José Ferrer had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 1992. The Puerto Rican-American actor, theater director and filmmaker built his wealth through a career spanning Broadway, Hollywood and television.
Ferrer made history as the first Puerto Rican and first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award, earning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the 1950 film Cyrano de Bergerac. He was also a highly successful Broadway performer and director, winning five Tony Awards during his career.
Beyond acting, Ferrer worked as a stage and film director and appeared in more than 120 film and television productions. His notable credits included Joan of Arc, Moulin Rouge, The Caine Mutiny, Lawrence of Arabia, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Dune and The High Cost of Loving.
Ferrer died on January 26, 1992, aged 80, after battling colorectal cancer.
| José Ferrer Net Worth | $5 Million |
| Date of Birth | January 8, 1912 |
| Place of Birth | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Early Life
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón was born on January 8, 1912, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the son of María Providencia Cintrón and Rafael Ferrer, a writer and attorney.
His family moved to New York in 1914. Ferrer later attended the Institut Le Rosey, a boarding school in Switzerland, before enrolling at Princeton University.
He graduated from Princeton in 1933 with a degree in architecture. During his university years, Ferrer participated in the Princeton Triangle Club and played piano with a band known as José Ferrer and His Pied Pipers.
After Princeton, he attended Columbia University, where he studied Romance languages from 1934 to 1935.
Broadway Career
Ferrer began his professional acting career in 1934 at a theater on Long Island. In 1935, he joined the Suffern Country Playhouse as a stage manager and made his Broadway debut in A Slight Case of Murder.
He continued appearing in Broadway productions throughout the 1930s, including Stick-in-the-Mud, Spring Dance and Brother Rat.
Ferrer later expanded his work behind the scenes. He made his Broadway directing debut with Vickie in 1942 and went on to direct several successful productions.
From 1943 to 1944, he played Iago in a Broadway production of Shakespeare’s Othello. The production became the longest-running presentation of a Shakespeare play in the United States.
His performance as Cyrano de Bergerac from 1946 to 1947 became another major career milestone. The role earned him his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
Ferrer eventually won five Tony Awards, including three for directing and two for acting.
Academy Award Success
Ferrer made his film debut in 1948 with Joan of Arc, starring alongside Ingrid Bergman. His performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
His biggest film breakthrough came with Cyrano de Bergerac. Ferrer played the title character in the 1950 film adaptation and won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
The victory made him the first Puerto Rican actor and first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award.
Ferrer continued building his Hollywood career with films including Whirlpool, Crisis, Anything Can Happen and The Caine Mutiny. He also earned another Oscar nomination for his performance as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in Moulin Rouge.
Film and Directing Career
During the 1950s, Ferrer combined acting with directing. His credits included The Shrike, The Cockleshell Heroes, The Great Man, I Accuse! and The High Cost of Loving.
He also directed films such as Return to Peyton Place and State Fair in the early 1960s.
Ferrer remained active on screen throughout the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in major productions including Lawrence of Arabia, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Ship of Fools, Voyage of the Damned, The Rhinemann Exchange, The Swarm and The Fifth Musketeer.
During the later stages of his career, Ferrer increasingly appeared in television productions and frequently played authoritative or villainous characters.
Television Career
Ferrer made his television debut in 1949 when he portrayed Cyrano de Bergerac in a Philco Television Playhouse adaptation.
He later appeared in numerous television shows, including Magnum, P.I., The Love Boat, Another World, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, Sesame Street and Matlock.
He also had recurring roles on Newhart and the CBS drama Bridges to Cross.
His television movie credits included Evita Peron, Peter and Paul, Samson and Delilah, Blood & Orchids and The Perfect Tribute.
Ferrer made his final onscreen appearance in a 1991 episode of Maniac Mansion.
José Ferrer’s Awards and Achievements
Ferrer received three Academy Award nominations during his career and won once.
His Oscar nominations included:
- Joan of Arc — Best Supporting Actor
- Moulin Rouge — Best Actor
- Cyrano de Bergerac — Best Actor, winner
His performance in Cyrano de Bergerac also earned him a Golden Globe.
Ferrer won five Tony Awards, including three for directing and two for acting. He also received nominations from the BAFTA Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards and Directors Guild of America.
In 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He was later inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame and received the National Medal of Arts, becoming the first actor and Hispanic recipient of the prestigious award.
José Ferrer’s Personal Life
José Ferrer was married five times and had six children.
His first marriage was to actress Uta Hagen, with whom he had a daughter, Leticia. He later married dancer and actress Phyllis Hill.
In 1953, Ferrer married singer and actress Rosemary Clooney. The couple had five children: Miguel, Maria, Gabriel, Monsita and Rafael.
Their son, Miguel Ferrer, also became a successful actor, appearing in RoboCop, Traffic, Twin Peaks, Crossing Jordan and NCIS: Los Angeles.
José Ferrer and Clooney divorced in 1961 but remarried in 1964 before their marriage ended again in 1967. Ferrer later married Stella Magee in 1977, and they remained together until his death.
Through his marriage to Clooney, Ferrer was also the uncle of actor George Clooney.
José Ferrer’s Death
José Ferrer died on January 26, 1992, in Coral Gables, Florida, after battling colorectal cancer. He was 80 years old.
He was buried at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Also Read: Miguel Ferrer Net Worth
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
