Alfred Molina Biography

Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British actor known for his roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Prick Up Your Ears, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Spider-Man 2, Maverick, Species, Not Without My Daughter, Chocolat, Frida, Steamboy, The Hoax, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Da Vinci Code, The Little Traitor, An Education and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

He has recently starred as Detective Ricardo Morales on the NBC police/courtroom drama Law & Order: LA and as Roger opposite Dawn French in the BBC television sitcom Roger & Val Have Just Got In.

Early life

Molina was born in Paddington, London. His mother, Giovanna (née Bonelli), was an Italian house-keeper who cleaned rooms in a hotel and worked as a cook. His father, Esteban Molina, was a Spanish immigrant from Madrid who worked as a waiter and chauffeur. 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.

Career

In 1978, Molina starred with Leonard Rossiter in the sitcom The Losers. Molina made his film debut with a minor role in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark as Indiana Jones' ill-fated guide, Satipo, 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 (and eventual murderer) Kenneth Halliwell. He was originally cast as Arnold Rimmer in the TV sitcom Red Dwarf, but he was replaced by Chris Barrie.

Molina was a ubiquitous presence on British television in the early 1990s, with his most high profile role being the lead in the first two series of El C.I.D. Subsequent film roles included Species, Dudley Do-Right, Chocolat, Not Without My Daughter and Enchanted April. With a 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 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 and 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 and archive footage of Molina as Doctor Octopus is seen in the opening of Spider-Man 3. 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.

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.

In 2007, Molina narrated a 17-part original audiobook for Audible.com called The Chopin Manuscript. This serialized 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 form Audio Publishers Association.

On 1 April 2010, he 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. He had played the role to much critical success at the Donmar Warehouse in London in December 2009.

In 2010 he starred opposite Dawn French in the six-part BBC sitcom Roger & Val Have Just Got In, with a second series in 2012.

He is the only actor to have three Lego Minifigures modelled after him, with them being Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2, Satipo from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Sheik Amar from Prince of Persia.

In July 2010, it was announced that Molina had joined the cast of Law & Order: LA as Deputy District Attorney Morales. 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.

Molina is a patron of the performing arts group Theatretrain. Molina 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.

Personal life

Molina resides in Los Angeles, California, and announced in 2004 that he had become a U.S. citizen. He is fluent in Italian and Spanish.

He married actress Jill Gascoine in 1986 in Tower Hamlets, London. He has a daughter, Rachel (born 1980), from a previous relationship, and two stepsons (Adam and Sean), from Gascoine's first marriage. He is also a grandfather to Alfie (born November 2003) and Layla (born May 2006).

In addition to acting, Molina is an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) advocate. Not only does he donate towards AIDS research, but he also participates in the Los Angeles AIDS Walk and recently played a role in Joseph Kibler's (a 21 year-old AIDS survivor's) documentary Walk On.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Raiders of the Lost Ark	Satipo
1982	Anyone for Denis?	Eric
1984	Meantime	John
1985	Letter to Brezhnev	Sergei
1985	Ladyhawke	Cezar
1987	Prick Up Your Ears	Kenneth Halliwell
1989	Virtuoso	John Ogdon
1989	The Accountant	Lionel Ellerman	Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor " Male Nominated " BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor
1991	Hancock	Tony Hancock
1991	Not Without My Daughter	Mahmoody
1991	American Friends	Oliver Syme
1992	Enchanted April	Mellersh Wilkins
1993	'	Tony Havers
1993	'	Titorelli
1994	Requiem Apache	Hamish " Getaway Driver	TV film
1994	Maverick	Angel
1994	White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf	Reverend Leland Drury
1994	Cabin Boy	Nathaniel's History Teacher	Uncredited
1995	Species	Dr. Stephen Arden
1995	'	Juan Raúl Perez
1995	Dead Man	Trading Post Missionary
1995	Hideaway	Dr. Jonas Nyebern
1995	Nervous Energy	Ira Moss
1996	Before and After	Panos Demeris
1997	Anna Karenina	Levin
1997	Boogie Nights	Rahad Jackson	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1997	'	Boris 'The Butcher' Blavasky
1998	'	Sir Jeremy Burtom
1998	Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples
1999	Dudley Do-Right	Snidely K. 'Whip' Whiplash
1999	Magnolia	Solomon Solomon	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	Ladies Man	Jimmy Stiles	Nominated " Best Young Artist Award/Young Star Award
2000	Chocolat	Comte De Reynaud	Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2001	Murder on the Orient Express	Hercule Poirot
2001	Texas Rangers	King Fisher
2002	Frida	Diego Rivera	Imagen Award for Best Actor " Film Nominated " BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated " Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role " Motion Picture
2003	My Life Without Me	Ann's Father
2003	Identity	Dr. Malick
2003	Coffee and Cigarettes	Himself	Nominated " Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
2003	Luther	Johann Tetzel
2004	Crónicas	Victor Hugo Puente
2004	Spider-Man 2	Doctor Otto Octavius/Doc Ock	Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Visual Effects Film Nominated " London Film Critics Circle Film Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year Nominated " Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " People's Choice Award for Favorite Villain Movie Star Nominated " Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad Guy Nominated " MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
2004	Steamboy	James Edward Steam	Voice (English dub)
2004	Undertaking Betty	Boris Plots	Also known as Plots with a View
2005	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Gabriel Duvall
2005	Law & Order: Trial by Jury	Gabriel Duvall
2006	'	Bishop Manuel Aringarosa
2006	As You Like It	Touchstone
2006	Orchids		Short
2007	'	Dick Suskind	Nominated " London Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year
2007	'	Harvey 'The Sorcerer' Torriti	TV miniseries
2007	Silk	Baldabiou
2007	'	Ramesses, the Pharaoh	Voice
2007	The Moon and the Stars	Davide Rieti
2007	The Little Traitor	Sergeant Dunlop
2007	Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!	Professor Jeffries	Voice
2008	Nothing Like the Holidays	Edy Rodriguez
2009	An Education	Jack Mellor	Nominated " BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated " British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated " London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year Nominated " Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Motion Picture Nominated " Screen actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated " Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor
2009	'	Chief Inspector Randall Pepperidge	Nominated " ALMA Award for Best Actor in Film
2009	'	Chandler Manning
2009	Wonder Woman	Ares	Voice
2010	'	Stefano
2010	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Sheik Amar
2010	'	Maxim Horvath
2010	Law & Order: LA	Ricardo Morales
2010	Roger & Val Have Just Got In	Roger
2011	Abduction	Frank Burton
2011	Vivaldi	Tartini
2011	Rango	Roadkill	Voice
2011	Harry's Law	Eric Sanders	TV series (3 episodes)
2012	Roger & Val Have Just Got In: 2nd Series	Roger
2012	Gravity Falls	Multi Bear	Voice TV series (1 episode)
2012	Loving Miss Hatto	William Barrington-Coupe
2013	Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes	Dennis
2013	Monday Mornings	Dr. Harding Hooten	TV series
2013	Monsters University	Professor Knight	Voice
2013	Drunk History	Arthur Conan Doyle	Season 1 Episode 6: Detroit
2013	Justin and the Knights of Valour	Reginald	Voice/post-production

Awards and nominations

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1989	The Accountant	Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor " Male
1989	The Accountant	BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor
1997	Boogie Nights	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
1997	Boogie Nights	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	Magnolia	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast
1999	Magnolia	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999	Ladies Man	Best Young Artist Award/Young Star Award
2000	Chocolat	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002	Frida	Imagen Award for Best Actor " Film
2002	Frida	BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
2002	Frida	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	Frida	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	Frida	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor
2002	Frida	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture
2003	Coffee and Cigarettes	Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
2004	Spider-Man 2	Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor or Actress in a Visual Effects Film
2004	Spider-Man 2	London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year
2004	Spider-Man 2	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor
2004	Spider-Man 2	Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
2004	Spider-Man 2	Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Bad Guy
2004	Spider-Man 2	MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
2007	'	London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year
2009	An Education	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2009	An Education	British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
2009	An Education	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2009	An Education	Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor
2009	An Education	London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year
2009	An Education	Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2009	An Education	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009	An Education	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor
2009	'	ALMA Award for Best Actor in Film