Rey, Fernando

REY, Fernando

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Nationality: Spanish. Born: Fernando Casado Arambillet Veiga in La Coruña, 20 September 1917. Education: Attended Donoso Cortés Academy, Madrid; University of Madrid School of Architecture. Military Service: Fought for the Republic, Spanish civil war, 1936–39. Family: Married the actress Mabel Karr, 1960, daughter: Mabel. Career: 1936—film debut as extra in Nuestra Natacha ; worked at dubbing foreign films (famous for his voice of Laurence Olivier); worked on stage in Las mocedades del Cid at Teatro Español and in plays for Francisco Melgares's company: a few later stage roles since the 1940s (in Anouilh's Becket, 1968); 1961—first of series of films by Buñuel, Viridiana ; 1971—role in The French Connection brought international popularity; 1977—in TV mini-series Jesus of Nazareth, A.D., 1985, I Bromessi Sposi (The Betrothed ), 1988; also served as president of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts & Sciences. Awards: Best Actor (co-recipient), Cannes Festival, for Viridiana, 1961; Best Actor, Cannes Festival, for Elisa, My Love, 1977; Best Actor, Spanish Goya Awards, for Diario de invierno, 1988. Died: Of bladder cancer, in Madrid, 9 March 1994.

Films as Actor:

1936

Nuestra Natacha (Perojo) (as extra)

1940

La gitanilla ; Los cuatro Robinsones (The Four Robinsons )(Maroto)

1944

Eugenia de Montijo (Rubio); El rey que rabió

1945

Los últimos de Filipinas (Román); Misión blanca ; Tiera sedienta (Gil)

1946

La Pródiga (Gil) (as José)

1947

Reina Santa (Gil) (as Infante Alfonso); La Princesa de los Ursinos ; Don Quixote de la Mancha (Gil) (as Sanson Carrasco); Fuentovejuna (Román); Noche de Reyes (Lucia)

1948

Locura de amor (The Mad Queen ) (Orduña) (as Don Filipe el Hermoso); Si te hubieses casado con migo (Tourjansky)

1949

Las aventuras de Juan Lucas (Gil)

1950

Augustina de Aragón (Orduña); Mare Nostrum (Gil) (as Ulises)

1951

Cielo negro (Mur-Oti); La Señora de Fátima (Gil); Esa pareja feliz (That Happy Pair ) (Bardem and García Berlanga)

1952

¡Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall! (Welcome, Mr. Marshall! ) (Bardem and García Berlanga) (as narrator); Cómicos (Comedians )(Bardem); La laguna negra (Castillo)

1953

Rebeldia (Conde); El Alcalde de Zalamea (Maesso); Aeropuerto (Lucía); Cabaret (Manzanos)

1954

Marcelino, pan y vino (The Miracle of Marcelino ) (Vajda);Tangier Assignment (Leversuch) (as inspector)

1955

Un marido de ida y vuelta (Lucia)

1956

Faustina (de Heredia); El amor de Don Juan (Berry) (title role); Una aventura de Gil Blas (Jolivet); Marcelino (Vajda)(as Brother Moderno); Pantaloons (Berry) (as Don Inigo)

1957

La vanganza (Vengeance ) (Bardem) (as Forastero); Les Bijoutiers au clair de lune (The Night Heaven Fell ; Heaven Fell That Night ) (Vadim)

1958

Culpables (Castillo); Les habitantes de la casa deshabitada (Ramirez); Parque de Madrid (Salabery)

1959

Sonatas (Las adventuras del Marques de Bradomin ) (Bardem)(as Capt. Casares); Operación Relampage ; Las dos y media y venuno (Ozores); Nacido para la música (Né pour la musique ) (Salvia)

1960

Fabiola (Blasetti); Los ultimos dias de Pompeya (The Last Days of Pompeii ) (Bonnard) (as High Priest); Don Lucio y el harmano pio (Conde); A las cinco de la tarde (Bardem);Teresa de Jesús (Orduña); La rivolta degli schiavi (The Revolt of the Slaves ; Die Sklaven Roms ) (Malasomma) (as Valerio)

1961

Viridiana (Buñuel) (as Don Jaime); Goliat contra los gigantes (Goliath against the Giants ) (Malatesta) (as Bokan)

1962

Schéhérazade (La Schiava di Bagdad ) (Gaspard-Huit andBourdon); Rogelia (Gil); La cara del terror (Face of Terror ; Face of Fear ) (Ferry) (as Dr. Charles Taylor);Tierra brutal (The Savage Guns ) (Carreras) (as Don Hernán)

1963

El espontánes (Grau) (as Painter); Dios eligió sus viajeros (Ozores); The Ceremony (Harvey) (as Sanchez); The Running Man (Reed) (as police official); El valle de las espadas (The Castilian ; Valley of the Swords ) (Setó) (as Ramiro II)

1964

Los palomas (Gomes); El señor de la salle (Amadori); La nueva cenicienta (Sherman); Echappement libre (Backfire ;Scappamento aperto ) (Jean Becker)

1965

España insolita ; Misión Lisboa (Demicheli); Zampó y yo (Lucia); Cartas boca arriba (Cards on the Table ) (Franco);The Amazing Dr. G (Simonelli); Totò de Arabia (Totò d'Arabia ) (de la Loma); Due mafiosi contre Goldginger (Dos de la Mafia ) (Simonelli); Cartes sur table (Attack of the Robots ) (Franco)

1966

Don Quixote (Rim); Dulcinea del Toboso ; Das Vermachtnis des Inka (El Ultimo Rey de los Incas ; Viva Gringo ; Zevetut na Inkata ) (Marischka) (as President Castillo); Campanadas a medianoche (Chimes at Midnight ; Falstaff ) (Welles) (as Worcester); Los jueces de la Biblia (Dolz and Baldi); El hijo del Pistolero (Son of a Gunfighter ) (Landres) (as DonFortuna); Return of the Seven (Kennedy) (as priest); El Greco (Salce) (as King Philip II)

1967

Un dollaro a testa (Navajo Joe ) (Corbucci) (as Parson Rattigan);Robo de diamantes (Run Like a Thief ) (Glasser) (as Col. Romero); Le Vicomte règle ses comptes (The Viscount )(Cloche) (as Marco Demoigne); Más allá de las montañas (Beyond the Mountains ; The Desperate Ones ) (Ramati) (as Ibram); Amor en el aire (Amadori) (as Saldiez)

1968

Villa Rides (Kulik) (as Col. Fuentes); Le Avventure e gliamori di Miguel Cervantes (The Young Rebel ; Cervantes ; Les Aventures extraordinaires de Cervantes ) (Sherman) (as Philip II); I Grande condottieri (Gideon and Sampson )(Baldi) (as the stranger); Une Histoire immortelle (The Immortal Story ) (Welles—for TV) (as merchant)

1969

Candidato per un assassino (Un sudario a la medida ; Candidate for a Killing ) (Elorrieta); Guns of the Magnificent Seven (Wendkos) (as Quintero); Fellini Satyricon (Satyricon )(Fellini); Il Prezzo del potere (The Price of Power ) (Valerii)(as Pinkerton); El libro del buen amor (Marcos) (as voice)

1970

Land Raiders (Day of the Landgrabbers ) (Juran) (as priest);¡Vamos a matar, compañeros! (Compañeros ) (Corbucci)(as Prof. Xantos); The Adventurers (Lewis Gilbert) (as Jaime Xenos); Tristana (Buñuel) (as Don Lope); Muerte de un presidente (Valerii); Los frios ojos miedo (Castellari);Histoira de una traición (Conde); Coartada en disco rojo (I due volti della paura ) (Demicheli)

1971

La cólera del viente (Camus and Colizzi) (as Don Antonio);La Luz del fin del mondo (The Light at the Edge of the World ) (Billington) (as Capt. Moriz); The French Connection (Friedkin) (as Alain Charnier); A Town Called Hell (A Town Called Bastard ) (Parrish) (as blind farmer); Bianco, rosso e . . . (The White Sister ; The Sin ) (Lattuada) (as chief physician)

1972

La duba (Gil); Chicas de club (Grau); Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie )(Buñuel) (as Ambassador Raphael Acosta); Questa specie d'amore (Bevilacqua)

1973

Antony and Cleopatra (Charlton Heston) (as Lapidus); La Chute d'un corps (Palac); Senso unico (One Way ) (Mauceri);Zanna bianca (White Fang ) (Fulci); La polizia incrimina, la legge assolve (High Crime ) (Castellari); Tarot (Forqué);Pena de muerte (Grau); El mejor alcalde, el Rey (Gil)

1974

Dites-le avec des fleurs (Grimblat) (as Jacques); La Femme aux bottes rouges (The Lady with the Red Boots ; The Women with the Red Boots ) (Juan Buñuel) (as Perrot); Fatti di gente perbene (La Grande Bourgeoise ; The Murri Affair ;Drama of the Rich ) (Bolognini) (as Augusto Murri);Corruzione al palazzo di giustizia (Aliprandi)

1975

Cadaveri eccellenti (Illustrious Corpses ) (Rosi) (as Ministerof Security); French Connection II (Frankenheimer) (asAlain Charnier); Pasqualino Settebelleze (Seven Beauties ;Pasqualino: Seven Beauties ) (Wertmüller) (as Pedro); Il Contesto ; ¿Existio Otra Humanidad? (Marcos—doc)

1976

Le désert des Tartares (Il deserto dei Tartari ; The Desert of the Tartars ) (Zurlini) (as Nathanson); Strip-Tease (Lorente);A Matter of Time (Minnelli) (as Charles van Maar); Voyage of the Damned (Rosenberg) (as Cuban president)

1977

Elisa, Vida mia (Elisa, My Love ) (Saura) (as Elisa's father);Cet obscur objet de désir (That Obscure Object of Desire )(Buñuel) (as Mathieu)

1978

Uppdragnet (The Assignment ) (Arehn) (as Roberto Bidara);Dulce Piel de Mujer (Honey ) (Angelucci)

1979

Quintet (Altman) (as Grigor); Le Dernier amant romantique (The Last Romantic Lover ) (Jaeckin) (as Max); L'Ingorgo (Traffic Jam ; Bottleneck ) (Comencini) (as Carlo);Caboblanco (J. Lee Thompson) (as Tereda)

1980

El Crimen de Cuenca (Miro)

1981

Tragala, pervo (Artero); La vera storia della signora delle Camelie (Bolognini); Casta e pura (Samperi)

1982

Cercasi Gesu (Comencini) (as Don Filippo); Estrangeira (Grilo); Monsignor (Perry) (as Santoni); Pablo Picasso Pintor (Rossif) (as voice); Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull (Sinkel—for TV)

1983

Bearn o la Sala de Munecas (Chavarri)

1984

The Hit (Frears) (as Chief Inspector); Un Amour interdit (Dougnac); Elogia della pazzia di desiderio erasmo (Aquerre)

1985

Padre Nuestro (Our Father ) (Regueiro) (as Cardinal); Rustler's Rhapsody (Wilson) (as railroad colonel); El Caballero del dragon (Colomo) (as Fray Lupo); Black Arrow (John Hough—for TV)

1986

Saving Grace (Robert M. Young) (as Cardinal Stefano Biondi);Tiempo de silencio (Aranda); Hotel du paradis (Bokova)(as Joseph); Mi General (My General ) (de Arminan) (asAdm. Comesana)

1987

El Bosque encantado (The Enchanted Forest ) (Cuerda) (as Mr. d'Abondo)

1988

Captain James Cook (Clark—for TV); Diario de invierno (Requeiro) (as Father); Moon over Parador (Mazursky) (as Alejandro); Pasodoble (Sanchez) (as Don Nuno); El Tunel (The Tunnel ) (Drove) (as Allende); El aire de un crimen (Isasi-Isasmendi); Esmeralda Bay (Franco) (as Ramos)

1989

La bataille des trois rois (The Battle of Three Kings ; Tambores de fuego ; Drums of Fire ) (Barka) (as Papa)

1990

Diceria dell'untore (The Plague Sowers ; A Breath of Life )(Cino) (as doctor); Naked Tango (Schrader) (as Judge Torres); A Breath of Life (Cino)

1991

La Vida Lactea (The Milky Life ) (Esterlich)

1992

1492: The Conquest of Paradise (Ridley Scott) (as Friar Marchena); La Marrana (José Luis Cuerda)

1993

Al Otro Lado del Túnel (At the Other End of the Tunnel ; The Other Side of the Tunnel ) (de Arminan); Madregilda (Regueiro)

Publications

By REY: articles—

"Fernando Rey y la generosidad de los actores," interview with F. Sánchez, in Cine (Mexico), March 1979.

"Entretien avec Fernando Rey," interview with J.-P. Bleys," in Positif (Paris), June 1986.

On REY: book—

Cebollada, Pascual, Biografia y peliculas de Fernando Rey, Barcelona, 1992.

On REY: articles—

Current Biography 1979, New York, 1979.

Bulnes, J., "Les immortels du cinema: Fernando Rey," in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), 18 January 1990.

Obituary in New York Times, 10 March 1994.

Obituary in Variety (New York), 14 March 1994.

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The cinema has produced a number of distinguished collaborations in which one senses a very special relationship between director, actor, and character: one thinks of Fellini and Mastroianni in La dolce vita and 81⁄2, of Bergman and von Sydow in the period from The Seventh Seal to Shame, of Ozu and Chishu Ryu through a long sequence of films. Such a relationship clearly existed between Luis Buñuel and Fernando Rey, and it is for his work with Buñuel that Rey is justly celebrated.

The precise nature of the director/actor/character relationship needs to be defined with care and delicacy: it is clearly different from case to case, and seldom a simple matter of the actor "representing" the director within the narrative. That description is perhaps closest to the truth in the case of Fellini and Mastroianni, and furthest from it in that of Buñuel and Rey. Superficially, it might even appear that Buñuel used Rey to depict precisely the kind of character toward which he has always been antagonistic—the wealthy bourgeois-capitalist patriarch. Yet for all his attacks on the bourgeoisie, Buñuel always had the honesty to acknowledge his own membership in it, and as he entered old age (the precise point where Rey enters his work) the acerbity of his films became increasingly mellowed by compassion and generosity. Rey's characters are always presented critically, they are always "wrong"; but Buñuel's point about them is that they cannot be right, that their entrapment in social structures and social conditioning is irreversible. So, while they are treated ironically and without sentimentality, Buñuel's love for them, rooted in a fellow feeling that derives doubtless from their age, is beyond dispute.

Rey's conservative Don Jaime in Viridiana, complexly associated with sexual repression, classical music, and emotional depth, commits suicide, making way for his illegitimate son, "progressive," promiscuous, opportunistic, and shallow. Both Tristana and Cet obscur objet de désir develop, painfully and sympathetically, a theme established in Viridiana, the elderly man's erotic and masochistic obsession with a beautiful young woman. Paradoxically, Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie gives him the most monstrous characteristics yet extends to him the most explicit forgiveness: he, of all the characters, at the end of the film is allowed to enjoy a meal undisturbed. The forgiveness entails three conditions: he eats because he is hungry, not to enact a reassuring bourgeois ritual; he sends his servant to bed and gets the food himself; he has just dreamed of the annihilation of his entire class (or at least of all the characters who represent it in the film). The last point, especially, suggests the basis for Buñuel's tenderness towards Rey's characters: their patriarchal position is invariably qualified by vulnerability and a profound unease.

In addition to his seminal work with Buñuel, Rey also had a number of fine performances for other noteworthy directors: Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga (¡Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall! and Esa pareja feliz ), Orson Welles (Chimes at Midnight ), Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties ), and Carlos Saura (Elisa, My Love, for which Rey won a best actor award at Cannes). But the role for which he is best known in the United States was his smooth French drug kingpin, Alain Charnier, in William Friedkin's worldwide smash The French Connection. Unfortunately, aside from his reprisal of Charnier in John Frankenheimer's excellent sequel French Connection II, Hollywood rarely handed Rey such juicy roles in which he could showcase his talent. The last two decades of his career until his death in 1994 pushed his number of film appearances over 150 but did not generate much of note. Rey did, however, in 1992 have a very well received lead role as Don Quixote in a critically acclaimed Spanish television series.

—Robin Wood, updated by David E. Salamie