Argentina Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos was born in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. In this country, 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
Rich, Young and Pretty In September 1949, he signed a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) 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
Jivaro (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. 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, and 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 five, episode four) "Brothers."
Europe Lamas moved to Europe with Esther Williams, who became his wife. He directed a film in which both starred,
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 also was 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 in 1982, aged 67. His ashes were scattered by close friend
Jonathan Goldsmith from his sailboat. ==Personal life==