Fluent in both English and Spanish; also had a good knowledge of French.

Was writer-director Billy Wilder's first choice to play the lead in The Lost Weekend (1945). The studio wanted Cary Grant or a comparable matinée idol in the lead. When it became apparent Paramount would not greenlight the film with Ferrer in the part, Wilder gave in and looked for a star, but the role was considered too unsympathetic and was rejected by most of the male stars of the day. Wilder finally cast Ray Milland in the part. A reluctant Milland, who was ambivalent about taking the part lest it hurt his career, won an Oscar. An actor's actor, Ferrer got his revenge five years later by copping his own Oscar for Cyrano de Bergerac (1950).

The only actor to win an Oscar, Emmy and Tony nomination for playing the same character. He won the 1950 Oscar and the 1946 Tony for his performance as Cyrano de Bergerac, and was nominated for an Emmy for playing the role on television in 1955.

He played Iago opposite the Othello of Paul Robeson in the 1943 Broadway production of "Othello", the longest-running Shakespearean production in the history of Broadway. The record remains unbroken to this day.

Former father-in-law of actress Leilani Sarelle.

Won three Tony Awards, two for Best Actor (Dramatic): in 1947 for "Cyrano de Bergerac," a role he recreated in several following productions, including his Oscar-winning performance in the film version, Cyrano de Bergerac (1950). He won again in 1952 for the original Broadway production of "The Shrike". Also in 1952 he won the Best Director Award for three plays: "The Shrike," "The Fourposter" and "Stalag 17." Later, he both recreated his role in and directed the film version of The Shrike (1955). He also was nominated in 1958 for co-authoring the book of the nominated Best Musical, "Oh, Captain!". In 1947, 'Fredric March' (QV) shared the Tony nomination with him. March was nominated for the play "Years Ago".

In the early 1950s, while he was being seen in some of his best-remembered films, he was also starring in and/or directing four Broadway productions at almost the same time - the original stage productions of "Stalag 17", "The Fourposter" and "The Shrike", and the 1951 revival of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's "Twentieth Century".

One of only eight actors to have won both the Tony and the Oscar for the same role on stage and film. The others are Yul Brynner (The King and I (1956)), Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady (1964)), Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker (1962)), Joel Grey (Cabaret (1972)), Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons (1966)), Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)), and Jack Albertson (The Subject Was Roses (1968)).

Attended Princeton University. There he performed with the Princeton University Triangle Club, whose alumni also include James Stewart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brooke Shields and David E. Kelley.

Former brother-in-law of Nick Clooney.

First actor to be nominated for a single Academy Award (Best Actor) for a film in which he was credited as portraying two different characters -Moulin Rouge (1952). This is in contrast to Fredric March's Oscar win as Best Actor in the 1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). March played two characters who were actually both sides of the same personality, as opposed to Ferrer, who portrayed both Toulouse-Lautrec and his father in "Moulin Rouge". Laurence Olivier also played two characters in Hamlet (1948) and won the Oscar for his performance of the title role, but his secondary performance as the voice of the Ghost was uncredited.

Father-in-law of singer Debby Boone.

Shares the distinction with actors Fredric March, Helen Hayes and Ingrid Bergman of being the first winners of acting Tony Awards when the annual event was established in 1947

Graduate (1934) of Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

He did not enter films until eight years after he had become an established Broadway star.

Uncle of George Clooney

Had five children with Rosemary Clooney. Their first son, Miguel Ferrer, was born in 1955. He was followed by Maria, 1956; Gabriel, 1957; Monsita, 1958; Rafael Ferrer, 1960.

Cousin of professional Puerto Rican tennis player Beatriz "Gigi" Fernández.

His most famous performance was as "Cyrano de Bergerac". He played it on the stage in 1946 and 1953, on film in 1950 (Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), winning the Oscar for that performance, and on live TV in 1949 and 1955. He played Cyrano again in the French film Cyrano et d'Artagnan (1964). He won the Tony for his stage portrayal of the role in 1947, and is one of only eight actors to win the Tony and the Oscar for the same role in a play and the movie adapted from the play. To many people he is the greatest Cyrano within memory, and he eclipsed all other American actors who played the role, even Walter Hampden, who made it his specialty between 1923 and 1936, and Richard Chamberlain, who played the role in 1973.

1985: The first actor to receive the [U.S.] National Medal of Arts.

The producers of the "Batman" (1966) television series originally wanted him to play The Joker. His nephew, George Clooney, went on to play Batman himself decades later.

Played Cyrano de Bergerac on television a third and final time in the 1974 animated ABC Afterschool Special, "Cyrano" (1974), for which he supplied Cyrano's voice only.