The Late NCIS Star You Probably Didn't Know Was Related To George Clooney
It's pretty common knowledge that George Clooney is the nephew of "White Christmas" legend Rosemary Clooney, but that's not where the Oscar-winning actor and producer's showbiz roots end.
George Clooney is Rosemary Clooney's nephew because she's the sister of the "Ocean's Eleven" star's father, Nick Clooney. But Rosemary Clooney had a family of her own with fellow screen legend José Ferrer. Like his actress-wife, Ferrer starred in several classic films and TV shows, including "Cyrano de Bergerac," "The Caine Mutiny," and the 1984 version of "Dune," as well as the series "Matlock" and "Newhart."
Rosemary Clooney and Ferrer had five children — one of whom, late actor Miguel Ferrer — followed in his parents' footsteps and went on to play NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger on the hit CBS series, "NCIS: Los Angeles."
Miguel Ferrer wasn't the only member of the Clooney-Ferrer family to star in a TV hit, however. His first cousin, George Clooney, starred in the NBC smash "ER." Fittingly, Miguel Ferrer appeared in an uncredited role in the show's pilot episode.
Miguel Ferrer had a prolific career in film and television
Like his parents, Rosemary Clooney and José Ferrer, as well as his first cousin, George Clooney, Miguel Ferrer had a prolific showbiz career. Throughout his life, the actor compiled more than 125 roles in film and television from 1981 to 2017.
Starting in guest roles on such hit series as "Magnum, P.I.," "CHIPs," and "Cagney & Lacey," Ferrer's breakthrough role came in 1987, with a key supporting role in the sci-fi classic, "RoboCop." In director Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi cult classic, Ferrer played Bob Morton, a cocky, young defense contractor executive who develops RoboCop — a cyborg police officer that combines machine technology with a nearly deceased policeman, Alex Murphy (Peter Weller).
While Ferrer continued with television roles in series like "Miami Vice," "Twin Peaks" and the reboot version of the series, "RoboCop" undoubtedly served as the actor's biggest springboard to film. Ferrer's other big-screen credits included director Steven Soderbergh's hit 2000 drug drama, "Traffic," and the 2013 Marvel Cinematic Universe smash, "Iron Man 3."
Sadly, Ferrer died of throat cancer on January 17, 2017, at age 61. According to The Hollywood Reporter, at Ferrer's funeral, Clooney said that his cousin spent his last night out laughing and telling stories over dinner with friends. "They talked about the future. Then, the next morning, he was gone. I think Miguel would call that a fair shake, in a time when so much seems unfair and shaken. He came in like a comet, he rocketed through life and he got out. It's not so bad," Clooney said.