Mel Ferrer, the tall, darkly handsome star of such classic films as "Lili," "War and Peace" and "The Sun Also Rises," as well as producer and director of movies starring his then-wife, Audrey Hepburn, died Monday at age 90.

In this September 29, 1954, photo, Mel Ferrer and Audrey Hepburn arrive in Rome, Italy, after they were married.

Ferrer died at a Santa Barbara, California, convalescent home, his son Mark Ferrer said Tuesday. He had been in failing health for the past six months and had recently moved to the home from his nearby ranch in Carpinteria, his son said.

Ferrer's most impressive film role came in 1953 in "Lili." He played a disabled carnival puppeteer with whom a French orphan (played by Leslie Caron) falls in love.