Alfred Molina
British actor (born 1953) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British actor (born 1953) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards, a British Independent Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.
Alfred Molina | |
|---|---|
Molina in 2009 | |
| Born | Alfredo Molina 24 May 1953 Paddington, London, England |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1[2] |
| Awards | Full list |
He first rose to prominence in the West End, earning a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for his performance in the production of Oklahoma! in 1980. He received Tony Award nominations for his roles on Broadway playing Yvan in Art (1998), Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (2004), and Mark Rothko in Red (2009). He returned to Broadway playing Professor Serebryakov in a revival of Uncle Vanya (2024).
On film, he made his debut as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He went on to receive two BAFTA Award nominations for his roles as Diego Rivera in Frida (2002), and Jack Mellor in An Education (2009). His other notable films include Prick Up Your Ears (1987), Enchanted April (1992), Boogie Nights (1997), Chocolat (2000), Luther (2003), The Da Vinci Code (2006), and Love Is Strange (2014). He has voiced characters in Rango (2011), Monsters University (2013), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), and Frozen II (2019). He is also known for his portrayal of Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (2004) and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
On television, Molina has received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his roles as Ben Weeks in the HBO movie The Normal Heart (2014), and Robert Aldrich in the FX miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan (2017). His other notable television credits include Meantime (1983), Murder on the Orient Express (2001), and Three Pines (2022).
He was born Alfredo Molina[3] in the Paddington district of London. His parents were both immigrants: his Spanish father was a waiter, and his Italian mother worked as a cleaner.[4][5][6]
Molina grew up in a working-class district in Notting Hill[7] that was inhabited by many other immigrant families.[2] He attended Cardinal Manning secondary modern Roman Catholic school there.[2] He decided to become an actor after seeing Spartacus at the age of nine, and attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,[8] as well as auditioning for and becoming a member of the National Youth Theatre.[9] Molina admitted in May 2024 that his father was disappointed in him for pursuing a career in acting.[10][11]
At the age of 21, he changed his name to Alfred, at the urging of his first agent.[12]
Molina appeared with Leonard Rossiter in the sitcom The Losers (1978).[13] He made his film debut with a minor role alongside Harrison Ford in Steven Spielberg's adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) as Indiana Jones' ill-fated guide, Satipo, during its iconic opening sequence. Molina stated in an interview in 2013 that he owes his stage and film career to the Indiana Jones series. "I'm very, very proud of that, I have to admit I didn't think at the time, 'Oh, this is going to go down in movie history.' I'd never been in front of a camera before," Molina said about his short but memorable appearance in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He recalled getting the job as a "gift from God" and said, "I've publicly thanked Steven many, many times. That job saved my bacon, in more ways than one." About his now-famous line in the film, Molina stated that "I've never had a problem with people coming up to me about it. They'll shout that line to me, 'Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip!' I'm delighted that people still remember it."[14]
However, his big break came with Letter to Brezhnev (1985), which he followed with a starring role in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), playing Joe Orton's lover (and eventual murderer) Kenneth Halliwell. He was originally cast as Arnold Rimmer in the TV sitcom Red Dwarf, but was replaced by Chris Barrie.[15]
In the early 1990s, Molina was a ubiquitous presence on British television, with his highest profile role being the lead in the first two series of El C.I.D.. He appeared in the critically acclaimed films such as Mike Newell's costume drama Enchanted April (1992), Richard Donner's western comedy Maverick (1994), and Jim Jarmusch's western Dead Man (1995). Subsequent film roles include the drama Not Without My Daughter (1991), the science fiction horror film Species (1995), the broad comedy Dudley Do-Right (1999). With a midwestern American accent, Molina starred alongside Betty White in the US television series Ladies Man, which ran from 1999 to 2001.[16] In 1993 he appeared in the BBC miniseries adaptation of A Year in Provence, playing the annoying Tony, along with John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan.[17] In 1995, Molina starred with Marisa Tomei in The Perez Family, playing Cuban refugees who pretend to be married so they can more easily stay in America.[18] Marjorie Baumgarten praised Molina as attaining "the right mixture of gentle honor and baffled stupefaction" to portray his character,[19] although Peter Rainer of Los Angeles Times called Molina "so intensely sodden that he’s like a great big scowling dark cloud."[20] Molina has worked twice with Paul Thomas Anderson, first in Boogie Nights (1997) and then in Magnolia (1999).[21]
In 2000, Molina appeared in Lasse Hallström's Chocolat which received critical acclaim and an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination. He gained wide recognition for his portrayal of Diego Rivera alongside Salma Hayek in the biopic Frida (2002), a role for which he gained BAFTA and SAG award nominations. He played himself alongside Steve Coogan in Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and gained further commercial recognition when he portrayed Johann Tetzel in Luther (2003) and Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004),[22] which became one of the highest-grossing films of that year. For the latter, Molina was nominated for a Satellite Award as Best Supporting Actor. He reprised his role in the video game adaptation. 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 film Wonder Woman.[23]
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. He received his third Tony Award nomination for Red in 2010, for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[24]
In 2007, Molina narrated a 17-part original audiobook for Audible.com called The Chopin Manuscript. This serialised novel was written by a team of 15 best-selling thriller writers, including Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Joseph Finder and Lisa Scottoline. The novel won the 2008 Audiobook of the Year Award from Audio Publishers Association.[25]
On 1 April 2010, Molina opened at Broadway's John Golden Theatre in the role of artist Mark Rothko in John Logan's drama Red opposite Eddie Redmayne for a limited engagement through 27 June.[26] He had played the role to much critical success at the Donmar Warehouse in London in December 2009 and revisited that role at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End in 2018.[27]
In 2010, Molina starred opposite Dawn French in the six-part BBC sitcom Roger & Val Have Just Got In,[28] with a second series in 2012.[29]
Molina has three Lego Minifigures modelled after him, namely Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Satipo from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Sheik Amar from Prince of Persia.[30] In July 2010, it was announced that Molina had joined the cast of Law & Order: LA as Deputy District Attorney Morales.[31] He previously guest-starred in a two-part crossover in 2005 in two other Law & Order franchise shows, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.[32]
Molina is a patron of the performing arts group Theatretrain. He is also a longtime member of the Los Angeles theatre company The New American Theatre, formerly known as Circus Theatricals, where he often teaches Shakespeare and Scene Study along with the company's artistic director Jack Stehlin.[33] In 2017 he portrayed film director Robert Aldrich in Ryan Murphy's FX limited series Feud: Bette & Joan. The series revolved around the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? in 1962 and the relationship between actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford played by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange respectively. Molina received critical praise for the film as well as awards attention received nominations from the Primetime Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards for his performance.
In 2020, Molina appeared in David Oyelowo's drama The Water Man, and Emerald Fennell's black comedy thriller Promising Young Woman. On 8 December 2020, it was announced that he would be returning as Doctor Octopus for Spider-Man: No Way Home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, set to premiere on 17 December 2021.[34] Molina later confirmed that he would actually be reprising his role as the Spider-Man 2 incarnation of Doctor Octopus in No Way Home, retconning his character's apparent death at the end of the former film. He was digitally de-aged to his 2004 self.[35] On 2 September 2021, it was announced that Alfred Molina was set to star in Amazon Prime police drama series Three Pines, which comes from The Crown producer Left Bank Pictures. Molina plays Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, the lead character from Louise Penny’s book series (including Still Life, the first entry of the unnamed series), he also serves as executive producer for the show.[36] The trailer came out in October 2022[37] and the show premiered in December 2022. It was cancelled after one season.
In 2024, Molina returned to Broadway playing Professor Serebryakov in a revival of Anton Chekov's Uncle Vanya (2024). The production was directed by Lila Neugebauer and adapted by Heidi Schreck. Molina co-starred alongside Steve Carell, William Jackson Harper, Alison Pill, Anika Noni Rose, and Jayne Houdyshell.[38] He would also play the narrator in the film version of Harold and the Purple Crayon.[39]
Molina has a daughter, Rachel, from a previous relationship.[2]
In 1986, Molina married actress Jill Gascoine in Tower Hamlets, London.[40] They remained married until her death on 28 April 2020 in Los Angeles from Alzheimer's disease.[41] In November 2019, director Jennifer Lee confirmed that she was in a relationship with Molina, and they later married in August 2021.[1][42]
Molina resides in Los Angeles, California. In 2004, he became a U.S. citizen.[43] He is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and French.[44][45] In 2017, he moved to La Cañada Flintridge.[46]
Molina is an advocate for people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). He donates towards AIDS research, participates in the Los Angeles AIDS Walk and appeared as himself in a documentary produced by Joseph Kibler[47] (who has been HIV+ and paraplegic since his birth, c. 1989) about Kibler's life titled Walk On, first screened in 2013.[48][49]
When playing the role of Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody in Not Without My Daughter, Molina was once physically assaulted on his way to a rehearsal by a man who mistook him for the real Mahmoody.[50]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | The Losers | Nigel | 6 episodes |
| 1981 | Bognor | Waiter | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Joni Jones | Giovanni | Episode: "JONI JONES Y Ffoadur" |
| 1982 | Anyone for Denis? | Eric | Television film |
| 1983 | Meantime | John | Television film |
| Reilly, Ace of Spies | Yakov Blumkin | Episode: "Gambit" | |
| 1985 | Number One | D.C. Rogers | Television film |
| Angels in the Annexe | Mike Brittain | Television film | |
| C.A.T.S. Eyes | Det. Sgt. Cropper | Episode: "Blue for Danger" | |
| 1986 | Casualty | Harry Horner | Episode: "Jump Start" |
| 1987 | Miami Vice | Esther's Attorney | Episode: "The Big Thaw" |
| 1989 | The Accountant | Lionel Ellerman | Television film |
| Saracen | Jose Morazan | Episode: "Proof of Death" | |
| Revolutionary Witness | The Butcher/ Robert Sauveur | Episode: "The Butcher" | |
| 1989–1992 | Screen One | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 1989–1995 | Screen Two | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 1990–1992 | El C.I.D. | Bernard Blake | 13 episodes |
| 1991 | Ashenden | Carmona | Episode: "The Hairless Mexican" |
| Performance | George Melly | Episode: "The Trials of Oz" | |
| Boon | Mike Hubble | Episode: "The Night Before Christmas" | |
| 1994 | Requiem Apache | Hamish/Getaway Driver | Television film |
| 1996 | Tracey Takes On... | Mr. Dragotti | Episode: "Royalty" |
| 1998 | The Wild Thornberrys | Elcio | Voice, episode: "Only Child" |
| 1999–2001 | Ladies Man | Jimmy Stiles | 30 episodes; also producer |
| 2001 | Murder on the Orient Express | Hercule Poirot | Television film |
| 2002 | Bram & Alice | Bram | 9 episodes |
| 2003 | Justice League | King Gustav | Voice, episode: "Maid of Honor"[51] |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Gabriel Duvall | Episode: "Night" |
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Gabriel Duvall | Episode: "Day" | |
| 2007 | Monk | Peter Magneri | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man" |
| The Company | The Sorcerer | 3 episodes | |
| 2009 | Yes, Virginia | Francis Pharcellus Church | Voice, television film[51] |
| 2010–2011 | Law & Order: LA | Det. Ricardo Morales | 16 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | Roger & Val Have Just Got In | Roger Stephenson | 12 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | The Life & Times of Tim | Chairman | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Harry's Law | Eric Sanders | 3 episodes |
| Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson | Geoff Peterson | Voice, 3 episodes | |
| Innocent | Alejando "Sandy" Stern | Television film | |
| 2012 | Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness |
Ke-Pa | Voice, episode: "Enter the Dragon"[51] |
| Loving Miss Hatto | Barrie | Television film | |
| 2012; 2015–2016 |
Gravity Falls | Multi-Bear | Voice, 3 episodes[51] |
| 2012–2020 | Robot Chicken | Lex Luthor / Various characters | Voice, 7 episodes |
| 2013 | Monday Mornings | Dr. Harding Hooten | 10 episodes |
| Drunk History | Arthur Conan Doyle | Episode: "Detroit" | |
| 2014 | Rick and Morty | Lucius Needful | Voice, episode: "Something Ricked This Way Comes" |
| Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | Alhazen | Voice, episode: "Hiding in the Light" | |
| The Normal Heart | Ben Weeks | Television film | |
| Matador | Andrés Galan | 13 episodes | |
| 2014–2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Rippen | Voice, 55 episodes[51] |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Henry J. Spallone | 6 episodes |
| Axe Cop | Various | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures | Norbert | Voice, episode: "Fishy Business" | |
| Long Live the Royals | Rupert / Neil | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2016–2018 | DreamWorks Dragons | Viggo Grimborn | Voice, 22 episodes[51] |
| 2016–2017 | Angie Tribeca | Dr. Edelweiss | Uncredited 14 episodes |
| 2016 | Close to the Enemy | Harold Lindsay-Jones | 7 episodes |
| Sister Cities | Mort | Television film; also executive producer | |
| 2016; 2020 | American Dad! | Tow Truck Driver / Kazim | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Feud: Bette and Joan | Robert Aldrich | 6 episodes[52] |
| I'm Dying Up Here | Carl Veisor | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie | Lasombra | Voice, television film[53] | |
| Welcome to the Wayne | Albert Molina | Voice, 3 episodes[51] | |
| 2018–2023 | Summer Camp Island | Monster Under the Bed / Various characters | Voice, 12 episodes[51] |
| 2018 | I Feel Bad | Max | Episode: "My Kids Barely Know Their Culture" |
| 2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Archie | Voice, episode: "A Glorious End, Part Two"[51] |
| Vampirina | Sir Ghoulgood | Voice, episode: "Bat Got Your Tongue/Haunted Theater" | |
| 2020–2021; 2024 |
Solar Opposites | The Duke | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2020–2022 | Big City Greens | Cogburn | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Harley Quinn | Mr. Freeze, Stew | Voice, 2 episodes[51] |
| Family Guy | Panamanian Man | Voice, episode: "Coma Guy" | |
| Wizards: Tales of Arcadia | Archie | Voice, 10 episodes[51] | |
| Crossing Swords | Robin Hood | Voice, episode: "Hot Tub Death Machine" | |
| Infinity Train | Chandelier | Voice, episode: "The Debutante Ball Car" | |
| 2021;2024 | Monsters at Work | Professor Derek Knight | Voice, 2 episodes[51] |
| 2021 | Maya and the Three | Lord Mictlan | Voice, 7 episodes[51] |
| 2022 | Roar | Silas McCall | Episode: "The Girl Who Loved Horses" |
| 2022 | Three Pines | Inspecteur-chief Armand Gamache | 8 episodes |
| 2023 | Praise Petey | Human Shih Tzu | Voice, 4 episodes[54] |
| Year | Title | Voice Role | Radio Station / Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Azari's Aerial Theatre | Azari | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1986 | Where Are You, Wally | Albert | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1987 | Aristophanes against the World | Dikaiopolis | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1988 | After Every Dream | Zvi | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1989 | Le Far West | Jacques Brel | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1989 | Plaza Suite | A Waiter | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1990 | Leaf by Niggle | Niggle | BBC Radio 5 |
| 1993 | Black Box | Alexander Gideon | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1996 | Species | Narrator | Soundlines Entertainment |
| 1998 | The Vampire Armand | Narrator | Penguin Random House AudioBooks |
| 2002 | The Berrybender Narratives (Volume 1,2,3) | Narrator | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2003 | Vieux Carré | Nightingale | BBC Radio 3 |
| 2004 | The Berrybender Narratives (Volume 4) | Narrator | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2004 | The Intelligencer (Novel) | Narrator with Jan Maxwell | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2006 | The Pat Hobby Stories | Narrator | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2006 | The Foreign Correspondent (Novel) | Narrator | HighBridge Audio |
| 2006 | Anna Karenina | Narrator | HighBridge Audio |
| 2007–08 | Kicking the Habit | Father Bertie | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2009 | A Small Family Business | Jack | BBC Radio 3 |
| 2009 | Moving Bodies | Narrator | BBC World Service |
| 2009 | A Pattern in Shrouds | Henry | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2011 | England, Their England | Tommy Huggins | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2012 | Electric Decade: Uncle Fred in the Springtime | Earl of Ickenham (Uncle Fred) | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2014 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2015 | A View from the Bridge | Eddie Carbone | BBC Radio 3 |
| 2016 | Thunderball | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2016 | Stoner | Narrator | Penguin Random House AudioBooks |
| 2017 | Leonardo Da Vinci | Narrator | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| 2018 | An Enemy of the People | Dr Thomas Stockmann | BBC Radio 4 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus | [55][51] |
| 2014 | The Elder Scrolls Online | Abnur Tharn | [56] |
| 2015 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2016 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2017 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2017 | Wilson's Heart | Bela Belascó | |
| 2018 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2019 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2019 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonhold | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2020 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor | Abnur Tharn | |
| 2021 | The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood | Abnur Tharn | |
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