Alfred Molina: Sony Pictures

Alfred Molina

AGE 51

MUSTWORTHINESS He's a chameleon character actor whose pure genius is propelling him up the A list, Kevin Spacey-style. This summer he's Doc Ock in ''Spider-Man 2,'' a Tony nominee for ''Fiddler on the Roof,'' and a scene-stealer in ''Coffee and Cigarettes.'' And...

HEY, ALFRED, YOU THROW ME THE IDOL, I THROW YOU THE WHIP! ''I used to get that on the street -- a lot,'' says Molina, who made his film debut as Indy's tarantula-friendly tour guide in ''Raiders of the Lost Ark.'' ''Not so much now. Now people remember 'Boogie Nights''' -- another unforgettable turn we were just about to mention. He played the coked-out kingpin of the film's bloody climax.

BUT WHO IS ALFRED MOLINA? A modern-day Anthony Quinn. Born in England to a Spanish father and an Italian mother, Molina played a Mexican in ''Frida,'' a Cuban in ''The Perez Family,'' an Iranian in ''Not Without My Daughter.'' ''I've been an Arab, I've been Jewish, I've been German, Polish, English, American. I've never been, uh, an African, but then again, I doubt I'll ever be.''

NEXT Starring in July's long-shelved ''Undertaking Betty'' and speaking in Spanish in the Alfonso Cuarón-produced ''Crónicas''