Alfonso Arau

Alfonso Arau Incháustegui, born on January 11, 1932, in Mexico City, Mexico, has established a distinguished career spanning over four decades in the film industry. His early artistic endeavors included studying acting and dancing, which led him to explore pantomime in Paris. From 1964 to 1968, Arau toured internationally with his one-man show, “Pantomime Happy Madness.” He also formed a dance team with Sergio Corona and co-hosted a television program in Havana during the 1950s, demonstrating his versatility from the beginning of his career.

Arau transitioned into filmmaking as a director and actor, marking his directorial debut with the 1971 feature film ‘El águila descalza’, in which he also starred. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he directed several notable Mexican films, such as ‘Inspector Calzonzin’ (1974) and ‘Mojado Power’ (1981). He has also had a prolific acting career, appearing in both Mexican and Hollywood productions. Significant acting roles include Lieutenant Herrera in Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 western ‘The Wild Bunch’, El Guapo in the 1986 comedy ‘Three Amigos!’, and Juan in the 1984 adventure-comedy ‘Romancing the Stone’. His work has earned him six Arieles, the Mexican equivalent of the Oscar, and various international film accolades.

A significant turning point in Arau’s career was his international breakthrough with the 1992 film ‘Like Water for Chocolate’. This film, based on his then-wife Laura Esquivel’s novel, achieved global acclaim and became the highest-grossing foreign-language film in the United States at the time. Following this success, Arau directed other prominent films including ‘A Walk in the Clouds’ (1995), starring Keanu Reeves, and ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ (2000), which featured Woody Allen. For television, he directed ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’ (2001) and ‘A Painted House’ (2003). His continued presence in the industry is further evidenced by his voice role as Papá Julio in Disney-Pixar’s ‘Coco’ in 2017.