Intense character actor who specializes in playing cranky or seamy types. Ferrer first gained notice in films as the greedy businessman who played an instrumental role in the creation of "Robocop" (1987). He is also remembered as Albert Rosenfield, the foul-tempered FBI forensics expert, on David Lynch's cult soap, "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-91) and in the feature "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (1992).
The eldest son of actor Jose Ferrer and singer Rosemary Clooney, Ferrer was drawn to the drums as a child after seeing Little Ricky play them on "I Love Lucy" and Ringo Starr perform with The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show." A professional musician by his late teens, Ferrer was chosen as one of three drummers -- including Ringo Starr -- to perform on Keith Moon's solo album. Fittingly he made his acting debut playing a drummer in an episode of "Sunshine" (NBC, 1975), a sitcom co-starring his friend and fellow musician Bill Mumy (best remembered for playing Will Robinson on "Lost in Space"), who snared him the gig.
Apart from music, Ferrer became a busy character actor in films and TV. In 1990 alone his output included recurring roles on "Twin Peaks" and "Shannon's Deal:" a part in the "Drug Wars" miniseries; a starring role as a Blue Bayou cop in his own series "Broken Badges;" and supporting roles in two features, "Revenge" and "The Guardian." Ferrer achieved leading man status in the little-seen thriller, "The Harvest" (1993), landed higher profile gigs in three commmercial projects: "Point of No Return," "Hot Shots: Part Deux," and "Another Stakeout" -- all feature film hits.
- Also Credited As:
Miguel Jose Ferrer
- Born:
February 7, 1955 in Santa Monica, California, USA
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Job Titles:
Actor, Comic book writer, Musician
Family
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Brother: Gabriel Vicente Ferrer. born in 1959; mother Rosemary Clooney; married to singer-actress Debby Boone; they have four children together: Jordan (born c. 1980), twin girls Gabrielle and Dustin (born c. 1983) and Tessa (born c. 1986)
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Brother: Rafael Francisco Ferrer. born in 1956; mother Rosemary Clooney
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Father: Jose Ferrer. appeared with Miguel in a 1981 episode of Magnum, P.I. ; acted in several dozen Hollywood and international films; won an Oscar as Best Actor for Cyrano de Bergerac (1950); died in 1992
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Half-sister: Leticia Thyra Ferrer. born in 1940; mother, Uta Hagen
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Mother: Rosemary Clooney. married on July 13, 1953; divorced in 1962; remarried in 1963, divorced again in 1966; Jose Ferrer s third wife; had five children together; talented pop songstress of the 1950s who also acted in several Hollywood features; died 2002 of lung cancer
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Sister: Maria Providencia Ferrer. born in 1957; mother Rosemary Clooney
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Sister: Monsita Teresa Botwick. born in 1960; mother, Rosemary Clooney
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Son: Lucas Brandon Jose Ferrer. born in June 1993; mother Leilani Sarelle
Milestones
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1962 Inspired to play the drums at age eight after watching Little Ricky play on I Love Lucy
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1975 Acting and TV debut, as a drummer on Sunshine
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1983 Feature debut, Heartbreaker (completed 1981)
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1987 Breakthrough feature supporting role, Robocop
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1990 Starred as Beau Jack Bowman on the CBS cop drama, Broken Badges
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1990 Recurring role as Albert Rosenfield, the irritable FBI pathologist, on David Lynch s TV series, Twin Peaks
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1990 Recurring role as Todd Spurrier on Shannon s Deal
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1992 Cast as a regular on David Lynch s short-lived period sitcom, On the Air
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1992 Recreated the role of Albert Rosenfield for the feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
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1993 First feature lead, The Harvest
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1998 Co-starred in the NBC midseason replacement sitcom Lateline
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2000 Offered a memorable turn as a drug informant in the acclaimed film Traffic
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2001 Cast as the title character s boss, a medical examiner, on the NBC serie Crossing Jordan
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2004 Cast in John Sayles’ political satire Silver City which starred Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Daryl Hannah and Richard Dreyfuss
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2004 Cast in the remake of the 1962 thriller The Manchurian Candidate
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2005 Cast opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy in the comedy The Man
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Began touring with several bands during his late teens
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Decided to become a professional drummer after watching Ringo Starr perform with the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show
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Participated in recording sessions
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Selected as one of three drummers to play on Keith Moon s solo album along with Ringo Starr and Leon Russell
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Urged to act by former child actor, friend and fellow musician Bill Mumy, then co-starring in the NBC sitcom, Sunshine