R.I.P. Miguel Ferrer

Many of Miguel Ferrer's best and most memorable roles involved him playing an egotistical asshole. My favorites in particular were as Bob Morton, the cocky and self-assured executive who didn't take any shit in Robocop; and—of course—as FBI forensics specialist Albert Rosenfeld, who was never without sarcasm or opinion during his brilliant appearances throughout Twin Peaks. The funny thing is—despite his characters' crassness and general displeasure—Ferrer was never the bad guy. He had a way of manipulating his manner of detest into a sort of anti-hero coolness. He was hilarious, even when his characters were at their worst. Robocop and Twin Peaks were two of my biggest influences as a kid. I've watched them over and over again as I've gotten older, always looking forward to Ferrer's portrayals each time. I'm probably going to watch both again tonight in tribute.

I was deeply saddened when I heard he passed away earlier today to throat cancer. It was almost like an old friend had died, even though I never met him or knew him personally.

I'll take solace in one fact, however: we will indeed see Albert Rosenfeld one last time when Twin Peaks returns to Showtime later this May. I'm very much looking forward to that.

-David Driscoll