Alfred Molina was born in 1953 in London, England. His mother, Giovanna .
Although he himself is fully an Englishman, Alfreds father was a Spanish waiter and his mother was an Italian housekeeper. His southern European background has allowed him to play characters of almost any heritage.
He gained a good amount of weight to play the huge Diego Rivera in Frida and then slimmed down to play Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2 . Alfred regretted that due to his part as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof", he again was forced to regain his bulk.
Was chosen to play Doc Ock after Spider-Man 2 director Sam Raimi and his wife watched Frida .
Was twice nominated for Broadways Tony Award: in 1998 as Best Actor (Play) for "Art," and in 2004 as Best Actor for portraying Tevye in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof."
Auditioned for the part of Rimmer in "Red Dwarf" .
Educated at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he started out as a busker specializing in stand-up comedy and doing odd jobs to supplement his welfare cheque, before being accepted by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977.
Was nearly cast as Al Capone in Road to Perdition .
He has one daughter, Rachel Molina from a previous relationship. He also has 2 stepsons, Sean Keith and Adam Keith, from his wife Jill Gascoine s first marriage.
Considers Not Without My Daughter and Enchanted April his favorite roles.
Is a huge fan of jazz.
Speaks Spanish and Italian fluently.
Has been turned into a Lego mini-figure twice: first for his role as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 , and again for his role as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark .
He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
As of 2010, he has been nominated three times for the Tony award: in 1998 as Best Actor (Play) for "Art"; in 2004 as Best Actor for portraying Tevye in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof"; in 2010 as Best Actor (Play) for "Red." Both "Art" and "Red" deal with struggle of character relations and personal views over a canvas painting.
(March 2003) Teaching Shakespeare at Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles
(December 2003) Filming Spider-Man 2 .
(December 2003) Currently in rehearsals for the Broadway revival of "Fiddler on the Roof," in which he will portray the lead character, Tevye.
(February 2006) Currently starring alongside Annette Bening in "The Cherry Orchard" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
As of 2015, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Raiders of the Lost Ark , Chocolat and An Education .
Lives in Los Angeles, California.
Has spoken fondly about his debut role in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and said three positive things in particular about the experience: the movie became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, he loved working for Steven Spielberg, and he and his girlfriend (later his wife) were expecting their first child when he was hired and he was able to use his salary to buy all of the necessities for a nursery and clothing ahead of time.
Friends with Debra Messing , and John Lithgow.
Was a nominee for Most Promising Newcomer in the 1980 Laurence Olivier Awards for his performance in Oklahoma.
The worst thing that an actor can do is go into any project with a lack,of respect for the material. You can have an opinion about it, but you,have to respect yourself in doing it.
I love being added to that list of English actors playing villains. I,guess somewhere in the history of American film and television someone,decided that the English accent sounded somehow villainous.
[on Prick Up Your Ears (1987) ] The actual experience of making,the film is very vivid in my memory, because it was my first proper,leading role in a film. It was, at the time, a groundbreaking movie.
