Fernando Lamas

Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos (January 9, 1915 – October 8, 1982) was an Argentine-American actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.

Biography

Argentina

Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His movies included ''En el último piso'' (1942), ''Frontera Sur'' (1943), ''Villa rica del Espíritu Santo'' (1945), and ''Stella'' (1946).

Lamas was also seen in '' The Poor People's Christmas'' (1947), ''The Tango Returns to Paris'' (1948), and '' The Story of a Bad Woman'' (1948). He had the lead in '' La rubia Mireya'' (1949) alongside Mecha Ortiz, and a key role in ''De padre desconocido'' (1949), ''Vidalita'' (1949) and '' The Story of the Tango'' (1950). He also appeared in ''Corrientes, calle de ensueños'' (1949), and ''La otra y yo'' (1950). He was reportedly the third biggest star in the country. His first American film was '' The Avengers'' (1950) for Republic Pictures shot on location in Argentina. Some scenes were filmed in the US, leading to Lamas going to Hollywood.

MGM

In September 1949, he signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and went on to play mainly "Latin Lover" roles and occasionally sing in musicals.
In 1951, Lamas starred as Paul Sarnac in the musical, ''Rich, Young and Pretty'' with Jane Powell. He supported Greer Garson and Michael Wilding in '' The Law and the Lady'' (1952) which was a flop..

MGM gave him a star tenor part as Lana Turner's love interest in the popular operetta ''The Merry Widow'' (1952) by Franz Lehár. He romanced Elizabeth Taylor in ''The Girl Who Had Everything'' (1952), which was also successful. Lamas went to Paramount Pictures where he was top billed in '' Sangaree'' (1953). Back at MGM he was Esther Williams' leading man in '' Dangerous When Wet'' (1953), a big success. At Warner Bros. Lamas starred in '' The Diamond Queen'' (1954). He did '' Lost Treasure of the Amazon'' (1954) at Paramount then returned to MGM for a remake of ''Rose Marie'' (1954) supporting Howard Keel and Ann Blyth. It was popular but failed to recoup its cost. At Paramount he was Rosalind Russell's leading man in ''The Girl Rush'' (1955). Lamas started appearing on television, including an adaptation of ''Hold Back the Dawn'' for ''Lux Video Theatre''.

"I couldn't break the Latin lover image", Lamas later claimed. He co-starred on Broadway in the 1956 musical '' Happy Hunting'' with Ethel Merman, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Television

Lamas did episodes of ''Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre'' ("The Bravado Touch"), ''Climax!'' ("Spider Web"), '' Pursuit'' ("Eagle in a Cage"), ''Shirley Temple's Storybook'', ''Zane Grey Theatre'' but returned to features with '' The Lost World'' (1960). He also guest starred in one episode of ''The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour''
Lamas also appeared in the TV show "Combat!" (season 5 episode 4) "Brothers."

Europe

Lamas moved to Europe with Esther Williams who became his wife. He directed a film both starred in, '' Magic Fountain'', shot in 1961 and never released in the US. He went to Italy for '' Duel of Fire'' (1962), and '' Revenge of the Musketeers'' (1963). He helped write the Western '' A Place Called Glory'' (1965).

Return to the U.S.

Lamas returned to Hollywood. As an actor he focused on television, with guest appearances on '' Burke's Law'', '' The Virginian'', '' Laredo'', ''Combat!'', ''The Red Skelton Hour'', ''Hondo'' and '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.''. From 1965 to 1968 Lamas had a regular role as Ramon De Vega on '' Run For Your Life'', which starred Ben Gazzara; Lamas also directed some episodes.

He had a support role in ''Valley of Mystery'' (1967), a pilot for a series that did not proceed. He directed another feature film, ''The Violent Ones'', which was released in 1967 and co-starred Aldo Ray and David Carradine. He was in '' Kill a Dragon'' (1967) and '' 100 Rifles'' (1969) and had guest roles on ''The High Chaparral'', ''The Macahans'', ''Tarzan'', ''Then Came Bronson'', '' It Takes a Thief'', '' Mission: Impossible'', '' The Name of the Game'', ''Dan August'', ''Alias Smith and Jones'', ''Bearcats!'', ''Mod Squad'', ''Night Gallery'', and '' McCloud''.

TV director

Lamas started directing TV as well: '' The Bold Ones: The Lawyers'', '' Mannix'', ''Alias Smith and Jones'', ''S.W.A.T.'', ''The Rookies'', '' Jigsaw John'', '' Starsky and Hutch'', ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'', ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Secrets of Midland Heights'', '' Flamingo Road'', and '' Code Red''. As an actor, he was in the TV movies ''The Lonely Profession'' (1969) and ''Murder on Flight 502'' (1975). He could also be seen in '' Bronk'', ''Switch'' (which he also directed), '' Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' (1976), '' Quincy M.E.'', '' Charlie's Angels'', '' Police Woman'', ''The Love Boat'', ''The Cheap Detective'', '' How the West Was Won'', ''The Dream Merchants'' and ''House Calls''.

Last years and death

Lamas produced the TV movie ''Samurai'', released in 1979. He directed episodes of '' Falcon Crest'' co-starring his son, Lorenzo. He also helmed ''Bret Maverick'' and several episodes of ''House Calls''.

He had a supporting role in the series '' Gavilan'' when he fell ill with cancer. His scenes were shot with Patrick Macnee.

Fernando Lamas died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles, aged 67. His ashes were scattered by close friend Jonathan Goldsmith from his sailboat.

Personal life

Lamas was married four times. His first marriage was to Argentine actress Perla Mux in 1940 and they had a daughter, Christina, before divorcing in 1944. His second marriage was in 1946 to Lydia Babacci (or Barachi); this marriage also produced a daughter, Alexandra. They were divorced in 1952. His third wife was the American actress Arlene Dahl. They were married in 1954. They were later divorced in 1960. Out of this marriage was born a son, Lorenzo Lamas (born January 20, 1958). His longest marriage was to swimmer and actress Esther Williams in 1969, and they remained married until Lamas's death in 1982.

In popular culture

His friend, actor Jonathan Goldsmith, took inspiration from Lamas for the character The Most Interesting Man in the World.
The most well known parody of Fernando was on the ''Saturday Night Live'' sketches that featured Billy Crystal.
In the recurring '' Fernando's Hideaway'' sketch, Crystal used Lamas's accent for inspiration, as well as a quote from the actor: "It is better to look good than to feel good."

Filmography

Film

* 1943 ''On the Last Floor''
* 1943 ''Stella''
* 1943 ''Southern Border''
* 1945 ''Villa rica del Espíritu Santo''
* 1947 '' The Poor People's Christmas''
* 1947 ''Evasion'' as Bruno
* 1948 ''The Tango Returns to Paris''
* 1948 '' Story of a Bad Woman''
* 1948 ''La Rubia Mireya'' as Alberto
* 1949 ''The Unknown Father''
* 1949 ''Vidalita''
* 1949 ''The Story of the Tango'' as Juan Carlos Maldonado
* 1949 ''Corrientes, calle de ensueños''
* 1949 ''La Otra y yo''
* 1950 '' The Avengers'' as André LeBlanc
* 1951 ''Rich, Young and Pretty'' as Paul Sarnac
* 1951 '' The Law and the Lady'' as Juan Dinas
* 1952 ''The Merry Widow'' as Count Danilo
* 1953 ''The Girl Who Had Everything'' as Victor Y. Raimondi
* 1953 '' Sangaree'' as Dr. Carlos Morales
* 1953 '' Dangerous When Wet'' as Andre LaNet
* 1953 '' The Diamond Queen'' as Jean Baptiste Tavernier
* 1954 '' Jivaro'' as Rio Galdez
* 1954 ''Rose Marie'' as James Severn Duval
* 1955 ''The Girl Rush'' as Victor Monte
* 1960 '' The Lost World'' as Manuel Gomez
* 1962 '' Duel of Fire'' as Antonio Franco
* 1963 '' Revenge of the Musketeers'' as D'Artagnan
* 1963 '' Magic Fountain'' as Alberto
* 1965 ''A Place Called Glory''
* 1967 ''The Violent Ones'' as Manuel Vega
* 1967 '' Kill a Dragon'' as Nico Patrai
* 1969 '' 100 Rifles'' as General Verdugo
* 1976 ''Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' as Premiere Male Star
* 1978 ''The Cheap Detective'' as Paul DuChard

Television

* 1954 ''Lux Video Theatre''
* 1958 ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' ("Lucy Goes to Sun Valley")
* 1958 '' Jane Wyman Presents'' as Juan Bravado
* 1958 ''Climax!'' as Jose Aragon
* 1960 ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' as Giulio Mandati / Miguel
* 1969 ''Shirley Temple's Storybook'' as Professor Fritz Bhaer
* 1965 '' Burke's Law'' as Kelly Mars / El Greco
* 1965 '' The Virginian'' as Captain Estrada
* 1965 ''Combat!'' ("Breakout") as Vertrain
* 1966 '' Laredo'' as Paco Romero
* 1966 ''Combat!'' ("The Brothers") as Leon Paulon
* 1966 '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' as Salim Ibn Hydari / Alejandro De Sada
* 1967 ''Valley of Mystery'' as Francisco Rivera
* 1965-1968 '' Run for Your Life'' as Ramon De Vega
* 1971 ''The Red Skelton Show'' ("A Spy Is a Peeping Tom on Salary") as Harry Sneak
* 1967 ''Hondo'' ("Hondo and the Comancheros") as Rodrigo
* 1967 ''The High Chaparral'' ("The Firing Wall") as "El Caudillo"
* 1968 ''Tarzan'' ("Jungle Ransom") as Velasquez
* 1968-1970 '' It Takes a Thief'' as Paolo Monteggo / Pepe Rouchet / Francisco Arascan
* 1968-1970 '' Misson Impossible'' as Ramon Prado / Roger Toland
* 1969 ''Then Came Bronson'' ("Where Will the Trumpets Be?") as Miguel Cordova
* 1969 ''The Lonely Profession'' as Dominic Savarona
* 1970 '' The Name of the Game'' as Cesar Rodriguez
* 1971 ''Dan August'' as Tony Storm
* 1971 ''Alias Smith and Jones'' as Jim "Big Jim" Santana
* 1971 ''Bearcats!'' as Chucho Morales (Pilot Movie, "Powderkeg")
* 1971-1973 ''The Mod Squad'' as Arturo Roca / Lieutenant Ramon Sanchez
* 1973 ''Night Gallery'' as Dr. Ramirez (segment "Hatred Unto Death")
* 1974 ''Sesame Street'' as Himself (guest appearance)
* 1975 '' McCloud'' as Max Cortez
* 1975 ''Murder on Flight 502'' as Paul Barons
* 1975 '' Bronk'' as Abriega
* 1976 ''Switch'' as Fouad
* 1977 '' Charlie's Angels'' as Jericho
* 1977 '' Police Woman'' as Carlos Rubenez
* 1978 ''The Love Boat'' as Bill Klieg / Bill Teague
* 1979 '' How the West Was Won'' as Fierro
* 1980 ''House Calls'' ("Defeat of Clay") as Dr. Langston
* 1980 ''The Dream Merchants'' as Conrad Stillman (final appearance)

Radio appearances

References

External links

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Fernando Lamas
at Virtual History

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamas, Fernando
1915 births
1982 deaths
American male film actors
American male television actors
American television directors
Argentine emigrants to the United States
Hispanic and Latino American male actors
Burials at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
Deaths from cancer in California
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
People from Buenos Aires
20th-century American male actors