Alfred Molina

**Alfredo Molina** (born 24 May 1953) is an English–American actor and voice artist. He is known for his roles as Diego Rivera in *Frida*, Satipo in *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, Dr. Octopus in *Spider-Man 2*, and as Maxim Horvath in *The Sorcerer's Apprentice*.

## Biography

Molina was born Alfredo Molina in Paddington, London. His father, Esteban, was a Spaniard from Madrid who worked as a waiter and chauffeur, while his mother, Giovanna (née Bonelli), was an Italian house-keeper who cleaned rooms in a hotel and worked as a cook. Molina grew up in a working class district in Notting Hill that was inhabited by many other immigrant families. He decided to become an actor after seeing *Spartacus* at the age of nine, and attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. At the age of 21, he changed his name to Alfred, at the urging of his first agent.

In 1978, Molina starred with Leonard Rossiter in the sitcom *The Losers*. Molina made his film debut with a minor role in the 1981 movie *Raiders of the Lost Ark* as Indiana Jones' ill-fated guide during its iconic opening sequence. However, his big break came with *Letter to Brezhnev* in 1985, which he followed up with a starring role in *Prick Up Your Ears* in 1987, playing Joe Orton's lover Kenneth Halliwell.

Molina starred in the first two series of *El C.I.D.* but left to concentrate on his film work. Subsequent films included *Species*, *Dudley Do-Right*, *Chocolat*, *Not Without My Daughter*, and *Enchanted April*. With a flawless mid-western American accent, Molina starred alongside Betty White in the US television series *Ladies Man*, which ran from 1999–2001.

He has worked twice with Paul Thomas Anderson, first in *Boogie Nights* and then *Magnolia*. In 2002, Molina gained wide recognition for his portrayal of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera alongside Salma Hayek in the biopic *Frida*, a role which garnered him BAFTA and SAG award nominations. In 2003, he played himself alongside Steve Coogan in *Coffee & Cigarettes*. In 2004, Molina gained further commercial recognition when he was cast as the villain Doctor Octopus in *Spider-Man 2*, which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of that year. He later reprised his role of Doctor Octopus in the video game adaption of *Spider-Man 2*. In 2006, Molina portrayed Touchstone in Kenneth Branagh's film version of *Shakespeare's As You Like It* and appeared in Ron Howard's adaptation of *The Da Vinci Code*. Molina provided the voice of the villain Ares in the 2009 animated *Wonder Woman* film.

Molina's stage work has included two major Royal National Theatre productions, Tennessee Williams' *The Night of the Iguana* (as Shannon) and David Mamet's *Speed the Plow* (as Fox). In his Broadway debut, Molina performed in Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning play *Art*, for which he received a Tony nomination in 1998. In 2004, Molina returned to the stage, starring as Tevye in the Broadway production of *Fiddler on the Roof*. For his performance he once again received a Tony Award nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Musical. Molina received his third Tony Award nomination for *Red* in 2010, for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.

Molina resides in Los Angeles, California. In 2004, he announced that he had become a U.S. citizen. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian. In 2017, he moved to La Cañada Flintridge.

Molina married actress Jill Gascoine in Tower Hamlets, London. They were married from 1986 until her death on April 28, 2020 in Los Angeles from Alzheimer's. In November 2019, director Jennifer Lee confirmed that she is in a relationship with Molina.

## External Links

* Alfred Molina at the Internet Movie Database
* Alfred Molina at the Anime News Network's encyclopedia.