Actor/director/producer Mel Ferrer was born Melchor Gaston Ferrer on August 25, 1917, in Elberon, New Jersey. The son of a Cuban-born surgeon and a Manhattan socialite, he went to prep school and attended Princeton University. From the age of 15 he worked in summer stock. After Princeton he became an editor on a small Vermont newspaper and wrote a children's book, "Tito's Hats." He became a chorus dancer on Broadway in 1938 in two musicals and made his New York debut as an actor two years later. After a bout with polio he started in radio as a disc jockey in Texas and Arkansas and rose to producer-director of top-rated shows for NBC in New York. He made a modest debut as a director at Columbia with the low-budget _The Girl of the Limberlost , also with Hepburn. In the following year, the couple separated and ultimately divorced. Since 1960 had been producing and acting mainly in Europe.
Father of Sean Hepburn Ferrer with Audrey Hepburn.
Brother of famous cardiologist and educator Dr. M. Iren Ferrer. She helped refine the cardiac catheter and electrocardiogram, which have become diagnostic essentials in heart treatment.
His oldest child, with Pilchard, died as an infant.
After divorcing his first wife, Frances Pilchard, he married Barbara Tripp. He then divorced Tripp so he could remarry Pilchard.
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962.
Wife Audrey Hepburn did not want to be separated from her husband while filming Funny Face , so filming of the Paris scenes was timed to coincide with Ferrers filming of Elena et les hommes .
Spoke Spanish and French fluently.
Born to a Cuban-born father, a surgeon, and his wife, a New York socialite, he grew up in New Jersey.
Not related to Jos Ferrer , or Joss son Miguel Ferrer. However, his son with Audrey Hepburn , Sean Hepburn Ferrer , had only one acting role, with Audrey in They All Laughed , portraying a man named "Jose," meant to be a Hollywood inside joke.
Father of five children: Pepa Phillippa (born on 19 August 1941) and Mark Young Ferrer (born on 19 June 1944) with Frances Pilchard, Mela (born on 22 January 1943) and Christopher Ferrer (born on 4 February 1944) with Barbara C. Tripp, and Sean Hepburn Ferrer (born on 17 July 1960) with Audrey Hepburn.
Made his Broadway debut as an actor at age 23, two years after making his debut as a dancer aged 21.
After attending Princeton University until his sophomore year, he abandoned his studies and worked as an editor of a Vermont newspaper. He also wrote a childrens book named "Titos Hat".
Directed Jos Ferrer in the latters first performance as Cyrano de Bergerac.
Prior to his marriage to Elizabeth Soukhotine, Ferrer had a scandalous relationship with 29-year-old interior designer/shipping heiress Tessa Kennedy, who was still married to her first husband Dominick Elwes.
Officialy retired from acting on his 80th birthday in 1997 and took up residence in Lausanne, Switzerland.
I curl up inside and freeze when I have to act. I much prefer sitting on,the sidelines and trying to get the best out of other people. .
