Alfred Molina
Born: May 1953
Where: London, England
Nine-year-old Molina watched the classic movie Spartacus... and decided he wanted to be an actor.
Now an in-demand supporting star on both sides of the Atlantic, he has clocked up successes in Chocolat, Boogie Nights, Prick Up Your Ears and Frida.
He also landed his plaudits for his portrayal of Spider-Man nemesis Doc Ock in the sequel Spider-Man 2.
A graduate of the National Youth Theatre company, he joined a children's touring theatre company before studying in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Alfred climbed the traditional ladder of British theatrical aspiration, moving from the repertory circuit to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 1981, he made his film debut as the treacherous guide in the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
But, his movie breakthrough came in 1987 when he played Kenneth Halliwell, the tragic lover of Joe Orton, in Stephen Frears' Prick Up Your Ears.
Despite his many film opportunities, Alfred never stayed away from the stage for long.
He returned to the RSC in 1985, to give a much-praised performance as Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, and earned an Olivier nomination for his work in the British production of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow.
Since relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, he has grown increasingly busy.
1994 saw him in Maverick, thereby fulfilling his childhood dream of acting in a Western.
This was his second collaboration with Richard Donner, who had previously directed him in Ladyhawke nearly ten years earlier.
In 2000, he gave a strong performance as the narrow-minded mayor of a small French town who tries to shut down a chocolate shop in Chocolat.
Next up he was cast in the cowboy caper Texas Rangers and he starred opposite Salma Hayek in the impressive biopic Frida.
He went on to star in My Life Without Me and the horror yarn Identity with Ray Liotta and John Cusack.
Recent work includes the role of multi-limbed baddie Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 and alongside Steve Coogan in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes.
