Miguel Ferrer, one of the best character actors of his age, passed away today at the age of 61 due to cancer. Ferrer was often known for his portrayal of gruff and usually villainous characters. He provided tons of voice work for various DC animated projects as well as recurring roles in Crossing Jordan and NCIS: Los Angeles.
But that’s not what a lot of fans will recognize him from. Ferrer was a regular to genre projects (and a true comics fan, which is how he met Mark Hamill), starting with his breakout role as Bob Morton in RoboCop. Personally, RoboCop is my #2 favorite movie of all time and Ferrer is absolute gold in the film. He also appeared in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Stephen King projects like The Stand and The Night Flier.
But one of his most moving and beloved roles was as Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks. He’s scheduled to appear once again in the new season of Twin Peaks this summer. The most appropriate scene for today’s somber news is probably this confrontation between Albert and Sheriff Harry Truman:
We’ll be putting together a list of our favorite performances from Ferrer, but take this time to look at his incredible body of work and appreciate it. Ferrer was one of the secret greats, and the world of film and television is a sadder place without his presence.