Career Mel Ferrer

1 career

1.1 theatre work
1.2 columbia pictures
1.3 broadway
1.4 screen actor
1.5 howard hughes
1.6 mgm
1.7 europe
1.8 usa
1.9 producer
1.10 1970s
1.11 later career

career

audrey hepburn , mel ferrer on set of war , peace in 1955


early theatre work

ferrer began acting in summer stock teenager , in 1937 won theatre intime award best new play princeton undergraduate; play called awhile work , co-starred college student, frances pilchard, become ferrer s first wife same year.

at age twenty-one, appearing on broadway stage chorus dancer, making debut there actor 2 years later. appeared chorus dancer in 2 unsuccessful musicals, cole porter s never know , everywhere roam.

his first acting roles in revival of kind lady (1940) , cue passion (1940) directed otto preminger.

after bout polio, ferrer worked disc jockey in texas , arkansas , moved mexico work on novel, tito s hat published in 1940.

columbia pictures

ferrer contracted columbia pictures director along several other potentials began dialogue directors: fred sears, william castle, henry levin , robert gordon.

among films worked on louisiana hayride (1944), live in fear (1944), sergeant mike (1944), again (1944), meet miss bobby socks (1944), let s go steady (1944), ten cents dance (1945), , thousand , 1 nights (1945). of these bs others – such thousand , 1 nights – more prestigious.

ferrer directed girl of limberlost (1945) b movie ruth nelson.

broadway

eventually, returned broadway, starred in strange fruit (1945–46), play based on novel lillian smith. directed jose ferrer (no relation).

ferrer directed jose ferrer in 1946 stage production of cyrano de bergerac.

he worked assistant on fugitive (1947), directed john ford in mexico. along gregory peck, dorothy mcguire , joseph cotten, founded la jolla playhouse in los angeles.

screen actor

ferrer made screen acting debut starring role in lost boundaries (1949), playing black person passes white. film controversial acclaimed.

howard hughes

ferrer had support role in born bad (1950) @ rko, directed nicholas ray. @ studio directed claudette colbert in secret fury (1950) , did directing on vendetta (1950), racket (1951) , macao (1952).

ferrer starred bullfighter in brave bulls (1951) robert rossen @ columbia.

ferrer fought arthur kennedy on marlene dietrich in rancho notorious (1952) directed fritz lang @ rko.

mgm

ferrer went on mgm replacing fernando lamas villain in scaramouche (1952). film, particularly notable long climactic duel between ferrer , stewart granger, huge hit.

mgm kept him on lili (1953) playing puppeteer loved leslie caron. large success; ferrer , caron got hit single out of it, hi-lili-hi-lo . saadia (1953), ferrer made cornel wilde flop knights of round table (1954) big hit; ferrer played king arthur.

ferrer met audrey hepburn @ party , wanted play together. appeared in ondine (1954) on broadway , later got married.

europe

ferrer went italy make proibito (1954) , england oh... rosalinda!! (1955), directed powell , pressburger. both films not seen war , peace (1956) big success; ferrer played prince adrei, co-starring then-wife, audrey hepburn). in france supported ingrid bergman in elena , men (1956) directed jean renoir.

usa

ferrer , hepburn made mayerling (1957) american television; released theatrically in countries.

ferrer returned mgm make vintage (1957) pier angeli big flop. made 2 films 20th century fox: star adaptation of sun rises (1957) , fräulein (1958) war story dana wynter. @ mgm 1 of last 3 people on earth in world, flesh , devil (1959), flop.

ferrer went italy star in roger vadim s vampire movie blood , roses (1960). after english horror film hands of orlac (1960) did italian adventure film charge of black lancers (1962).

ferrer 1 of several stars in devil , ten commandments (1962) , longest day (1962). had cameo in wife s paris when sizzles (1964) , marcus aurelius cleander in fall of roman empire (1964).

ferrer turned television, doing directing series farmer s daughter (1963–1966) starring inger stevens.

ferrer had support role in sex , single girl (1964).

producer

ferrer produced , starred in biopic el greco (1966) playing famous painter. produced wait until dark (1967) starring wife; big hit. , hepburn divorced in 1968.

1970s

ferrer jobbing actor in 1970s, working in italy. among credits time loving (1972); antichrist (1974) in italy; brannigan (1974), crime drama set in london starred john wayne; silent action (1975) , suspicious death of minor (1975), both sergio martino; net (1975), shot in germany; black corsair (1976), italian swashbuckler; eaten alive (1976) tobe hooper; gangbuster (1977) in italy; pajama girl case (1977); seagulls fly low (1977).

he played blackmailing reporter in columbo episode requiem fallen star (starring anne baxter).

in america in hi-riders (1978), norseman (1978), guyana: crime of century (1979), , fifth floor (1979). in 1979, portrayed dr. brogli in episode of return of saint.

in europe in visitor (1979), island of fishmen (1980), nightmare city (1980), great alligator river (1980) , eaten alive! (1980). went germany lili marleen (1981)

he appeared in 2 films marisol, spanish star: cabriola (as director) , la chica del molino rojo (as actor).

later career

from 1981 1984 had role opposite jane wyman angela channing s attorney and, briefly, husband phillip erikson in falcon crest, directing few of series s episodes.

he appeared in mini series peter great (1986) , dream west (1986).

later credits included eye of widow (1991) , catherine great (1995).

for contributions motion picture industry, mel ferrer has star on hollywood walk of fame @ 6268 hollywood blvd.