Miguel Ferrer

Biography:

Miguel Ferrer was born on February 7, 1955, in Santa Monica, California, as the eldest of five children to Puerto Rican actor José Ferrer and American singer Rosemary Clooney. His siblings included sisters Maria and Monsita, and brothers Gabriel—who later married singer Debby Boone—and actor Rafael. He also had an older half-sister, Letty Ferrer, from his father’s earlier marriage to actress Uta Hagen. Ferrer was related to several well-known figures, including actor George Clooney (his cousin) and journalist Nick Clooney (his uncle).

Raised in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Ferrer attended Beverly Hills High School. During his teenage years, he developed a strong interest in music and played drums on Keith Moon’s album Two Sides of the Moon. After finishing school, he trained in acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

Ferrer’s close friend Bill Mumy gave him his first television role as a drummer in the series Sunshine. The two also played together in the band Seduction of the Innocent with Steve Leialoha and Max Allan Collins. Sharing a passion for comic books, Ferrer and Mumy co-created Comet Man and Trypto the Acid Dog, and co-wrote the Marvel graphic novel The Dreamwalker.

He began his professional acting career in the early 1980s, appearing in various television shows. In 1981, he portrayed a younger version of his father’s character in Magnum, P.I. and made small film appearances in The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983) and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). That same year, he directed the play When Ya Coming Back, Red Ryder? in Miami. His breakthrough came in 1987 with his role as Bob Morton, the ambitious executive behind the RoboCop program, in RoboCop.

Ferrer went on to play diverse roles, such as a biker in Valentino Returns, an engineer in DeepStar Six (1989), a vigilante in Revenge (1990), and Commander Arvid Harbinger in Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993). He also portrayed Lloyd Henreid in Stephen King’s The Stand (1994) and appeared in Traffic (2000). He occasionally took leading roles in films like The Harvest and The Night Flier.

During the early 1990s, Ferrer juggled roles in three TV series: Shannon’s Deal (1989–1991), Broken Badges (1990–1991), and Twin Peaks (1990–1991), where he became well-known as FBI agent Albert Rosenfield—a role he reprised in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. He also played “The Weatherman” in the 1997 pilot Justice League of America and voiced the Weather Wizard in Superman: The Animated Series. In 1999, he voiced Aquaman in the same series and was nominated for a Grammy Award for his narration of The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Read-Along. He also starred in Toto’s “I Will Remember” music video alongside Edward James Olmos.

In 2000, Ferrer was scheduled to perform in the live CBS teleplay Fail Safe with George Clooney but had to withdraw due to a conflicting NBC pilot, Sheriff’s Homicide. In 2001, he began starring as Dr. Garret Macy in Crossing Jordan (2001–2007). Ferrer made his New York stage debut in The Exonerated (2003) and voiced the Heretic leader in Halo 2 (2004). His later voice roles included appearances in Robot Chicken (2006) and American Dad! (2007). He played Jonas Bledsoe in NBC’s Bionic Woman (2007) and a commander in Kings (2009).

In 2011, Ferrer appeared as Lt. Felix Valdez in The Protector and guest-starred in Desperate Housewives. He joined NCIS: Los Angeles as Assistant Director Owen Granger, becoming a series regular in 2013, continuing to work despite his cancer diagnosis. That same year, he appeared in Iron Man 3 as the U.S. Vice President and later reprised his role as Albert Rosenfield in the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks.

Miguel Ferrer passed away on January 19, 2017, at his Santa Monica home due to complications from throat cancer, at the age of 61. He was married to producer Lori Weintraub and had two sons and two stepsons.

The Marvel Comics character Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) was named in his honor by his friend, writer Peter David. Following his death, Young Justice dedicated the episode “Evolution” to him, and voice actor David Kaye succeeded him in his roles as Vandal Savage and Jonathan Rook/Stretch Monster.