortname|The|Sentinel|The Sentinel (1977 film)}}''
| Priest of the Brotherhood
|
|-
| ''[[Who Has Seen the Wind (1977 film)|Who Has Seen the Wind]]''
| {{sortname|The|Ben|nolink=1}}
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover}}''
| Lionel McCoy
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1978
| ''[[Dracula's Dog]]''
| Inspector Branco
|
|-
| ''[[Fedora (1978 film)|Fedora]]''
| Doctor Vando
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Swarm|The Swarm (1978 film)}}''
| Dr. Andrews
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1979
| ''{{sortname|The|French Atlantic Affair}}''
|
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Fifth Musketeer}}''
| [[Athos (fictional character)|Athos]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Concorde ... Airport '79]]''
| Chief Superintendent Morabito
| (TV version), Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Natural Enemies]]''
| Harry Rosenthal
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1980
| ''{{sortname|The|Dream Merchants|dab=miniseries}}''
|
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Big Brawl}}''
| Domenici
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Bloody Birthday]]''
| Doctor
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1982
| ''{{sortname|A|Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy}}''
| Leopold
|
|-
| ''[[Blood Tide]]''
| Nereus
|
|-
| ''And They Are Off''
| Martin Craig
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1983
| ''{{sortname|The|Being}}''
| Mayor Gordon Lane
|
|-
| ''[[To Be or Not to Be (1983 film)|To Be or Not to Be]]''
| Prof. Siletski
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984
| ''[[The Evil That Men Do (film)|The Evil That Men Do]]''
| Dr. Hector Lomelin
|
|-
| ''[[Dune (1984 film)|Dune]]''
| Padishah Emperor [[Shaddam IV]]
|
|-
| 1987
| ''{{sortname|The|Sun and the Moon|nolink=1}}''
| Don Fulhencio
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1990
|[[Hired to Kill (1990 film)|''Hired to Kill'']] 
|Rallis
|
|-
| ''[[Old Explorers]]''
| Warner Watney
|
|}

== Television ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1953
|''[[Producers' Showcase]]'': 
|[[Cyrano de Bergerac]]
|Episode: "[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]" 
Nominated – [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor – Single Performance]]
|-
|1964
|''[[Bewitched]]''
|Narrator
|3 episodes
|-
|1967
|[[Kismet (1967 film)|''Kismet'']]
|Hajj
|TV Film
|-
|1968
|''[[The Little Drummer Boy (TV special)|The Little Drummer Boy]]''
|Ben Haramad
|Voice, Television Special
|-
|1974
|''[[Columbo]]''
|Dr. Marshall Cahill
|Episode: "Mind Over Mayhem"
|-
|1976-8
|''[[Starsky & Hutch]]''
|Crazy Joe Fortune
|3 episodes
|-
|1977
|''[[The Rhinemann Exchange]]''
|Erich Rhinemann
| rowspan="2" |Mini-series
|-
|1978
|''[[The Return of Captain Nemo]]''
|[[Captain Nemo]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |1979
|[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|''Tales of the Unexpected'']]
|Carlos
|Episode: "The Man from the South"
|-
|''[[The French Atlantic Affair]]''
|President Aristide Brouchard
| rowspan="3" |Mini-series
|-
|1980
|[[The Dream Merchants (miniseries)|''The Dream Merchants'']]
|George Pappas
|-
| rowspan="2" |1981
|[[Peter and Paul (film)|''Peter and Paul'']]
|Gamaliel
|-
|''[[Magnum, P.I.]]''
|Robert Caine
|Episode: "Lest We Forget"
|-
|1981-86
|''[[The Love Boat]]''
|Simon Beck/Deke Donnor
|3 episodes
|-
|1982
|''[[Quincy, M.E.]]''
|Dr. Stanley Royce
|Episode: "Ghost of a Chance"
|-
|1983
|''[[Fantasy Island]]''
|Nikolos Karavatos 
|Episode: "Random Choices/Mommy the Mood Swinger"
|-
|1984
|[[George Washington (miniseries)|''George Washington'']]
|[[Robert Dinwiddie]]
|Mini-series
|-
|1985-87
|''[[Newhart]]''
|Arthur Vanderkellen
|6 episodes
|-
|1985
|''[[Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil]]''
|Ludwig Rosenberg
|TV Film
|-
|1986-91
|[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|''Matlock'']]
|Nicholas Baron
|3 episodes
|-
|1987
|''[[The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''
|Badger
|Voice, TV Film
|-
|1988
|''[[Sesame Street]]''
|Tío José
|2 episodes
|-
|1991
|[[Maniac Mansion (TV series)|''Maniac Mansion'']] 
|Himself
|Episode: "The Celebrity Visitor"
|}

==Theater Credits==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
!Date 
!Title 
!Role
!Director
!Producer
!Playwright 
!Notes
|-
| September 11 – November 1935
| ''A Slight Case of Murder''
| 2nd Policeman
| [[Damon Runyon]] and [[Howard Lindsay]]
| Howard Lindsay
| Damon Runyon and Howard Lindsay
| Also Stage Manager
|-
| November 26 – December 1935
| ''Stick-in-the-Mud''
| Chauffeur
| [[Thomas Mitchell (actor)|Thomas Mitchell]]
| Jack Curtis and Carleton Hoagland
| [[Frederick Hazlitt Brennan]]
| 
|- 
| August 25 – September 1936
| ''Spring Dance''
| The Lippincot
| [[Jed Harris]]
| Jed Harris
| [[Philip Barry]]
| 
|- 
| December 16, 1936 – April 23, 1938
| ''Brother Rat''
| Dan Crawford
| [[George Abbott]]
| George Abbott
| [[John Monks Jr.]] and [[Fred F. Finklehoffe]]
| 
|- 
| October 13–15, 1937
| ''In Clover''
| Frederick L. Parsons
| [[Bretaigne Windust]]
| John Krimsky and Jerrold Krimsky
| [[Allan Scott (American screenwriter)|Allan Scott]]
| 
|- 
| February 8 – February 1938
| ''How to Get Tough About It''
| Vergez
| [[Guthrie McClintic]]
| Guthrie McClintic
| [[Robert Ardrey]]
| 
|- 
| September 19 – October 1938
| ''Missouri Legend''
| Billy Gashade
| Guthrie McClintic
| Guthrie McClintic and [[Max Gordon (producer)|Max Gordon]]
| E.B. Ginty
| 
|- 
| January 3 – May 1939
| ''[[Mamba's Daughters]]''
| St. Julien DeC. Wentworth
| Guthrie McClintic
| Guthrie McClintic
| [[DuBose Heyward]] and [[Dorothy Heyward]]
| 
|- 
| November 27, 1939 – February 24, 1940
| ''[[Key Largo (play)|Key Largo]]''
| Victor D'Alcala
| Guthrie McClintic
| [[Playwrights' Company|The Playwrights' Company]]
| [[Maxwell Anderson]]
| 
|- 
| October 17, 1940 – May 3, 1941
| ''[[Charley's Aunt]]''
| Lord Fancourt Babberley
| [[Joshua Logan]]
| Day Tuttle and Richard Skinner
| [[Brandon Thomas (playwright)|Brandon Thomas]]
| 
|- 
| February 28 – March 20, 1943
| ''[[Let's Face It!]]''
| Jerry Walker
| Edgar MacGregor
| [[Vinton Freedley]]
| Music and Lyrics by [[Cole Porter]]; <br/> Book by [[Herbert Fields]] and [[Dorothy Fields]]
| Replacement for [[Danny Kaye]]
|- 
| September 22 – October 31, 1942
| ''Vickie''
| George Roberts
| José Ferrer and [[Frank Mandel]]
| Frank Mandel
| [[Sig Herzig]]
| 
|- 
| October 19, 1943 – July 1, 1944
| ''[[Othello]]''
| [[Iago]]
| [[Margaret Webster]]
| [[Theatre Guild]]
| [[William Shakespeare]], adapted by Margaret Webster
| 
|- 
| May 22 – June 10, 1945
| ''Othello''
| Iago
| Margaret Webster
| Theatre Guild
| William Shakespeare, adapted by Margaret Webster
| Revival
|- 
| November 26, 1945 – January 16, 1946
| ''[[Strange Fruit (novel)#Stage play|Strange Fruit]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| [[Lillian Smith (author)|Lillian Smith]]
| 
|- 
| October 8, 1946 – March 22, 1947
| ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''
| [[Cyrano de Bergerac]]
| [[Mel Ferrer]]
| José Ferrer
| [[Edmond Rostand]], translated by [[Brian Hooker (poet)|Brian Hooker]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] <br/> Adapted for ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]'' in 1949 and as ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]'' in 1950
|- 
| March 9–16, 1947
| ''As We Forgive Our Debtors''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| Tillman Breiseth
| 
|- 
| January 8–18, 1948
| ''[[Volpone]]''
| Volpone
| [[Richard Barr]]
| New York City Theatre Company
| [[Ben Jonson]], adapted by José Ferrer, Richard Barr, and [[Richard Whorf]]
| Co-adapter
|- 
| January 22 – February 1, 1948
| ''[[Gas Light|Angel Street]]''
| Mr. Manningham
| Richard Barr
| New York City Theatre Company
| [[Patrick Hamilton (writer)|Patrick Hamilton]]
| 
|- 
| May 6–16, 1948
| ''[[The Alchemist (play)|The Alchemist]]''
| Jeremy/Face
| [[Morton DaCosta]]
| New York City Theatre Company
| Ben Jonson
| 
|- 
| May 20–30, 1948
| ''S.S. Glencairn''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| [[Eugene O'Neill]]
| Collection of the one-act plays ''[[In the Zone]]'', ''Bound East for Cardiff'', ''The Long Voyage Home'', and ''The Moon of the Caribbees''
|- 
| Jun 3–12, 1948
| ''[[Pictures from the Insects' Life|The Insect Comedy]]''
| Felix, Yellow Commander
| José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| [[Karel Čapek]] and [[Josef Čapek]], adapted by [[Owen Davis]]
| 
|- 
| November 24, 1948 – May 28, 1949
| ''[[The Silver Whistle (play)|The Silver Whistle]]''
| Oliver Erwinter
| Paul Crabtree
| Theatre Guild
| [[Robert E. McEnroe]]
| 
|- 
| December 24, 1950 – June 30, 1951
| ''[[Twentieth Century (play)|Twentieth Century]]''
| Oscar Jaffe
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| [[Ben Hecht]] and [[Charles MacArthur]]
| Ferrer stepped down from the lead role on June 2 and was replaced by [[Robert Preston (actor)|Robert Preston]] from June 4–30
|- 
| May 8, 1951 – June 21, 1952
| ''Stalag 17''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| [[Donald Bevan]] and [[Edmund Trzcinski]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Director]]
|- 
| October 24, 1951 – May 2, 1953
| ''[[The Fourposter]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| The Playwrights' Company
| [[Jan de Hartog]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Director]]
|- 
| January 15 – May 31, 1952
| ''[[The Shrike (play)|The Shrike]]''
| Jim Downs
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| [[Joseph Kramm]]
| Adapted as ''[[The Shrike (film)|The Shrike]]'' in 1955 <br/> [[Tony Award for Best Director]] <br/> [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]]
|- 
| April 15 – May 10, 1952
| ''The Chase''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer
| [[Horton Foote]]
| 
|- 
| March 11, 1953 – January 4, 1954
| ''[[My Three Angels (play)|My Three Angels]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| [[Saint Subber]], Rita Allen, and Archie Thomson
| [[Bella and Samuel Spewack]]
| 
|- 
| November 11–22, 1953
| ''Cyrano de Bergerac''
| Cyrano de Bergerac
| José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| Edmond Rostand, translated by Brian Hooker
| Adapted for ''[[Producers' Showcase]]'' in 1956
|- 
| November 25 – December 6, 1953
| ''The Shrike''
| Jim Downs
| Joseph Kramm and José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| Joseph Kramm
| 
|- 
| December 6–20, 1953
| ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''
| [[Richard III of England]]
| Margaret Webster
| New York City Theatre Company
| William Shakespeare
| 
|- 
| December 22, 1953 – January 4, 1954
| ''Charley's Aunt''
| Lord Fancourt Babberley
| José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| Brandon Thomas
| 
|- 
| January 5, 1954 – January 16, 1955
| ''The Fourposter''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| New York City Theatre Company
| Jan de Hartog
| 
|- 
| February 4 – July 19, 1958
| ''[[Oh Captain!]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| Howard Merrill and Theatre Corporation of America
| Music and Lyrics by [[Jay Livingston]] and [[Ray Evans]]; <br/> Book by José Ferrer and [[Al Morgan (writer)|Al Morgan]]
| Adapted from ''[[The Captain's Paradise]]'' <br/> Nominated – [[Tony Award for Best Musical]]
|- 
| November 24 – December 13, 1958
| ''Edwin Booth''
| [[Edwin Booth]]
| José Ferrer
| José Ferrer and The Playwrights' Company
| Milton Geiger
| Also understudied [[Ian Keith]] as [[Junius Brutus Booth]]
|- 
| March 9–21, 1959
| ''[[Juno (musical)|Juno]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| The Playwrights' Company, [[Oliver Smith (designer)|Oliver Smith]], and Oliver Rea
| Music and Lyrics by [[Marc Blitzstein]]; <br/> Book by [[Joseph Stein]]
| 
|- 
| December 29, 1959 – June 1, 1960
| ''The Andersonville Trial''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| William Darrid, Eleanore Saidenberg, and Daniel Hollywood
| [[Saul Levitt]]
| 
|- 
| December 8, 1963 – March 14, 1964
| ''[[The Girl Who Came to Supper]]''
| Grand Duke Charles
| [[Joe Layton]]
| [[Herman Levin]]
| Music and Lyrics by [[Noël Coward]]; <br/> Book by [[Harry Kurnitz]]
| 
|- 
| November 22, 1965 – June 26, 1971
| ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''
| [[Cervantes]]
| [[Albert Marre]]
| Albert W. Selden and Hal James
| Music by [[Mitch Leigh]]; <br/> Lyrics by [[Joe Darion]]; <br/> Book by [[Dale Wasserman]]
| Replacement for [[Richard Kiley]] on Broadway, May 28 – June 9, 1966 <br/> National Tour Sep 24, 1966 – Apr 09, 1967 <br/> Replacement for [[David Atkinson (baritone)|David Atkinson]] on Broadway, April 11 – July 13, 1967 <br/> Replacement for Richard Kiley on National Tour July 15 – August 7, 1967 <br/> Replacement for Richard Kiley on National Tour September 23, 1968 – September 13, 1969
|- 
| March 9, 1975
| A Gala Tribute to Joshua Logan
| Himself
| [[Donald Saddler]]
| Friends of the Theatre & Music Collection of the Museum of the City of New York
| N/A
| 
|- 
| April 8–21, 1979
| ''[[Carmelina]]''
| N/A
| José Ferrer
| [[Roger L. Stevens]], J. W. Fisher, [[Joan Cullman]], [[Jujamcyn Theaters]], and [[Robert Whitehead (theatre producer)|Whitehead]]-[[Roger L. Stevens|Stevens]]
| Music by [[Burton Lane]]; <br/> Lyrics by [[Alan Jay Lerner]]; <br/> Book by Alan Jay Lerner and Joseph Stein
| 
|- 
| June 22, 1987
| Happy Birthday, [[George Abbott|Mr. Abbott!]]
| Himself
| [[Fritz Holt]]
| Barry Brown
| N/A
|
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award 
! Category
! Nominated work
! Results
! Ref.
|-
| [[21st Academy Awards|1948]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| ''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1949 |title=The 21st Academy Awards (1949) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=August 18, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[23rd Academy Awards|1950]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (1950 film)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1951 |title=The 23rd Academy Awards (1951) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[25th Academy Awards|1952]]
| ''[[Moulin Rouge (1952 film)|Moulin Rouge]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953 |title=The 25th Academy Awards (1953) Nominees and Winners |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=August 20, 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[8th British Academy Film Awards|1954]]
| [[British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Foreign Actor]]
| ''[[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|The Caine Mutiny]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1955/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1955 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[10th Directors Guild of America Awards|1957]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| ''[[The Great Man]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1950s/1957.aspx?value=1957 |title=10th DGA Awards |publisher=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[8th Golden Globe Awards|1950]]
| [[Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| ''Cyrano de Bergerac''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/jose-ferrer |title=José Ferrer |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1st Annual Grammy Awards|1958]]
| [[Grammy Awards]]
| [[Grammy Award for Best Children's Music Album|Best Recording for Children]]
| "[[Tubby the Tuba (song)|Tubby the Tuba]]"
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/jose-ferrer/2538 |title=José Ferrer |publisher=[[Grammy Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[1950 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|1950]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| ''Cyrano de Bergerac''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nyfcc.com/awards/ |title=Awards – New York Film Critics Circle |publisher=[[New York Film Critics Circle]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[3rd Primetime Emmy Awards|1951]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Actor
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/jose-ferrer |title=José Ferrer |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Best Actor – Single Performance]]
| ''[[Producers' Showcase]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[1st Tony Awards|1947]]
| rowspan="4"| [[Tony Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Best Actor in a Play]]
| ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac (play)|Cyrano de Bergerac]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1947/category/any/show/any/ |title=1947 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[6th Tony Awards|1952]]
| ''[[The Shrike (play)|The Shrike]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1952/category/any/show/any/ |title=1952 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| ''[[The Fourposter]]'' / ''The Shrike'' / ''Stalag 17''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[12th Tony Awards|1958]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]
| ''[[Oh, Captain!]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1958/category/any/show/any/ |title=1958 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=October 3, 2023}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico|Biography}} 
* [[List of Puerto Ricans]]
* [[French immigration to Puerto Rico]]
* [[List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees]]
* [[Miguel Ferrer]]

==References==
'''Footnotes'''
{{reflist|2}}
'''Bibliography''' 
*{{cite book|title=Legado Puertorriqueño en Hollywood: Famosos y Olvidados| first=Miluka|last=Rivera|publisher=Kumaras Center for the Arts and Etiquette|date=2010|isbn=9780578069937|ref={{sfnref|Rivera|2010}}}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|José Ferrer (actor)}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|5719}}
* {{IMDb name|1207}}
* {{Tcmdb name|61175%7C0}}
* [https://archive.today/20130706010859/http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/archives-cc/app/details.php?id=7746&r José Ferrer collection], [[Mugar Memorial Library|Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center]], [[Boston University]]

{{José Ferrer}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for José Ferrer
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestActor 1941–1960}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActorMotionPictureDrama 1943–1960}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1980s|state=autocollapse}}
{{TonyAward Director}}
{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrer, Jose}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from San Juan, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:People from Santurce, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Princeton University School of Architecture alumni]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican male stage actors]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican male film actors]]
[[Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Donaldson Award winners]]
[[Category:Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Florida]]
[[Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States]]
[[Category:RCA Victor artists]]
[[Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Ferrer family (show business)|Jose]]
[[Category:Alumni of Institut Le Rosey]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent]]
[[Category:Rosemary Clooney]]