Miguel Ferrer

Miguel José Ferrer (born February 7, 1955) is an American actor, who is often cast in roles as a villain.

Biography

Early life

Ferrer was born in Santa Monica, California, the oldest of five children of Puerto Rican Academy Award-winner José Ferrer and American singer Rosemary Clooney. His siblings are Maria, Gabriel, Monsita, and Rafael, also an actor. Ferrer was raised in Hollywood, and as a teenager his interests shifted toward music. Ferrer played the drums on Keith Moon's Two Sides of the Moon. Jenerators band mate Bill Mumy ("Will Robinson" on the television classic Lost In Space) cast him as a drummer in his first television role, in the series Sunshine. He only took the role because Mumy talked him into it.^[1]

Career

Ferrer began his career in the early 1980s making guest appearances on episodic television. In 1983, he was given a small part as a waiter in the 1983 movie The Man Who Wasn't There. He also had a small part in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) as the Excelsior helm officer. He had a major role in the 1987 action movie RoboCop as aspiring, cocaine-snorting corporate executive Bob Morton. Since then, Ferrer has been cast in many major movies, usually in the role of flamboyant villains with a sense of humour. Ferrer's notable screen roles include a sinister biker in Valentino Returns (1988), a scientist in DeepStar Six (1989), Commander Arvid Harbinger in the comedy Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Lloyd Henreid in the Stephen King mini series The Stand (1994), investigative reporter Richard Dees in Stephen King's The Night Flier (1997), and Eduardo Ruiz in Traffic (2000).^[2]

In the early 1990s, Ferrer appeared on three primetime TV series simultaneously: as D.A. Todd Spurrier in Shannon's Deal (1989-1991), as Cajun cop Beau Jack Bowman in Broken Badges (1990-1991), and as cynical, wittily abrasive FBI forensics specialist Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks (1990–91). Ferrer reprised the role of Albert in the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He played another medical examiner on the small screen, Dr. Garret Macy, in the television crime/drama series Crossing Jordan (2001–07).^[2]

Ferrer performed as the voice of the Heretic leader in the video game Halo 2, as well as the protagonist, Jack, in the video game BioShock.^{[citation needed]} In 1999, at the 41st Grammy Awards, he was nominated for "Best Spoken Word Album for Children" in Disney's The Lion King II, "Simba's Pride Read-Along". In 2003, Ferrer made his New York stage debut in the off-Broadway production of The Exonerated.^[2]

Ferrer played a supervillain called The Weatherman in the failed 1997 TV pilot, Justice League of America. Later in the year, Ferrer provided the voice for a similar character, Weather Wizard, in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Speed Demons". Ferrer also voiced Aquaman in another Superman: Animated episode, "A Fish Story". Ferrer has also provided voice-over roles in the TV series Robot Chicken (2006) and American Dad! (2007).^[2]

As a writer, Miguel Ferrer worked on several comic book series, such as Comet Man, which he co-created with Jenerators band member Bill Mumy and artist Kelley Jones, The Dreamweaver, and Trypto the Acid Dog (released by Dark Horse Comics)^[3].

Ferrer played Jonas Bledsoe on NBC's short-lived update of the Bionic Woman series.

Ferrer also starred in another short-lived NBC series, Kings, in 2009 as a military commander of Gath.

Personal life

Ferrer loves to golf and ski, and every year he helps to organize a golf tournament fundraiser for the UCLA Children's Hospital. He also finds time to play club dates with Mumy and their band The Jenerators.^[4]

He is divorced from actress Leilani Sarelle and has two sons, Lukas and Rafael, from that marriage, and a son Jose Robert, with Kate Dornan, daughter of Robert Kenneth "Bob" Dornan. He has been married to Lori Weintraub since 2005. His cousin is actor George Clooney. His brother Gabriel Ferrer is married to singer Debby Boone. Gabriel and Debbie are the parents of young artist Gabi Ferrer and her twin, Dustin Ferrer. His other brother, Rafael Ferrer, is also an actor. Ferrer was a close friend of actress Dominique Dunne, and in 1982 served as a pallbearer in her funeral.^[1]

Filmography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), as the USS Excelsior helm officer
• RoboCop (1987), as RoboCop project leader Bob Morton
• Valentino Returns (1988), in which he plays a sinister biker
• Deepstar Six (1989), as Snyder, an inept undersea technician
• The Guardian (1990 film), as Ralph Hess
• Revenge (1990), as Amador
• The Harvest (1993), as Charlie Pope
• Point of No Return (The Assassin) (1993), as Director Kaufman
• Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), as Commander Harbinger
• Incident at Deception Ridge (1994), as Ray Hayes
• Blank Check (1994), as the film's main villain, fugitive Carl Quigley
• The Stand (TV miniseries) (1994) as Lloyd Henreid
• Mr. Magoo (1997), starring as Mr. Ortega Peru
• Justice League of America (1997) starring as the villain The Weather Wizard
• Where's Marlowe? (1998), as Joe Boone
• The Night Flier (1997) as Richard Dees
• Mulan (1998), as the Hun leader Shan Yu
• Traffic (2000), as Eduardo Ruiz
• The Manchurian Candidate (2004), as Colonel Garret
• The Man (2005), as Agent Peters
• Bionic Woman (TV series) (2007) as Jonas Bledsoe
• Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) as Martian Manhunter (voice)
• Crossing Jordan, crime/drama series, as Dr. Garret Macy, September 24, 2001 to series end, May 16, 2007
• Wrong Turn at Tahoe (2009), as Vincent
• Noah's Ark: The New Beginning (2009), as Kabos (voice)
• Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom (2011), as villain Hun Leader Tan Shu (voice)

Guest appearances

Among the television shows in which Miguel has made guest appearances are:

• Miami Vice
• Magnum P.I.
• CHiPs
• Will & Grace
• Superman: The Animated Series (Weather Wizard), (Aquaman)
• Tales from the Crypt (appeared in 3 episodes)
• Twin Peaks (recurring)
• ER - the first episode
• Jackie Chan Adventures - voice of "Tarakudo"
• Contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy! (winner)
• Medium - 5/5
• Robot Chicken - Danny Ocean
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Episode: Ten Count (Season 7, Episode 18)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• The Batman - Sinestro
• El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera - The Grave Escape as the Original El Tigre.

See also

Puerto Rico portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Irish immigration to Puerto Rico

References

External links

• Miguel Ferrer at the Internet Movie Database
• Miguel Ferrer at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• The Jenerators official website
• Voice chasers