Actor known as a scene-stealer
MIGUEL FERRER, 1955 - 2017
Miguel Ferrer, whose long list of credits includes “Twin Peaks” and “NCIS: Los Angeles,” has died.
Miguel Ferrer, an actor with a long list of credits including “Twin Peaks” and CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles,” died of cancer on Thursday. He was 61.
A fixture on TV and in movies since the 1980s, Ferrer built a reputation as a scene-stealer beginning with 1987’s “RoboCop,” in which he played Bob Morton, the conniving corporate executive who designed the film’s title cyborg. His other landmark role was as FBI agent Albert Rosenfield in David Lynch’s landmark series “Twin Peaks,” along with its corresponding film, “Fire Walk With Me.”
Ferrer reprised the role in the upcoming return of the series, which is set to debut in May on Showtime.
“Great talent, better man,” wrote “Twin Peaks” co-creator Mark Frost on Twitter. “Working & writing for him [was] a highlight in every part of my life.”
Since 2012, Ferrer had appeared on “NCIS: Los Angeles” as Owen Granger, the unit’s assistant director. In the series’ most recent episode, last week, Granger was stabbed, leaving his fate in doubt.
The series’ showrunner, R. Scott Gemmill, said in a statement: “Today, ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ lost a beloved family member. Miguel was a man of tremendous talent who had a powerful dramatic presence on screen, a wicked sense of humor, and a huge heart.”
Born in Santa Monica in 1955 as part of a powerful Hollywood family as son of Oscar-winner José Ferrer and singer Rosemary Clooney — and cousin of George Clooney — Ferrer began his show business career as a drummer. He performed on the 1975 solo album by the Who drummer Keith Moon, “Two Sides of the Moon,” and backed Clooney on her mid-1970s tour with her “White Christmas” co-star Bing Crosby.
“I played with her from about the time I was 18, and I conducted for her many times, too,” Ferrer told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2002. “There was not a night I didn’t want to pinch myself and say, ‘Look what I’m doing!’ ”
Ferrer switched his focus to acting in 1977, landing small roles on “Magnum, P.I.,” “Hill Street Blues” and “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” before his breakthrough role in “RoboCop.” Given his father’s track record as an actor, it wasn’t a decision he came to lightly.
“That can be an intimidating thing, to try and do what he does so well,” Ferrer told The Times in 1990. “It took me a while to become sure enough to try it out and be able to call my dad and say: ‘Guess what? I am going to take a whack at what you do. What do you think?’ ”
He worked steadily, appearing in the horror film “DeepStar Six” as well as a TV version of Stephen King’s “The Stand” in 1994. He also portrayed chief medical examiner Dr. Garret Macy opposite Jill Hennessy on NBC’s “Crossing Jordan” from 2001 to 2007.
The actor also worked in animated films, providing the voice for the ruthless Hun Shan Yu in 1998’s “Mulan” and other voices in 2014’s “Rio 2” and the Cartoon Network series “Adventure Time.” He teamed up with his friend Billy Mumy (“Lost in Space”) in 1987 to create the Marvel comic book character Comet Man.
His stint on “Twin Peaks” was a career highlight, and he knew it had a huge effect on his career. “I think it’s so cool,” he told The Times when the series was on the air. “Now I know my future is somewhat secure, because 20 years from now, I will be able to do ‘Twin Peaks’ conventions. I will never starve.”
Ferrer is survived by his wife, Lori, and two sons, Lukas and Rafi.