Alfred Molina was born May 24, 1953, in London, England. A Spanish communist, Molina’s father hailed from Madrid. For work, he chauffeured and waited tables, while his Italian mother cleaned and at times got by as a cook. Even though Molina did not grow up in an affluent neighborhood, he still harbored dreams of working in the glitzy world of film. He was most inspired by the Stanley Kubrick directed film Spartacus from 1960 starring Kirk Douglas. To that end, Molina attended and studied diligently at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Molina made his onscreen debut in 1978 with the television show The Losers. His next part didn’t come until the following year with a non-credited role in the 1979 crime film A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. While it would be a lean two years between this bit part and his next role, it was worth the wait. 1981 was the year that brought Molina into the public eye with his turn as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark, opposite Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and John Rhys Davies. Winning many bit parts after this success, Molina finally won a starring role in 1985 with the little known romantic comedy Letter to Brezhnev.
After many more small and long since forgotten films, Molina earned another prominent part in the very well-received Joe Orton biopic, Prick Up Your Ears. Under the guidance of Oscar nominated director Stephen Frears, the film starred Gary Oldman, Vanessa Redgrave, and Julie Walters.
Although Molina is partial to smaller roles in generally smaller films, he is most recognized for his work in big budget productions such as the 1994 remake Maverick with Hollywood A-list Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, James Coburn, and Clint Black. He also appeared in the sci-fi thriller Species, with all-star cast Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger, Natasha Henstridge, and Michelle Williams.
The two films he is most associated with, however, are the 2000 film Chocolat and the 2004 mega-blockbuster Spider-Man 2. In the first, he worked beside renowned and established actors Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, Carrie Anne Moss, and Judi Dench. In the latter, he worked with a hip, young cast comprised of Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco.
Twice he worked with controversial but respected director Paul Thomas Anderson—once in 1997 for Boogie Nights and again in 1999 for Magnolia. Because Anderson is noted for reusing actors (ala Robert Altman), Molina worked with Julianne Moore, William H Macy, John C Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Luis Guzman in both films.
Others more interested in independent film may recognize him as Mexican muralist Diego Rivera in the 2002 film Frida, starring Salma Hayek in the title role.
In addition to his numerous film roles, Molina also enjoys appearing onstage. Some of his notable work includes Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, David Mamet’s Speed the Plow, and his Tony nominated turn in Yasmina Reza’s Art. In 2004, he earned yet another Tony nomination for his Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.
More recently, Molina could be seen co-starring with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, and Paul Bettany in the adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code.
Molina married actress Jill Gascoine in 1985. They are currently still together and have two children.
YUDDY
