RIP Rafael Molina

 

The world of Almeria cinema and the universe of action actors from the towns of the West of Tabernas are in mourning after losing one of the most important figures of the audiovisual population of the province: the businessman Rafael Molina Perales, owner and manager of the town of Fort Bravo-Texas Hollywood, died on September 29^th in Almeria, Spain at the age of 74. Born in the Valencian town of Enguera on June 21, 1952, Rafael Molina arrived at the cinema in the mid-seventies, where he developed for 25 years a career as a stuntman, horseman and stunt double. In 1981 he acquired, together with Paco Ardura, coordinator of semovantes, what was then known as the town of Juan García (its original owner), created in the mid-sixties. A year later they founded the company Decorados Cinematográficos Almería with the aim of continuing to host filming in their facilities. Soon after, the town opened to the public and in 1984 they began to hold specialist shows for visitors. At the beginning of the nineties, the venue was renamed Texas Hollywood and continued to grow with new services and facilities. And since 2008 it has added Fort Bravo to its name. Recently, Molina bought his share from Ardura and was left as the sole owner and manager of the town. Rafael Molina appeared in many westerns in an uncredited capacity. What I can find are four films: “Silver Saddle in 1978 where he performed stunts, “Sons of Trinity” in 1994 as a gambler, ‘El Fantasmo de Fort Bravo (TV)’ in 2014 as himself and the 2014 documentary “Spaghetti Western” as himself.