Paul Naschy

Paul Naschy was a Spanish movie actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figuresthe Wolfman, Frankensteins Monster, Count Dracula, the Hunchback, and the 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 Spains 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 filmmaking. 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 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 20s, Naschy moved back and forth between professional weightlifting and acting, but wasnt able to secure important roles, usually obtaining bit parts.

Source: Wikipedia