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01
Fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish, Ferrer also had a good knowledge of French.
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02
With Rosemary Clooney, he had five children: Miguel, Maria, Gabriel, Monsita, and Rafael.
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03
Ferrer played Iago opposite Paul Robeson’s Othello in the 1943 Broadway production, the longest-running Shakespearean production in Broadway history.
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04
In 1985, he became the first actor to receive the U.S. National Medal of Arts.
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05
Ferrer was the uncle of actor George Clooney.
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06
He attended Princeton University, graduating in 1934, where he performed with the Triangle Club alongside future stars like James Stewart.
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07
One of only nine actors to have won both the Tony and the Oscar for the same role on stage and film, joining Yul Brynner, Rex Harrison, Viola Davis, and others.
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08
Many of his film characters were French, including Charles VII in Joan of Arc, Cyrano de Bergerac, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Alfred Dreyfus, and Athos.
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09
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6541 Hollywood Blvd on February 8, 1960.
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10
His performance as Cyrano de Bergerac is considered the definitive American portrayal, surpassing Walter Hampden and Richard Chamberlain.
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11
His Best Actor Oscar for Cyrano de Bergerac made him the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award.
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12
Ferrer was among the first winners of acting Tony Awards when the event was established in 1947, alongside Fredric March, Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, David Wayne, and Patricia Neal.
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13
In the early 1950s, he starred in or directed four Broadway productions simultaneously: Stalag 17, The Fourposter, The Shrike, and a revival of Twentieth Century.
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14
Appears in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Moulin Rouge, The Caine Mutiny, and Lawrence of Arabia, with the last winning.
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15
A talented pianist in childhood, he performed as an opera singer at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Beverly Hills Opera.
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16
In real life, he pierced his left ear in 1972 at age 60 at his girlfriend’s urging; he often incorporated an earring into roles, even when anachronistic.
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17
With Uta Hagen, he had a daughter, Leticia Thyra Ferrer, born October 15, 1940 in New York.
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18
He played Cyrano de Bergerac on television a fourth and final time in the animated ABC Afterschool Special in 1974, supplying only his voice.
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19
For a special benefit performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, he appeared only in the first four acts, with Walter Hampden playing the final scene, symbolically passing the torch.
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20
Pictured on a nondenominated forever U.S. postage stamp in the Distinguished Americans series, issued April 26, 2012.
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21
Did not enter films until eight years after becoming an established Broadway star.
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22
In 1951, he stated he had always been opposed to Communism but admitted being gullible about lending his name to causes that turned out to be Communist fronts.
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23
Father-in-law of Debby Boone through his son Gabriel Ferrer.
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24
Was Billy Wilder’s first choice to play the lead in The Lost Weekend 1945, but the studio demanded a bigger star; Ray Milland eventually won an Oscar for the role.
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25
Was considered for the part of Addison DeWitt in All About Eve 1950, but George Sanders won the Oscar for the role.
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26
Played the older version of the same character as his son Miguel in Lest We Forget 1981.
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27
The producers of the television series Batman 1966 originally wanted him to play The Joker; his nephew George Clooney later played Batman.
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28
Worked with three other Cyranos during his career: Walter Hampden, Christopher Plummer, and Jean-Pierre Cassel.
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29
His family has been involved in four popular science-fiction series: Dune, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, RoboCop, and the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video games.
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30
Won three Tony Awards: two for Best Actor Dramatic in 1947 for Cyrano de Bergerac and in 1952 for The Shrike, and one for Best Director in 1952 for three plays.
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31
He and Gérard Depardieu were both nominated for Best Actor for playing Cyrano; other such pairs include Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro as Don Vito Corleone.
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32
One of 13 actors nominated for an Academy Award for portraying a real-life king, including Laurence Olivier, Yul Brynner, and Colin Firth.
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33
One of 10 performers to receive both a Tony and Oscar for the same role, winning for Cyrano de Bergerac Tony 1947, Oscar 1950.
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34
Played both Cyrano de Bergerac and Athos, roles later played by Gérard Depardieu.
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35
Like Kenneth Branagh and Christopher Plummer, he played both Iago in Othello and Cyrano de Bergerac.
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36
Shares the role of Cyrano with Gérard Depardieu and the role of Athos with Guillaume Depardieu.
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37
Cousin of professional Puerto Rican tennis player Beatriz Gigi Fernández.
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38
Former brother-in-law of Nick Clooney.
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39
Former father-in-law of Leilani Sarelle.
