Paul Naschy
| Paul Naschy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Jacinto Molina Álvarez September 6, 1934 Madrid, Spain |
| Died | November 30, 2009 (aged 75) Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Actor, film director, screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) | Elvira Primavera (1969 - 2009, his death) |
| Website | http://www.naschy.com |
Paul Naschy (born Jacinto Molina Álvarez, September 6, 1934 – November 30, 2009) was a Spanish movie actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures—the Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster, Count Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fu Manchu and a Mummy—have earned him recognition as the Spanish Lon Chaney. He had one of the most recognizable faces in Spanish horror film. But Naschy also starred in dozens of action films, historical dramas, crime movies, TV shows and documentaries as well. In addition to acting, Naschy also wrote the screenplays for most of his films and directed a number of them as well. King Juan Carlos I presented Naschy with Spain's Gold Medal Award for Fine Arts in 2001 in honor of his work, the Spanish equivalent of being knighted.
Naschy was born as Jacinto Molina Alvarez in Madrid in 1934, and grew up during the Spanish Civil War, a period of great turmoil in Spanish history. His father Enrique Molina was a successful furrier, and Naschy grew up in very comfortable surroundings, at one point living in a veritable country mansion. After college, Naschy started out as a professional weightlifter, but soon gravitated to acting. His favorite film character from childhood was the Wolf Man, dating back to when he saw the classic Universal film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) as a child. At times, he tried his hand at designing record album covers, writing pulp western novels and drawing comic book stories, but did not meet with much success. In his 20's, Naschy moved back and forth between professional weightlifting and acting, but wasn't able to secure important roles, usually obtaining bit parts.
Naschy had an uncredited bit part in the classic 1961 Biblical epic King of Kings and a few other films of that period, and the experience drew him further into filmmaking. While appearing as an extra in an episode of the American TV show I Spy that was being filmed in Spain in 1966, Naschy met horror icon Boris Karloff on the set, a thrill he never forgot. (Karloff was in a very poor mood that day, apparently depressed and in poor health. This encounter led to a posthumously produced film biography on Naschy being entitled The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry.)
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