Alfred Molina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfred Molina
Molina in 2009
Born	Alfredo Molina (1953-05-24) 24 May 1953 (age 72) Paddington, London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1970–present
Spouse(s)	Jill Gascoine ​ ​ (m. 1986; died 2020)​ Jennifer Lee ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina on May 24, 1953) is a famous British and American actor. He is known for playing many different kinds of characters in movies, TV shows, and plays. He has been acting for over 50 years! He has won a Drama Desk Award and been nominated for many other big awards, like the British Academy Film Awards and Tony Awards.

Alfred Molina became well-known in London's West End (like Broadway in the UK). He was nominated for an award for his role in Oklahoma! in 1980. On Broadway in New York, he was nominated for Tony Awards for plays like Art, Fiddler on the Roof, and Red. He even returned to Broadway in 2024 for Uncle Vanya.

His first movie role was as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He was nominated for BAFTA Awards for his roles in Frida (2002) and An Education (2009). You might also know him from movies like Chocolat (2000) and The Da Vinci Code (2006). He has also voiced characters in animated films such as Rango (2011) and Frozen II (2019). A very famous role of his is Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

On television, Molina has been nominated for Emmy Awards. These nominations were for his roles in The Normal Heart (2014) and Feud: Bette and Joan (2017).

Early Life and Education

Alfredo Molina was born in Paddington, a part of London, England. His parents were immigrants. His father was from Spain and worked as a waiter. His mother was from Italy and worked as a cleaner.

Molina grew up in Notting Hill, a working-class area where many immigrant families lived. He went to a Roman Catholic high school there. When he was nine, he watched the movie Spartacus and decided he wanted to be an actor. He later studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He also joined the National Youth Theatre.

When he was 21, his first agent suggested he change his name to Alfred.

Acting Career Highlights

Early Roles (1978–1989)

Alfred Molina started his acting career in TV shows. He appeared in the sitcom The Losers in 1978.

His first movie role was in Steven Spielberg's adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He played Satipo, a guide who betrays Indiana Jones. Even though it was a small part, it was very memorable. Molina has said that this role helped his career a lot. He called getting the job a "gift from God." People still remember his famous line: "Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip!"

He got a big break with the movie Letter to Brezhnev (1985). After that, he starred in Prick Up Your Ears (1987).

Broadway Debut and Acclaim (1990–1999)

In the early 1990s, Molina was often seen on British television. He played the main character in the first two seasons of El C.I.D..

He also appeared in several well-known films. These included Enchanted April (1992), Maverick (1994), and Dead Man (1995). He also acted in Not Without My Daughter (1991) and Species (1995).

In 1999, he starred with Betty White in the American TV series Ladies Man. He worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson in Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999).

Molina made his Broadway debut in the play Art in 1998. He was nominated for a Tony Award for this role.

Becoming an Established Actor (2000–2009)

In 2000, Molina was in the movie Chocolat, which was very popular. He became widely recognized for playing Diego Rivera in the movie Frida (2002). For this role, he was nominated for BAFTA and SAG awards.

He gained even more fame when he played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004). This movie was one of the highest-grossing films that year. He also voiced Ares in the animated movie Wonder Woman (2009).

Molina continued his stage work during this time. He starred as Tevye in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof in 2004. He received another Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He got his third Tony Award nomination for the play Red in 2010.

In 2007, he narrated an audiobook called The Chopin Manuscript. This book won an award in 2008.

Career Expansion (2010–2019)

In 2010, Alfred Molina returned to Broadway to play the artist Mark Rothko in the play Red. He had already played this role in London to great success.

He also starred in the BBC sitcom Roger & Val Have Just Got In from 2010 to 2012.

Did you know that three Lego Minifigures are based on Alfred Molina's characters? These are Doctor Octopus, Satipo from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Sheik Amar from Prince of Persia.

In 2010, Molina joined the cast of the TV show Law & Order: LA. He played Deputy District Attorney Morales. He had also appeared in other Law & Order shows before.

Molina supports performing arts groups like Theatretrain. He is also a member of The New American Theatre in Los Angeles, where he teaches acting. In 2017, he played film director Robert Aldrich in the TV series Feud: Bette & Joan. He received nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for this role.

Recent Work (2020–Present)

In 2020, Molina appeared in the movies The Water Man and Promising Young Woman.

A big announcement came in December 2020: he would return as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). This movie is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He played the same version of Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2. For this role, he was even made to look younger using special effects!

In 2021, it was announced that Alfred Molina would star in the Amazon Prime police drama series Three Pines. He plays Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the main character from a book series. The show premiered in December 2022.

In 2024, Molina returned to Broadway again. He played Professor Serebryakov in a new version of Anton Chekov's play Uncle Vanya. He also played the narrator in the movie Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Personal Life

Alfred Molina has a daughter named Rachel from a previous relationship.

In 1986, he married actress Jill Gascoine. They were married until she passed away in 2020 from Alzheimer's disease. In 2019, director Jennifer Lee (who worked on Frozen 2) confirmed she was in a relationship with Molina. They got married in August 2021.

Molina lives in Los Angeles, California. He became a U.S. citizen in 2004. He can speak English, Italian, Spanish, and French fluently.

He is also a supporter of people living with AIDS. He donates to AIDS research and takes part in the Los Angeles AIDS Walk.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio and Audiobooks

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Molina in 2009

See Also

In Spanish: Alfred Molina para niños