Biography
Alfonso Arau is a Mexican actor and director. Born in Mexico City on 11 January 1932, he began his career as an actor in Mexican films and television in the 1950s, later appearing in Hollywood productions.
He is known for acting roles including Herrera in The Wild Bunch (1969), Juan in Romancing the Stone (1984), El Guapo in ¡Three Amigos! (1986), and Papá Julio in Coco (2017). As a director, his breakthrough came with Like Water for Chocolate (1992), adapted from the novel by his then wife Laura Esquivel. Other directing credits include A Walk in the Clouds (1995). Arau has won multiple Ariel Awards, including for best director on Like Water for Chocolate, and received a BAFTA nomination.
