Actor and director. Born Jose Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintron, he was raised in the US since his childhood, initially intending to become an architect, he developed an interest in acting and studied Drama at Princeton. Ferrer's career in entertainment was initiated more than a decade before launching his Hollywood career, as he began on the Broadway stage with the comedy "A Slight Case of Murder" (1935). During the next thirteen years, he performed in more than a dozen plays including what is perhaps his most identifiable part as "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1946 to 1947), for which he earned a Tony Award. He marked his film debut in the picture "Joan of Arc" (1948, which he received an Academy Award nomination) and reprised his role of "Cyrano de Bergerac" for the 1950 motion picture adaptation (which he received an Academy Award). He earned a second Tony Award as an actor for "The Shrike" (1952), but his talents were not limited to performing, as he established himself an esteemed director while receiving a Tony Award for directing the same play. Ferrer earned two more Tony Awards for his directing efforts with "The Fourposter" (1952) and "Stalag 17" (1952) and had film directorial credits with "The Shrike" (1955), "The Great Man" (1956), "I Accuse!" (1958) and "Return of Peyton Place" (1961). During the 1960s, he successfully made the transfer to supporting roles with performances in the classic pictures "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965) and "Ship of Fools" (1965). By the 1970s and 1980s, he had memorable guest spots on such popular TV programs as "Columbo," "Magnum, P.I.," "Murder, She Wrote" and "Newhart." Among Ferrer's wives include actresses Uta Hagen, Phyllis Hill and singer Rosemary Clooney. His marriage with Clooney produced their son Miguel Ferrer, who became a distinguished actor in his own right. He received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and during a more than 50-year career with roughly two hundred stage, film and television credits, Ferrer (who possessed a rich and resonant voice) enhanced each and every production he was a part of. He continued to remain active in the industry until his death.