Alfonso Arau | |
|---|---|
 Arau in 2016 | |
| Born | Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (1932-01-11)11 January 1932 (age 93) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, director, writer |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8, includingFernando andSergio Arau |
Alfonso Arau Incháustegui (born 11 January 1932) is a Mexicanfilmmaker and actor. He worked as an actor and director in both Mexican and Hollywood productions for over 40 years, before his international breakthrough with the 1992 filmLike Water for Chocolate, based on his wifeLaura Esquivel'snovel of the same name. His other films includeA Walk in the Clouds (1995),Picking Up the Pieces (2000),The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) andZapata: El sueño del héroe (2004). He is a five-timeAriel Award winner, includingBest Director forLike Water for Chocolate, and aBAFTA nominee.
The son of a physician, Arau was born inMexico City.[1] He directed the filmsZapata: The Dream of a Hero,Like Water for Chocolate (adapted fromthe novel written by his ex-wifeLaura Esquivel),A Walk in the Clouds withKeanu Reeves andAnthony Quinn, and theHallmark Hall of Fame productionA Painted House (adapted from theJohn Grisham novel of the same name). Among a plethora of roles in his career, Arau played "Captain Herrera", a lieutenant of Federal general "Mapache", inSam Peckinpah's 1969 westernThe Wild Bunch; chief bandit "El Guapo" inThree Amigos (USA, 1986), a comedy withMartin Short,Steve Martin, andChevy Chase; shady businessman Manuel in the comedyUsed Cars (USA, 1980); and the smuggler "Juan" inRomancing the Stone (USA, 1984) starringMichael Douglas andKathleen Turner. Arau appeared in the 1972 Mexican filmEl 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 TV series and plays. In the 1972 episode ofGunsmoke titled "Hidalgo", Arau portrayed the bandit "Mando" who shoots and woundsmarshalMatt Dillon.[2]
In1973, Arau acted in and directedCalzónzin Inspector ("Cazonci" or "Caltzontzin" was the term used in thePurépecha culture, to name their emperors[citation needed]), a movie based on a character from the Mexican comicLos Supermachos ofRius, a cartoonist, who co-wrote the screenplay.[3] The movie, which is influenced byNikolai Gogol'sThe Government Inspector, centers around two Mexicans who are mistaken for government inspectors fromMexico City by the corrupt mayor of a small town. It is a humorous political critique, aimed squarely at the then ruling partyPartido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) and itsparamilitarycaciques, 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, theSanta Fe Film Festival honored Alfonso Arau for his work in cinema.[4]
In 2010 he directed the Italian-language film,The Trick in the Sheet.
In January 2011, he starred inChad, Matt & Rob'sThe Treasure Hunt: An Interactive Adventure.
In February 2017, it was alleged byDebra Messing that Arau belittled her for her appearance and body in her first filmA Walk in the Clouds.[5] Arau later denied the allegation.[6] Messing reinforced these claims during an episode of the PBS documentaryFinding Your Roots which aired in February 2025.[7]
