Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 â€" June 2, 2008) was an
American screen actor, who scored notable hits with Scaramouche, Lili
and Knights of the Round Table, before playing opposite his then-wife,
Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace. He was also a director and producer
on stage, screen and television.Mel Ferrer was born in Elberon, New
Jersey of Spanish and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José MarÃa
Ferrer (December 3, 1856 - 1920), was born in Havana, Cuba, of Spanish
(Catalan) ancestry, and was an authority on pneumonia and served as
chief of staff of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He was 60
years old at the time of Mel's birth and died three years later. Mel
Ferrer's US-born mother, Mary Matilda Irene (née O'Donohue;
1878â€"1967), was a daughter of coffee broker Joseph J. O'Donohue, New
York's City Commissioner of Parks, a founder of the Coffee Exchange,
and a founder of the Brooklyn-New York Ferry. An ardent opponent of
Prohibition, Irene Ferrer (as she was known) was named in 1934 as the
New York State chairman of the Citizens Committee for Sane Liquor
Laws. His parents married on October 17, 1910 in New York.His mother's
family, the O'Donohues, were prominent Roman Catholics. Mel Ferrer's
aunt, Marie Louise O'Donohue, was named a papal countess, and his
mother's sister, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, a leading figure in American
Roman Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted
permission by Pope Pius XI to install a private chapel in her New York
City apartment.
American screen actor, who scored notable hits with Scaramouche, Lili
and Knights of the Round Table, before playing opposite his then-wife,
Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace. He was also a director and producer
on stage, screen and television.Mel Ferrer was born in Elberon, New
Jersey of Spanish and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José MarÃa
Ferrer (December 3, 1856 - 1920), was born in Havana, Cuba, of Spanish
(Catalan) ancestry, and was an authority on pneumonia and served as
chief of staff of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. He was 60
years old at the time of Mel's birth and died three years later. Mel
Ferrer's US-born mother, Mary Matilda Irene (née O'Donohue;
1878â€"1967), was a daughter of coffee broker Joseph J. O'Donohue, New
York's City Commissioner of Parks, a founder of the Coffee Exchange,
and a founder of the Brooklyn-New York Ferry. An ardent opponent of
Prohibition, Irene Ferrer (as she was known) was named in 1934 as the
New York State chairman of the Citizens Committee for Sane Liquor
Laws. His parents married on October 17, 1910 in New York.His mother's
family, the O'Donohues, were prominent Roman Catholics. Mel Ferrer's
aunt, Marie Louise O'Donohue, was named a papal countess, and his
mother's sister, Teresa Riley O'Donohue, a leading figure in American
Roman Catholic charities and welfare organizations, was granted
permission by Pope Pius XI to install a private chapel in her New York
City apartment.
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