Alfred Molina (Actor)

"I left in some disgrace, because, you see, my heroes aren't people like Olivier, Gielgud or Richardson, but comics. I've got a soft spot for the more vulgar end of the theatrical world, and my greatest hero is the [late] British comedian Tommy Cooper." [whom he decided to impersonate when it came time to deliver his line in a Shakespearean production.] "It got me a big laugh, but my contract wasn't renewed." - Molina quoted to Newsday, Jan. 21, 1996

"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," he says. Still, he acknowledges, "I think at some point you run the danger of becoming every one's favorite foreigner." - Molina quoted to CNN.com, March 3, 2004

"Playing villains is always fun, there's no two ways about it," he said. "There's always a lot of freedom and room to be inventive. I could go to my grave playing bad guys. I love it." - Molina quoted to CNN.com, June 28, 2004

"When I was a kid, my heroes were all Americans, and even then I wanted to live there. But it was my secret, because saying that out loud to others wouldn't have been the coolest thing to do. Then, when I got to drama school, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the only one that would take me. We were expected to do Shakespeare and the classics. But all I ever wanted was to be in Westerns. So, naturally, I wanted to live here, but I had to wait till I was in my 40s to do so. My wife felt the same way, too, fortunately. She'd had a hugely successful TV series in England, but when that ended, she decided to try writing, and that's something she can do anywhere. She's had three novels published so far, but none here as yet." - Molina quoted in the Daily News, March 2, 1998