Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British 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 theatre 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 (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 (2017). His other notable television credits include Meantime (1983), Murder on the Orient Express (2001), and Three Pines (2022).
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.
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.
Alfred made his Broadway debut in Yasmina Reza’s Art in 1998 and subsequently performed on Broadway as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and Mark Rothko in Red
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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 theatre debut, Molina performed in Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning play
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.
In 2010, Molina starred opposite Dawn French in the six-part BBC sitcom Roger & Val Have Just Got In, with a second series in 2012.
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 . In July 2010, it was announced that Molina had joined the cast of as Deputy District Attorney Morales. He previously guest-starred in a two-part crossover in 2005 in two other Law & Order franchise shows, and .
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. In 2017 he portrayed film director Robert Aldrich in Ryan Murphy's FX limited series . 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 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. He would also play the narrator in the film version of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Recently he voiced the character of Benjamin Franklin in BBC Radio 4's adaptation of the musical 1776.
Molina has a daughter, Rachel, from a previous relationship. In 1986, Molina married actress Jill Gascoine in Tower Hamlets, London. They remained married until her death on 28 April 2020 in Los Angeles from Alzheimer's disease. In November 2019, director Jennifer Lee confirmed that she was in a relationship with Molina, the two having worked together in Frozen 2 (2019), and they later married in August 2021.
Molina is an advocate for people with AIDS. He donates towards AIDS research, participates in the Los Angeles AIDS Walk and appeared as himself in a documentary produced by Joseph Kibler (who has been HIV+ and paraplegic since his birth, c. 1989) about Kibler's life titled Walk On, first screened in 2013. 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.
| 1970 | King Stag | Cigolotti/ Durandarte | Tower Theatre Company |
| 1971 | Twelfth Night | Dramaturge | Hayworth Theatre |
| 1976 | King Lear | Walk-on (Knights/Soldiers/Servants) | Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
| 1977 | That Good Between Us | Jumbo/ Private Hart/ Riot Soldier | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| Bandits | P C Boyd/ Pathologist | Warehouse Theatre | |
| The Days of the Commune | Bismarck / Fat Gentleman / Mayor 1 / Priest | Aldwych Theatre | |
| 1978 | Frozen Assets | Al | Warehouse Theatre |
| A Miserable and Lonely Death | Major Snyman | Aldwych Theatre | |
| 1979 | Accidental Death of an Anarchist | The Maniac | Half Moon Theatre |
| 1980–81 | Oklahoma! | Jud Fry | Palace Theatre, West End |
| 1981 | Can't Pay? Won't Pay! | Giovanni Bardi | Criterion Theatre |
| 1982 | Destry Rides Again | Tom Destry | Donmar Warehouse |
| Wizard of Oz | Witch of the North | Half Moon Theatre | |
| 1983 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Liverpool Playhouse |
| 1984 | A Little Like Drowning | Alfredo | Hampstead Theatre |
| 1985 | Happy End | Sammy 'Mammy' Wurlitzer | Royal Shakespeare Company National West Tour |
| The Taming of the Shrew | Petruchio | Royal Shakespeare Company National West Tour | |
| 1986–87 | Serious Money | Zac Zackerman | Royal Court Theatre |
| 1989 | Speed-the-Plow | Charlie Fox | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 1992 | The Night of the Iguana | Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon | Royal National Theatre, London |
| 1995–96 | Molly Sweeney | Frank Sweeney | Laura Pels Theatre, RTC |
| 1998 | Art | Yvan | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway |
| 2001 | True West | Lee | Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles |
| 2002 | Richard III | Duke of Buckingham | Odyssey Theatre |
| 2004–05 | Fiddler on the Roof | Tevye | Minskoff Theatre, Broadway |
| 2006 | The Cherry Orchard | Lopakhin | Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles |
| 2007 | Howard Katz | Howard Katz | Laura Pels Theatre, RTC |
| 2009–10 | Red | Mark Rothko | Donmar Warehouse, London |
| John Golden Theatre, Broadway | |||
| 2012–13 | Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles | ||
| L.A. Theatre Works | |||
| 2016 | And No More Shall We Part | Don | Williamstown Theatre Festival |
| 2017 | Long Day's Journey into Night | James Tyrone | Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles |
| Wyndham's Theatre, West End | |||
| Pasadena Playhouse | |||
| 2023 | Inherit the Wind | Henry Drummond | |
| Lincoln Center Theatre | |||
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Satipo | |
| 1983 | Meantime | Paul | |
| 1985 | Letter to Brezhnev | Sergei | |
| Ladyhawke | Cezar | ||
| Water | Pierre | ||
| Eleni | Young Christos | Uncredited | |
| 1987 | Prick Up Your Ears | Kenneth Halliwell | |
| 1988 | Manifesto | Avanti | |
| 1989 | Virtuoso | John Ogdon | |
| Rescuers Speaking | Italian Priest | ||
| 1991 | Hancock | Tony Hancock | |
| Not Without My Daughter | Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody | ||
| American Friends | Oliver Syme | ||
| 1992 | Enchanted April | Mellersh Wilkins | |
| A Very Polish Practice | Tadeusz Melnik | ||
| 1993 | Tony Havers | ||
| Titorelli | |||
| When Pigs Fly | Marty | ||
| 1994 | Maverick | Angel | |
| Reverend Leland Drury | |||
| Cabin Boy | Nathaniel's History Teacher | Uncredited | |
| 1995 | Species | Dr. Stephen Arden | |
| The Steal | Cliff | ||
| Juan Raúl Perez | |||
| Dead Man | Trading Post Missionary | ||
| Scorpion Spring | Denis Brabant | ||
| Hideaway | Dr. Jonas Nyebern | ||
| Nervous Energy | Ira Moss | ||
| 1996 | Mojave Moon | Sal | |
| Before and After | Panos Demeris | ||
| 1997 | Anna Karenina | Levin | |
| Boogie Nights | Rahad Jackson | ||
| Boris 'The Butcher' Blavasky | |||
| A Further Gesture | Tulio | ||
| 1998 | Sir Jeremy Burtom | ||
| Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples | |||
| Pete's Meteor | Hugh | ||
| The Treat | The Colonel | ||
| 1999 | Dudley Do-Right | Snidely Whiplash | |
| Magnolia | Solomon Solomon | ||
| 2000 | The Miracle Maker | Simon the Pharisee (voice) | A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. |
| Chocolat | Comte De Reynaud | ||
| 2001 | Texas Rangers | King Fisher | |
| 2002 | Frida | Diego Rivera | |
| Plots with a View | Boris Plots | ||
| 2003 | My Life Without Me | Ann's Father | |
| Identity | Dr. Malick | ||
| Coffee and Cigarettes | Himself | ||
| Luther | Johann Tetzel | ||
| 2004 | Crónicas | Victor Hugo Puente | |
| Spider-Man 2 | Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus | ||
| Steamboy | James Edward Steam (voice) | English dub | |
| 2006 | Bishop Manuel Aringarosa | ||
| As You Like It | Touchstone | ||
| 2007 | Dick Suskind | ||
| Silk | Baldabiou | ||
| Ramesses II (voice) | |||
| The Moon and the Stars | Davide Rieti | ||
| The Little Traitor | Sergeant Dunlop | ||
| 2008 | Nothing like the Holidays | Edy Rodriguez | |
| 2009 | An Education | Jack Mellor | |
| Randall Pepperidge | |||
| Angels & Demons | Narrator (voice) | ||
| Chandler Manning | |||
| 2010 | Stefano | ||
| Sheik Amar | |||
| Maxim Horvath | |||
| 2011 | The Dark Ages | Alexander Goldgoff | |
| Abduction | Frank Burton | ||
| Rango | Roadkill (voice) | ||
| 2012 | The Forger | Everly Campbell | |
| 2013 | Bless Me, Ultima | Antonio (voice) | |
| The Truth About Emanuel | Dennis | ||
| Justin and the Knights of Valour | Reginald (voice) | ||
| Monsters University | Professor Derek Knight (voice) | ||
| Vivaldi | Tartini | ||
| 2014 | Love Is Strange | George | |
| Return to Zero | Robert Royal | ||
| We'll Never Have Paris | Terry Berman | ||
| Swelter | Doc | ||
| Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet | Sergeant (voice) | ||
| Heavenly Sword | King Bohan (voice) | ||
| 2015 | Strange Magic | Fairy King (voice) | |
| The Secret in Their Eyes | Martin Morales | ||
| 2016 | Little Men | Hernán | |
| Jerry Schrager | |||
| Whiskey Tango Foxtrot | Ali Massoud Sadiq | ||
| Paint It Black | Cal | ||
| Message from the King | Preston | ||
| A Family Man | Lou Wheeler | ||
| 2017 | Breakable You | Paul Weller | |
| 2018 | The Front Runner | Ben Bradlee | |
| Saint Judy | Ray Hernandez | ||
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | Double Dan (voice) | ||
| Henchmen | Baron Blackout (voice) | ||
| Vice | Waiter | Uncredited cameo | |
| 2019 | Don't Let Go | Howard Keleshian | |
| The Devil Has a Name | Big Boss | ||
| Frozen 2 | King Agnarr (voice) | ||
| 2020 | Promising Young Woman | Jordan Green | Uncredited |
| The Water Man | Jim Bussey | ||
| 2021 | Archie (voice) | ||
| Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus | |||
| 2022 | DC League of Super-Pets | Jor-El (voice) | |
| 2023 | Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus (voice) | Cameo; Archival audio | |
| 2024 | The Instigators | Richie Dechico | |
| Harold and the Purple Crayon | Narrator / Crockett Johnson | ||
| TBA | Filming |
| 2006 | Orchids | Cliff | |
| 2009 | Big Guy | Kent | |
| 2017 | Sam Did It | Himself | |
| 2019 | Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein | Aubrey Fields |
| 2007 | Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! | Professor Jeffries (voice) | |
| 2009 | Wonder Woman | Ares (voice) | |
| 2017 | Justice League Dark | Doctor Destiny (voice) |
| 1978 | The Losers | Nigel | 6 episodes |
| 1981 | Bognor | Waiter | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Joni Jones | Giovanni | Episode: "JONI JONES Y Ffoadur" |
| 1983 | Reilly, Ace of Spies | Yakov Blumkin | Episode: "Gambit" |
| 1985 | 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 | Saracen | Jose Morazan | Episode: "Proof of Death" |
| Revolutionary Witness | The Butcher/ Robert Sauveur | Episode: "The Butcher" | |
| 1989–92 | Screen One | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 1989–95 | Screen Two | Various characters | 4 episodes |
| 1990–92 | 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" | |
| 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 |
| 2002 | Bram & Alice | Bram | 9 episodes |
| 2003 | Justice League | King Gustav (voice) | Episode: "Maid of Honor" Pt. 1 |
| 2005 | Gabriel Duvall | Episode: "Night" | |
| Gabriel Duvall | Episode: "Day" | ||
| 2007 | Monk | Peter Magneri | Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man" |
| The Sorcerer | 3 episodes | ||
| 2010–11 | 16 episodes | ||
| 2010–12 | Roger & Val Have Just Got In | Roger Stephenson | 12 episodes |
| 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 | |
| 2012 | Ke-Pa (voice) | Episode: "Enter the Dragon" | |
| 2012, 2015–16 | Gravity Falls | Multi-Bear (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2012–20 | Robot Chicken | Lex Luthor / Various characters (voices) | 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" |
| Alhazen (voice) | Episode: "Hiding in the Light" | ||
| Matador | Andrés Galan | 13 episodes | |
| Wordgirl | Patrick Needlemeyer (voice) | Episode: "Putt with Honor" | |
| 2014–17 | Rippen (voice) | 53 episodes | |
| 2015 | Show Me a Hero | Henry J. Spallone | 6 episodes |
| Axe Cop | Various characters (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures | Norbert (voice) | Episode: "Fishy Business" | |
| Long Live the Royals | Rupert / Neil (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2016–18 | DreamWorks Dragons | Viggo Grimborn (voice) | 19 episodes |
| 2016–17 | Angie Tribeca | Dr. Edelweiss | Uncredited 14 episodes |
| 2016 | Close to the Enemy | Harold Lindsay-Jones | 7 episodes |
| 2016, 2020 | American Dad! | Tow Truck Driver / Kazim (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Robert Aldrich | 6 episodes | |
| I'm Dying Up Here | Carl Veisor | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Welcome to the Wayne | Albert Molina (voice) | 3 episodes | |
| 2018–23 | Summer Camp Island | Monster Under the Bed / Various characters (voices) | 12 episodes |
| 2018 | I Feel Bad | Max | Episode: "My Kids Barely Know Their Culture" |
| 2019 | Archie (voice) | Episode: "A Glorious End, Part Two" | |
| Vampirina | Sir Ghoulgood (voice) | Episode: "Haunted Theater" | |
| 2020–21; 2024–25 | Solar Opposites | The Duke (voice) | 9 episodes |
| 2020–22 | Big City Greens | Cogburn (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Harley Quinn | Mr. Freeze, Stew (voices) | 2 episodes |
| Family Guy | Panamanian Man (voice) | Episode: "Coma Guy" | |
| Archie (voice) | 10 episodes | ||
| 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 |
| 2021 | Maya and the Three | Lord Mictlan (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 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 |
| 2024 | Benjar Pranic (voice) | Episode: "Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem" | |
| 2024–25 | Hamster & Gretel | Mordros the Annihilator (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Chibiverse | Multi-Bear (voice) | Episode: "The Perfect Gift" |
| Blood of Zeus | Cronus (voice) | 8 episodes |
| 1982 | Anyone for Denis? | Eric | |
| 1983 | Meantime | John | |
| 1985 | Number One | D.C. Rogers | |
| Angels in the Annexe | Mike Brittain | ||
| 1989 | The Accountant | Lionel Ellerman | |
| 1994 | Requiem Apache | Hamish/Getaway Driver | |
| 2001 | Murder on the Orient Express | Hercule Poirot | |
| 2009 | Yes, Virginia | Francis Pharcellus Church (voice) | |
| 2011 | Innocent | Alejando "Sandy" Stern | |
| 2012 | Loving Miss Hatto | Barrie | |
| 2014 | The Normal Heart | Ben Weeks | |
| 2016 | Sister Cities | Mort | Also executive producer |
| 2017 | Lasombra (voice) |
| 1985 | Azari's Aerial Theatre | Azari | BBC Radio 3 | |
| 1986 | Where Are You, Wally | Albert | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 1987 | Aristophanes against the World | Dikaiopolis | ||
| 1988 | After Every Dream | Zvi | ||
| 1989 | Le Far West | Jacques Brel | BBC Radio 3 | |
| 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 | |
| 2000 | Just Between Ourselves | Neil | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| 2001 | The Lion in Winter | Henry Plantagenet | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| True West | Lee | L.A. Theatre Works | ||
| 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 | |
| The Intelligencer (Novel) | Narrator with Jan Maxwell | |||
| 2006 | The Pat Hobby Stories | Narrator | BBC Radio 4 | |
| The Foreign Correspondent (Novel) | Narrator | HighBridge Audio | ||
| Anna Karenina | Narrator | |||
| 2007–08 | Kicking the Habit | Father Bertie | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 2009 | A Small Family Business | Jack | BBC Radio 3 | |
| Moving Bodies | Narrator | BBC World Service | ||
| A Pattern in Shrouds | Henry | BBC Radio 4 | ||
| 2011 | England, Their England | Tommy Huggins | ||
| 2012 | Earl of Ickenham (Uncle Fred) | |||
| 2014 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | ||
| 2011 | Copenhagen | Niels Bohr | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| 2015 | A View from the Bridge | Eddie Carbone | BBC Radio 3 | |
| 2016 | Thunderball | Ernst Stavro Blofeld | BBC Radio 4 | |
| 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 | |
| 2016 | Fathers and Sons | Vassily / Nikolai | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| 2019 | A Walk in the Woods | Andrey Botvinnik | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| 2021 | The Murder on the Links | Hercule Poirot | L.A. Theatre Works | |
| 2025-26 | 1776 | Benjamin Franklin | BBC Radio 4 |
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