Alfred Molina was born on the 24th May 1953, in Paddington, London, England, of Spanish and Italian descent, and is an actor perhaps best known for his role as Doctor Octopus in the film “Spider-Man 2” (2004), and for films such as “The Da Vinci Code” (2006), “The Apprentice of Warlock” (2010) and “Prince of Persia” (2010) among others. Molina has been active in the entertainment industry since 1978.
How much is the net worth of Alfred Molina? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the overall size of his wealth is as much as $8 million, as of the data presented in the middle of 2017. Acting is the main source of Molina’s modest fortune.
Alfred Molina Net Worth $8 Million
To begin with, Alfred Molina’s father, Esteban, left Madrid in 1939 to escape the civil war in Spain and worked as a waiter and driver for a London hotel. His mother arrived in 1948 from Italy, and was a housekeeper and cook in the hotel. Alfred grew up in Notting Hill, and says that he made the decision to become an actor at the age of nine, after seeing the movie “Spartacus” by Stanley Kubrick, with Kirk Douglas starring. He first joined the National Youth Theatre before attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which he graduated from earning a degree in classical comedy. The first ten years of his artistic career were entirely devoted to the theatre, notably in the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1998, he made his debut on Broadway by interpreting Yvan in the play “Art” by Yasmina Reza, which allowed him to obtain a Drama Desk Award, as well as a nomination for the Tony Award. His net worth was well established.
Concerning his career on the big screen, he was featured for the first time in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) by Steven Spielberg, in which he played the role of Satipo, but his real breakthrough came with a starring role in the film “Letter to Brezhnev” (1985), which two years later was followed by “Prick Up Your Ears” (1987), in which he played the role of Kenneth Halliwell, the lover of famous English playwright Joe Orton (played in the film by a young Gary Oldman). In the 1990s, he starred in several films that earned him distinctions like “Boogie Nights” (1997) and “Magnolia” (1999) both directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
In 2000, he starred alongside Juliette Binoche and Judi Dench in the blockbuster “Chocolate” by Lasse Hallström – the film was nominated among others for five Oscars as well as the box office grossing $152 million. In 2002, he shared the screen with Salma Hayek in the film “Frida” by Julie Taymor, which earned him numerous nominations notably at the British Academy Film Awards. In 2004, he played the Dr. Otto Octavius in the film “Spider-Man 2” by Sam Raimi. Then, the actor obtained important roles in several big-budget films, including “The Da Vinci Code” (2006) by Ron Howard, “The Pink Panther 2” (2009) by Harald Zwart and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (2010) by Jon Turteltaub. Afterwards, he appeared in the films among others “The Truth About Emanuel” (2013), “We’ll Never Have Paris” (2014) and “Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie” (2016). Currently, he is working on voicing the upcoming film “Henchmen”.
Finally, in the personal life of the actor, Alfred Molina has been married to actress Jill Gascoine since 1985. He has two stepsons, Adam and Sean (Jill’s sons) and a daughter named Rachel (1980) from a previous relationship.
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (1998), Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast (2000, 1997), Outer Critics Circle Special Award (1998), Audie Award for Original Work (2016)
Nominations
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play, Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or ...
Movies
“Spider-Man 2” (2004), “The Da Vinci Code” (2006), “The Apprentice of Warlock” (2010), “Prince of Persia” (2010), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Magnolia” (1999), “The Truth About Emanuel” (2013), “We'll Never Have Paris” (2014), “Don...
TV Shows
“Dragons: Race to the Edge” (2016-2017), “Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero” (2014-2017), “I'm Dying Up Here” (2017), “Feud” (2017)
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.
2
(On his ability to play characters with different accents) I have always enjoyed working with different accents. It's become sort of a trademark of mine. It's not because of any special skills; it's a happy accident of nature and nurture that I am able to do it. My parents were immigrants to England, and I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in London that was full of other immigrant families from all over Europe, the West Indies, Africa. When I went to school, all the kids were first-generation born in England. So all the parents spoke English with very heavy accents, if they spoke English at all. So I kind of grew up in this whole environment where I heard all these different rhythms and accents. I think I just soaked it up unconsciously, and when I became an actor I had it all there stowed away.
3
I've always prided myself in being able to sniff out a really bad script. But I haven't always been 'on the know' when it comes to choosing a really, really good script. We all make mistakes, but you develop an eye for certain things. As you get older and more experienced - and I've been acting now for over 30 years - it doesn't always help you to become more discerning about what's a good or a bad script. But certainly you get a better idea of what suits you or what you think is within your capabilities. I mean, if someone sent me the part of a 30-year-old romantic lead I'd have to say, 'I'm sorry, and that's very sweet of you, but let me play his dad.'
4
I always look for something that is as different and as diametrically opposed to what I did last time. I try to make each job as different as I can from the last job. And that's really my only criteria. I don't have a particular game plan. You pay a price for that in certain ways. That level of variety tends to mean that you'll always be second or third lead. That's fine because it means that you've got a much wider range of parts available.
5
(2004 - On his favorite roles to date) There are a few that I've always been particularly proud of - Not Without My Daughter (1991) and Enchanted April (1991). At the time, they were parts that were so far away from me, from what I was, from what I am. I saw them as a challenge. In Not Without My Daughter (1991), I played an Iranian doctor who takes his family back to Iran and converts to a much more fundamental form of Islam. He basically kidnaps his family. That's pretty far away from what I am. So you kind of try to do things that challenge you.
6
The way I was raised was very interesting and diverse. Both my parents tried very hard to keep the old ways alive. My parents taught me how to speak Spanish and Italian. My grip on the languages is somewhat less than perfect, but my Spanish is pretty good because I use it every day, especially when I'm back home in Los Angeles. I have a great love for the culture in terms of the history, the music, the food, the art, and the great social, scientific, and cultural advances that have emanated from both those countries. I am very aware of the contributions we have all made to the general well being of the world. I'm really proud of it because my parents - although they were very happy to be living in England [because] it gave them a means to survive and work and have a pretty decent life - didn't bury themselves. They celebrated where they came from and what it gave them.
7
(On frequently playing foreigners) I'm very proud of the fact that I can play all these different nationalities. I've done it with varying degrees of success, but at least with the best of intentions. I think at some point you run the danger of becoming everyone's favorite foreigner.
8
I think it's just with anyone, with any character, you have to believe in what you're saying in the same way that he does. I always use the example that the actor playing Sister Mary Teresa has exactly the same responsibility as the actor playing Adolf Hitler. The responsibility is to represent those people as accurately as you can, regardless of whether they're good or bad, evil or saintly. Regardless of what they're like, you have to represent them. You can't misrepresent them. You can't suddenly decide, 'You know what? I'm playing Mussolini but I'm going to give him an Irish accent because I think that works better for some of the dialogue.' You can't do that kind of thing. But when you're playing a character that's fictitious, really what they're paying you for is to be as imaginative as you can.
9
There are many actors who have inspired me: Spencer Tracy for his incredible elegance and, of course, Cary Grant. But, there's also an Italian actor I admire a great deal: Alberto Sordi.
10
I love theater work because of the immediate effect your performance has on the audience. And I love the repetition, I love getting on the same stage for more than a month and reciting the same lines, trying to make a small or large step towards an improvement in my acting. That's obviously impossible when you watch your movie on the screen - at that point it's all over, too late.
11
Music is an essential part of my life and I'm completely lost without a good album to listen to or my iPod in my pocket! I love world music, and am always on the lookout for new sounds from Africa - "The Best of Ethiopiques" is one of my current favorites. Then there's Brazil, Cuba, the East. I should also admit that my Italian roots come out in my love for melodic music. My mother made me listen to a lot of the pop stars from the 1950s and 1960s, like Rita Pavone, Claudio Villa, Gino Paoli and I love Luigi Tenco.
12
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.
13
When you're kind of my size and look the way I do, leading man romantic leads aren't going to come your way.
Teaching Shakespeare at Circus Theatricals in Los Angeles [March 2003]
7
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 (Musical) 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.
8
He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
9
Has been turned into a Lego mini-figure twice: first for his role as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004), and again for his role as Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
He has one daughter, Rachel Molina (b. 1980) from a previous relationship. He also has 2 stepsons, Sean Keith and Adam Keith, from his wife Jill Gascoine's first marriage.
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.
16
Auditioned for the part of Rimmer in Red Dwarf (1988).
17
Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1998 as Best Actor (Play) for "Art," and in 2004 as Best Actor (Musical) for portraying Tevye in a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof."
18
Was chosen to play Doc Ock after Spider-Man 2 (2004) director Sam Raimi and his wife watched Frida (2002).
19
He gained a good amount of weight to play the huge Diego Rivera in Frida (2002) and then slimmed down to play Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004). Alfred regretted that due to his part as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof", he again was forced to regain his bulk.
20
Although he himself is fully an Englishman, Alfred's 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.