--- name: "José Ferrer" canonical: "https://film.one/person/jose-ferrer" fi1m_id: "jose-ferrer" imdb_id: "nm0001207" tmdb_id: 12515 wikidata_id: "Q312098" roles: ["Actor"] born: "8 January 1912" died: "26 January 1992" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 73 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-09-20T04:28:02.628489+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # José Ferrer ## Identity José Ferrer - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jose-ferrer - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** jose-ferrer - **IMDb ID:** nm0001207 - **TMDB ID:** 12515 - **Wikidata ID:** Q312098 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ferrer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312098, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001207/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12515 Actor. Born 8 January 1912 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Died 26 January 1992. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 8 January 1912, Santurce, Puerto Rico - **Died:** 26 January 1992 - **Active:** 1952–1965 - **Also known as:** Jose Ferrer, José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón - **Frequently works with:** [Stanley Kramer](https://film.one/person/stanley-kramer.md) - **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated) - **Average Fi1m score:** 73, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 70 (2), 1960s 76 (2) - **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 1 of 4 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, War 3, Adventure 1, History 1, Romance 1 - **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $92m across 2 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ferrer, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312098, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001207/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12515 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Caine Mutiny*](https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny.md) (76), [*Moulin Rouge*](https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge-1952.md) (64) - **Netflix:** [*Lawrence of Arabia*](https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia.md) (90) - **The Roku Channel:** [*Ship of Fools*](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md) (62) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on José Ferrer > José Ferrer built his parts from the outside in: a harness, a bowler, a low unhurried baritone, and a presence that made a few minutes count for as much as a lead. The films around him were often less careful than he was. Watch the walk. In *Moulin Rouge* (1952) Ferrer plays Toulouse-Lautrec on his knees, his lower legs strapped up behind him in a harness, and the way he gets across a room, a quick stiff rock with the cane taking half the weight, tells you more about the man than any of the speeches he is handed. Above it sits the voice, a low baritone that never sounds as though it is working, and he used the same voice for a Dauphin, a painter, a lieutenant in a court-room and a Turkish Bey. He altered his body and left the voice alone, and the voice did the thinking. He came to films late and from the stage. He had been on Broadway since 1935, straight out of Princeton, and had played Iago and Cyrano before a camera ever saw him. The film debut was as Charles VII in *Joan of Arc* (1948), and the Cyrano he had already played on stage reached the screen in 1950. Then came Huston and Lautrec, and *The Caine Mutiny* (1954), in which he is Lieutenant Barney Greenwald and does his sharpest work in a court-room, where the voice has a case to make. From 1955 he directed as well, starting with *The Shrike*. After that the leads thinned out and the supporting parts began, and they kept coming, on film and on television, until his death in 1992. The best of the supporting parts is the shortest. He is on screen for a few minutes in *Lawrence of Arabia* (1962) as the Turkish Bey, in a scene we will not describe, and he said afterwards: "If I was to be judged by any one film performance, it would be my five minutes in Lawrence." Watching Lean's film again, we found it hard to argue. The Lautrec is the fuller case. What got at us in *Moulin Rouge* was not the harness but the face above it: he looks at a woman as if he already regrets the drawing, and that regret is the loneliest thing in a film full of colour and noise. Then the script hands him another speech about art and solitude, at roughly ten-minute intervals, and he reads it out because there is no other way to say it. Ferrer himself thought the film stated what it should have suggested, and on that too he was right. The later work is thinner. *The Swarm* (1978) is the sort of film that needs a voice of authority for a few scenes, and by then that was largely what he was asked for. Start with Lean, then Huston's first reel and Ferrer's walk, and then *The Caine Mutiny* for the court-room. He wanted to be judged on five minutes. Most actors would ask for more time; he had worked out that he did not need it. ## 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. *Sources: britannica.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *Ship of Fools* (1965), Fi1m 62, as Rieber — [page](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md) - *Lawrence of Arabia* (1962), Fi1m 90, as Turkish Bey — [page](https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia.md) - *The Caine Mutiny* (1954), Fi1m 76, as Lt. Barney Greenwald — [page](https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny.md) - *Moulin Rouge* (1952), Fi1m 64, as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — [page](https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge-1952.md) ## Complete filmography (110) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *3-D Rarities* (2015), as Alfred Davidson (archive footage) - *The Perfect Tribute* (1991), as Edward Everett - *Old Explorers* (1990), as Warner Watney - *Hired to Kill* (1990), as Rallis - *Mother's Day* (1989), as Judge Leatham - *Strange Interlude* (1988), series, as Professor Leeds - *Young Harry Houdini* (1987), as Dr. Tybalt Grimaldi - *The Sun and the Moon* (1987), Actor - *Matlock* (1986), series, as Nicholas Baron - *Blood & Orchids* (1986), series, as Walter Bergman - *Covenant* (1985), as Victor Noble - *Jacques Cousteau: The First 75 Years* (1985), as Narrator (voice) - *Seduced* (1985), as James Killian - *Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil* (1985), as Prof. Ludwig Rosenberg - *Dune* (1984), as Padisha Emperor Shaddam IV - *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Cagliostro - *George Washington* (1984), series, as Governor Dinwiddie - *Samson and Delilah* (1984), as The High Priest - *The Evil That Men Do* (1984), as Dr. Hector Lomelin - *Raíces eternas* (1984), as English Narrator - *To Be or Not to Be* (1983), as Prof. Siletski - *The Being* (1983), as Mayor Gordon Lane - *The Wind in the Willows* (1983), as Badger (voice) - *Blood Feud* (1983), as Edward Bennett Williams - *This Girl for Hire* (1983), as Harrison Wooly - *Newhart* (1982), series, as Arthur Vanderkellen - *Blood Tide* (1982), as Nereus - *Hotel* (1982), series, as Alex Huff - *A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy* (1982), as Leopold - *And They're Off* (1982), as Martin Craig - *American Playhouse* (1982), series, as Professor Leeds - *Bloody Birthday* (1981), as Doctor - *Peter and Paul* (1981), series, as Gamaliel - *Berlin Tunnel 21* (1981), as Martin Komansky - *Evita Peron* (1981), as Agustin Magaldi - *Magnum, P.I.* (1980), series, as Robert Caine - *Pleasure Palace* (1980), as 'Pokey' - *The Big Brawl* (1980), as Dominici - *The Dream Merchants* (1980), series, as George Pappas - *Gideon's Trumpet* (1980), as Abe Fortas - *The Murder That Wouldn't Die* (1980), as Jeff Briggs - *The French Atlantic Affair* (1979), series, as Pres. Aristide Brouchard - *Natural Enemies* (1979), as Harry Rosenthal - *The Fifth Musketeer* (1979), as Athos - *Tales of the Unexpected* (1979), series, as Carlos - *UFOs: It Has Begun* (1979), Actor - *Life of Sin* (1979), as Bishop - *Fame* (1978), as Francesco - *Fedora* (1978), as Doctor Vando - *The Swarm* (1978), as Dr. Andrews - *The Amazing Captain Nemo* (1978), as Captain Nemo - *Simple Gifts* (1977), as Narrator (segment "A Memory of Christmas") (voice) - *The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover* (1977), as Lionel McCoy - *The Love Boat* (1977), series, as Deke Donner - *Exo-Man* (1977), as Kermit Haas - *Zoltan… Hound of Dracula* (1977), as Inspector Branco - *Who Has Seen the Wind* (1977), as The Ben - *The Rhinemann Exchange* (1977), series, as Erich Rhinemann - *The Sentinel* (1977), as Priest of the Brotherhood - *Crash!* (1976), as Marc Denne - *Voyage of the Damned* (1976), as Manuel Benitez - *Teleplay* (1976), series, as Sam - *The Big Bus* (1976), as Ironman - *Paco* (1976), as Fermin Flores - *Truman at Potsdam* (1976), as Josef Stalin - *The Art of Crime* (1975), as Beckwith Sloan - *Rickles* (1975), Actor - *Medical Story* (1975), series, as Dr. William Knowland - *Medical Story* (1975), as Dr. William Knowland - *Order to Kill* (1975), as Inspector Reed - *Forever Young, Forever Free* (1975), as Father Alberto - *The Missing Are Deadly* (1975), Actor - *Cyrano* (1974), as Cyrano de Bergerac (voice) - *The Marcus-Nelson Murders* (1973), as Jake Weinhaus - *Crosscurrent* (1971), as Dr. Charles Bedford - *Columbo* (1971), series, as Marshall Cahill — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md) - *Gideon* (1971), as Angel of the Lord - *Banyon* (1971), as Lee Jennings - *The Aquarians* (1970), as Dr. Alfred Vreeland - *The Little Drummer Boy* (1968), as Ben Haramed (voice) - *A Case of Libel* (1968), as Boyd Bendix - *Le avventure e gli amori di Miguel Cervantes* (1967), as Hassan Bey - *Kismet* (1967), as Hajj - *Enter Laughing* (1967), as Harrison B. Marlowe - *Ship of Fools* (1965), as Rieber — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/ship-of-fools.md) - *The Greatest Story Ever Told* (1965), as Herod Antipas - *Cyrano and d'Artagnan* (1964), as Cyrano de Bergerac - *Stop Train 349* (1963), as Cowan the Reporter - *Nine Hours to Rama* (1963), as Superintendent Das - *Lawrence of Arabia* (1962), as Turkish Bey — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia.md) - *State Fair* (1962), Director - *Return to Peyton Place* (1961), Director - *The High Cost of Loving* (1958), as Jim Fry · Director - *I Accuse!* (1958), as Captain Alfred Dreyfus · Director - *Four Girls in Town* (1957), as Director - *The Great Man* (1956), as Joe Harris · Director, Screenplay - *The Cockleshell Heroes* (1955), as Major Stringer · Director - *The Shrike* (1955), as Jim Downs · Director - *Deep in My Heart* (1954), as Sigmund Romberg - *Producers' Showcase* (1954), series, Actor - *The Caine Mutiny* (1954), as Lt. Barney Greenwald — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-caine-mutiny.md) - *Miss Sadie Thompson* (1953), as Alfred Davidson - *Moulin Rouge* (1952), as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge-1952.md) - *Anything Can Happen* (1952), as Giorgi Papashvily - *Cyrano de Bergerac* (1950), as Cyrano de Bergerac - *Crisis* (1950), as Raoul Farrago - *The Secret Fury* (1950), as José (uncredited) - *Whirlpool* (1950), as David Korvo - *Joan of Arc* (1948), as The Dauphin, Charles VII, later King of France - *Bolivia* (1946), as Narrator ## Gallery - ![José Ferrer](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-414d7954b7dd.jpg) José Ferrer — Press photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Jose_Ferrer_-_1952.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Actor Jose Ferrer in costume at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-9e1ad6466973.jpg) Actor Jose Ferrer in costume at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. — Alexandra Studio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Actor_Jose_Ferrer_in_costume_at_Maple_Leaf_Gardens.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Confidential Magazine cover September 1955 - Marilyn Monroe](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-b561082d9c80.jpg) Confidential Magazine cover September 1955 - Marilyn Monroe — Confidential (magazine), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Confidential_Magazine_cover_September_1955_-_Marilyn_Monroe.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Theatrical release poster for the 1950 film Cyrano de Bergerac, starring José Ferrer in the title role. (1951)](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-3bfd499a5573.jpg) Theatrical release poster for the 1950 film Cyrano de Bergerac, starring José Ferrer in the title role. (1951) — "Copyright 1951 United Artists Corporation.", Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_%281951_poster%29.jpg/1280px-Cyrano_de_Bergerac_%281951_poster%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![José Ferrer](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-e6359636b0bd.jpg) José Ferrer — Image via TMDB - ![José Ferrer](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-ff268ee8ce95.jpg) José Ferrer — Image via TMDB - ![José Ferrer](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-4bffc54fc035.jpg) José Ferrer — Image via TMDB - ![Promotional photo of Jose Ferren in After the Fall (1952)](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-cf54736be70a.jpg) Promotional photo of Jose Ferren in After the Fall (1952) — Press photo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Jose_Ferrer_-_1952_headshot.jpg/1280px-Jose_Ferrer_-_1952_headshot.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![José Ferrer](https://film.one/media/person/59340/gallery-12d01ae3e973.jpg) José Ferrer — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated - 1953: Best Actor (nominated), for *Moulin Rouge* - 1951: Best Actor (won), for *Cyrano de Bergerac* - 1949: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Joan of Arc* ### Other awards — 5 won, 1 nominated - Distinguished Americans series 2012: Distinguished Americans series (won) - honorary doctor of the University of Miami 1984: honorary doctor of the University of Miami (won) - Tony Award for Best Musical 1958: Tony Award for Best Musical (nominated), for *Oh, Captain!* - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1952: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (won) - Tony Award for Best Director 1952: Tony Award for Best Director (won) - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1947: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jose-ferrer