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Alfred Molina

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Alfred Molina

Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is an English and American actor. He is known for roles on the stage and screen. Molina has received a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, a British Independent Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Tony Awards.

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 2 (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 in the Paddington district of London. His parents were both immigrants: his Spanish father —from Murcia— was a waiter who had parachuted into France with SOE before D-Day, and his Italian mother worked as a cleaner.

Molina grew up in a working-class district in Notting Hill that was inhabited by many other immigrant families. He attended Cardinal Manning secondary modern Roman Catholic school there. He decided to become an actor after seeing Spartacus at the age of nine, and attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, as well as auditioning for and becoming a member of the National Youth Theatre. Molina admitted in May 2024 that his father was disappointed in him for pursuing a career in acting.

At the age of 21, he anglicised his name to Alfred, at the urging of his first agent.

Molina appeared with Leonard Rossiter in the sitcom The Losers (1978). 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' traitorous and 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."

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