Biography
José Ferrer (also credited as Jose Ferrer and José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón) was a Puerto Rican-born actor and director. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on 8 January 1912, he died in Coral Gables, Florida, on 26 January 1992. A graduate of Princeton University, he began his professional acting career on Broadway in 1935 and later appeared in numerous stage productions, winning three Tony Awards.
Ferrer made his film debut in Joan of Arc (1948). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), becoming the first Hispanic actor to receive an Oscar. His other film roles include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge (1952), Lt. Barney Greenwald in The Caine Mutiny (1954), the Turkish Bey in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Padisha Emperor Shaddam IV in Dune (1984). He also appeared in television series including Columbo, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote.
