AllMovie

A former weight-lifter and architect, Paul Naschy entered the Spanish film industry in the mid-1960s, at first acting under his real name, Jacinto Molina. Naschy quickly became Spain's Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Lon Chaney Jr. rolled into one, starring in scores of blood-drenched horror films. Few of his performances of the 1970s were seen in the U.S. intact; beyond the poor voiceover dubbing usually bestowed upon Naschy, his films were rife with the sort of overt sex and sadism that tended to be avoided by "mainstream" movie houses of the era (one of the best video sources for unexpurgated Naschy films is Sinister Cinema, which offers such titles as Fury of the Wolfman, Horror Rises from the Tomb and Inquisition). The actor is best known for his recurring werewolf character Waldemar Daninsky, essentially a sympathetic figure who, in between bouts of lycanthropy, does his best to save the world from vampires, zombies and other undesirables. Since 1968, Paul Naschy has written the screenplays for most of his films, often adopting the pseudonym "Jack Moll" he has also directed at least nine of his own vehicles.