Alfonso Arau

Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (born 11 January 1932) is a Mexican filmmaker, actor, and singer. He worked as an actor and director in both Mexican and Hollywood productions for over 40 years, before his international breakthrough with the 1992 film ''Like Water for Chocolate'', based on his wife Laura Esquivel's novel of the same name. His other films include '' A Walk in the Clouds'' (1995), ''Picking Up the Pieces'' (2000), ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (2002), and '' Zapata: El sueño del héroe'' (2004). He is a five-time Ariel Award winner, including Best Director for ''Like Water for Chocolate'', and a BAFTA nominee.

Life and career

The son of a physician, Arau was born in Mexico City. He directed the films '' Zapata: The Dream of a Hero'', '' Like Water for Chocolate'' (adapted from the novel written by his ex-wife Laura Esquivel), '' A Walk in the Clouds'' with Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn, and the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' production ''A Painted House'' (adapted from the John Grisham novel of the same name). Among a plethora of roles in his career, Arau played "Captain Herrera", a lieutenant of Federal general "Mapache", in Sam Peckinpah's 1969 western ''The Wild Bunch'', chief bandit "El Guapo" in ''Three Amigos'' (USA, 1986), a comedy with Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase, shady businessman Manuel in the comedy ''Used Cars'' (USA, 1980), and the smuggler "Juan" in ''Romancing the Stone'' (USA, 1984) starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Arau appeared in the 1972 Mexican film ''El rincón de las vírgenes'' ("The Virgins' Corner"), where he played the assistant of a fake mystical doctor traveling from town to town, who reminisce about their travels, when a group of women decide to propose the doctor for sainthood. The movie was set in 1920s rural Mexico.

Arau has made many appearances as a character actor in American and TV series and plays. In the 1972 episode of ''Gunsmoke'' titled "Hidalgo", Arau portrayed the bandit "Mando" who shoots and wounds marshal Matt Dillon.

In 1973, Arau acted in and directed '' Calzónzin Inspector'' ("Cazonci" or "Caltzontzin" was the term used in the Purépecha culture, to name their emperors), a movie based on a character from the Mexican comic ''Los Supermachos'' of Rius, a cartoonist, who co-wrote the screenplay. The movie, which is influenced by Nikolai Gogol's ''The Government Inspector'', centers around two Mexicans who are mistaken for government inspectors from Mexico City by the corrupt mayor of a small town. It is a humorous political critique, aimed squarely at the then ruling party Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and its paramilitary ''caciques'', at a time when freedom of speech in politics was highly restricted. There are at least two versions of the movie, with one having some scenes deleted by State censors, the most notable of which depicts the killing of a renegade farmer by a police officer, who shoots the farmer in the back.

In December 2004, the Santa Fe Film Festival honored Alfonso Arau for his work in cinema.

In 2010 he directed the Italian-language film, '' The Trick in the Sheet''.

In January 2011, he starred in Chad, Matt & Rob's "The Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure."

In February 2017, it was alleged by Debra Messing that Arau belittled her for her appearance and body in her first film "A Walk in the Clouds". Arau later denied the allegation.

Filmography

* 1954 ''Looks that Kill'' as Bailarín (uncredited)
* 1954 ''El casto Susano'' as (uncredited)
* 1956 ''Caras nuevas''
* 1957 ''La locura del rock 'n roll'' as Cristobal
* 1957 ''Cien muchachas''
* 1958 ''Viaje a la luna'' as Carlos Vera
* 1958 ''Música en la noche''
* 1960 ''Los pistolocos''
* 1962 ''… und deine Liebe auch'' as Alfredo
* 1965 ''En este pueblo no hay ladrones'' as Agente Viajero
* 1967 ''Pedro Páramo'' as Saltaperico
* 1967 ''The Jungle Book'' (voice actor, Latin Spanish dub) as Kaa
* 1968 ''Operación carambola'' as Roman Ayala
* 1969 ''The Wild Bunch'' as Lieutenant Herrera
* 1969 ''El aviso inoportuno'' as Cliente Señorito Del Sastre
* 1970 ''Tres amigos''
* 1970 ''Jóvenes de la Zona Rosa''
* 1970 ''La vida inútil de Pito Pérez''
* 1970 '' Paraíso'' as "El Perro"
* 1970 ''El Topo'' as Bandido #1
* 1971 ''Scandalous John'' as Paco
* 1971 ''El águila descalza'' (director, writer) as Poncho / Jonathan Eaglepass / Mascalzzone
* 1971 ''The Garden of Aunt Isabel''
* 1972 ''Gunsmoke'' (TV Series) as Mando
* 1972 ''Bonanza'' (TV Series) as Simon
* 1972 '' Run, Cougar, Run'' as Etio
* 1972 ''El rincón de las vírgenes'' as Lucas Lucatero
* 1974 ''Calzonzin Inspector'' (director, writer) as Calzonzín
* 1975 '' Posse'' as Pepe
* 1975 '' Tívoli'' (writer) as Tiliches
* 1976 ''La palomilla al rescate'' as (uncredited)
* 1976 ''Caribe, estrella y aguila'' (director)
* 1980 ''Used Cars'' as Manuel
* 1981 '' Mojado Power'' (director, writer) as Nato Solís
* 1982 ''El día que murió Pedro Infante''
* 1984 ''Romancing the Stone'' as Juan
* 1986 ''Redondo''
* 1986 ''Three Amigos'' as "El Guapo"
* 1986 ''Chido Guan, el tacos de oro'' (director, writer)
* 1987 ''Miami Vice'' (TV Series) as Jorge Cruz
* 1987 ''Walker'' as Raousset
* 1988 ''227'' (TV Series) as Alfonso Gonzales
* 1991 ''Camino largo a Tijuana''
* 1992 ''Polvora en la piel''
* 1992 '' Like Water for Chocolate'' (director)
* 1995 '' A Walk in the Clouds'' (director)
* 2000 '' Committed'' as Grampy
* 2000 '' Picking Up the Pieces'' (director) as Dr. Amado
* 2002 ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (TV, director)
* 2003 ''A Painted House'' (TV, director)
* 2004 '' Zapata: El sueño de un héroe'' (director, writer)
* 2007 '' El Muerto'' as Tezcatlipoca (voice)
* 2010 '' The Trick in the Sheet'' (director, with Anne Parillaud)
* 2012 ''I Heart Shakey'' as Raoul
* 2017 '' Coco'' as Papá Julio (voice)

References

External links

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Santa Fe Film Festival

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arau, Alfonso
1932 births
20th-century Mexican male actors
20th-century Mexican screenwriters
20th-century Mexican male writers
21st-century Mexican male actors
21st-century Mexican screenwriters
Ariel Award winners
Best Director Ariel Award winners
Living people
Male actors from Mexico City
Mexican male film actors
Mexican filmmakers
Mexican film directors
Mexican film producers
Mexican male screenwriters
Writers from Mexico City
Mexican expatriates in the United States