Saturday, January 21, 2017

Miguel Ferrer Passes On

Miguel Ferrer, who appeared in TV shows from Twin Peaks to N.C.I.S.: Los Angeles, died on January 19 2017 at the age of 61. The cause was oesophageal cancer.

Miguel Ferrer was born on February 7 1955 in Santa Monica, California. His parents were show business legends. His mother was popular singer Rosemary Clooney. His father was Academy Award winning actor José Ferrer.

Initially Miguel Ferrer was drawn to music, and he began his career as a drummer rather than an actor. As a drummer he played with both his mother and Bing Crosby. He also played drums on Keith Moon's album Two Sides Of The Moon. He later played in his friend Bill Mumy's bands Seduction of the Innocent and The Jenerators.

Mr. Ferrer made his television debut in an episode of Magnum P.I. in 1981. He made his film debut in 1982 in the movie Truckin' Buddy McCoy. His big break came with RoboCop, in which he played  corrupt, cocaine-snorting, corporate executive Bob Morton. During the Eighties he also appeared in such films as And They're Off (1982), Heartbreaker (1983), The Man Who Wasn't There (1983), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Flashpoint (1984), Lovelines (1984), DeepStar Six (1989), Valentino Returns (1989), and Arduous Moon (1990). He had a regular role on the TV series Twin Peaks, playing  FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield. He also had a regular role on Shannon's Deal as district attorney Todd Spurrier and on Broken Badges as Beau Jack Bowman. He guest starred on such shows as CHiPs, Cagney & Lacey, T. J. Hooker, Trapper John M.D., Hotel, and Miami Vice.

In the Nineties Miguel Ferrer was a regular on the short lived comedies On the Air and LateLine. He appeared in the mini-series The Stand. He was a regular voice on the Saturday morning cartoon Jackie Chan Adventures and was a guest voice on Superman: The Animated Series. He guest starred on such shows as ER, Tales from the Crypt, Will & Grace, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. He appeared in such films as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), The Harvest (1992), Cigarettes & Coffee (1993), Point of No Return (1993), Blank Check (1994), The Night Flier (1997), Mr. Magoo (1997), and Traffic (2000). He was the voice of Shan-Yu in Mulan (1998).

In the Naughts Miguel Ferrer played the regular role of chief medical examiner Dr. Garret Macy on Crossing Jordan. He was also a regular on Bionic Woman. He guest starred on the shows Medium, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lie to Me, and Psych. He provided voices for such animated shows as The Batman, and The Spectacular Spider-Man. He appeared in such films as Sunshine State (2002), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Man (2005),  and Wrong Turn at Tahoe (2009).

In the Teens Mr. Ferrer had a regular role on The Protector and a recurring role on Desperate Housewives. On NCIS: Los Angeles he played the regular role of Assistant Director Owen Granger. He reprised his role as Albert Rosenfield in the upcoming revival of Twin Peaks. He was the voice of Vandal Savage on the animated series Young Justice. He provided voices for the animated series Thundercats, and Adventure Time. He appeared in the films Noah (2012), The Courier (2012), Four Assassins (2013), and Iron Man 3 (2013).

Miguel Ferrer was an extremely talented actor who always added something extra to everything in which he appeared. He was very versatile and throughout his career he played a wide array of characters. He could be a villain, such as corrupt corporate exec Bob Morton in RoboCop. He could also play good guys, such as Dr. Marcy on Crossing Jordan. Through the years he played a wide variety of characters. He was abrasive forensic analyst  Albert Rosenfield  on Twin Peaks, Randall Flagg's second in command Lloyd Henreid on The Stand, and drug dealer  Eduardo Ruiz in Traffic. Of course, he was also a talented voice artist who voiced a number of different characters in animated TV shows and films, including Aquaman, supervillain Vandal Savage, Spider-Man opponent Silvermane, and several others. Miguel Ferrer was a remarkable talent whose life ended far too soon.

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