Molina was born Alfredo Molina in London. His father was a Spaniard from Madrid who worked as a waiter and chauffeur, while his mother was an Italian housekeeper who also cleaned rooms in a hotel and worked as a cook.12 Molina grew up in a "working-class neighborhood" in Notting Hill3 that was inhabited by many other immigrant families.4 He decided to become an actor after seeing Spartacus at the age of nine, and attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.5
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 debut, Molina performed in Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning play 'Art', for which he received a Tony nomination in 1998. In 2004, Molina returned to the stage, starring as Tevye in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. For his performance he once again received a Tony Award nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Musical.
In 2007, Molina narrated a 17-part original audiobook for Audible.com called "The Chopin Manuscript". This serialized novel was written by a team of 15 best-selling thriller writers, including Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Joseph Finder and Lisa Scottoline.
Personal life
Molina has taken U.S. citizenship.8 He has been married to actress Jill Gascoine since 1985. He has a daughter Rachel (born 1980) from a previous relationship, and two stepsons (Adam and Sean), from Jill's first marriage. He is also a grandfather to Alfie (born Nov 2003) and Layla (born May 2006). Molina is fluent in Italian and Spanish, and resides in Los Angeles.
