Biographie

Speaks Spanish and Italian fluently.

Has spoken fondly about his debut role in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and said three positive things in particular about the experience: the movie became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time, he loved working for Steven Spielberg, and he and his girlfriend (later his wife) were expecting their first child when he was hired and he was able to use his salary to buy all of the necessities for a nursery and clothing ahead of time.

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.

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.

Was chosen to play Doc Ock after Spider-Man 2 (2004) director Sam Raimi and his wife watched Frida (2002).

When you're kind of my size and look the way I do, leading man romantic leads aren't going to come your way.

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.

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.

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.

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.