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Albert was born on June 24, 1919, to Raffaele Molinaro and Teresa Marrone. His father, originally from Calabria, Italy, immigrated to the US at age 15, working as a water boy for a railroad crew heading west from New York. He eventually settled in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he met and married Teresa on December 22, 1901. Albert was named after Umberto II, his father's favorite Italian prince born 15 years earlier. A schoolteacher suggested that "Albert" might be a more fitting name. His mother chose his middle name, Fransico, after Saint Francis, since he was born on Saint Francis Day. However, the midwife, whose English was only slightly better than Albert's parents', misspelled his middle name with a feminine "A" at the end, which was never corrected. His legal name remained Umberto Francisca Molinaro. He was the ninth of ten children—eight boys and two girls.
At 19, Albert became a union leader at the Vincent-McCall furniture spring factory after just four months on the job. By age 20, he was the special assistant to the Kenosha City Manager. During this time, his best friend from Kenosha, Mills Tenuta, who had moved to Southern California to work in an aircraft plant, urged him to come to Hollywood, believing Albert could be a movie star. After a year with the city, Albert left his promising career to pursue acting in Hollywood.
While chasing his acting dreams, Albert held many jobs. His first was at Reginald Denny's hobby shop in Hollywood. He spent two years as a live-action animator at George Pal's studios. Had Technicolor not gone on a sympathy strike with the Studio Carpenters union, he might have continued as an animator. He managed the M&G Grand Variety Store for a year, then worked as a bill collector for the Collection Agency of America in downtown LA. Quickly mastering the art of bill collecting, he became a salesman procuring collection accounts for another agency, which he later purchased. This provided flexible hours and steady income, allowing him to refocus on Hollywood. Even after his acting career took off, he maintained his bill collection business until retirement.
Albert married Jacqueline Martin in 1948. They settled in Granada Hills, CA, and adopted a son, Michael Molinaro. The couple divorced in 1980. In 1981, Albert married Betty Sedillos; they lived in Glendale, CA, until his passing in 2015. He had two stepchildren, Jim and Victoria Sedillos, along with six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Albert made his movie debut at age 25 after starring in a Chekhov play, "The Bear," at the old Sartu Theater on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea Ave. A producer saw his performance and cast him in "Love Me Madly," a film featuring three separate stories, including a Spanish adaptation of "The Bear." Unaware that some scenes shot without him were considered X-rated by 1954 standards, Albert was surprised and upset at the premiere and vowed never to appear in a film his mother couldn't watch.
In the early 1950s, Albert produced live television shows for local stations KTLA (channel 5), KHJ (channel 9), and KTTV (channel 11). He co-created "Insomnia," a late-night live show, and a "Ski Show" featuring Warren Miller's footage. He also created "Star Finder," a pre-teen amateur show; "Square Dance Party"; and "The Tiny Late Show," his own late-night one-man show filling the minutes between the end of the late-night movie and the station's sign-off.
While balancing work and bills, Albert acted in small plays throughout Hollywood. After 25 years of theater, he was persuaded to play a minor role in a play directed by his friend Leo Matranga at the Hollywood Horseshoe Theater. Following the show, commercial agent Don Schwartz offered to represent him, but Albert initially declined. A year later, Don secured an audition for a national commercial, convincing Albert to try. He landed a Volvo 140 commercial, marking his debut; the ad can be seen on YouTube at 3 minutes, 30 seconds into a compilation of vintage Volvo ads. This launched a career with over 100 commercials, including 42 national spots. He also secured a 10-year spokesperson deal with Encore frozen dinners.
A friend from George Pal's studios, Glenn Grossman, frequently cast Albert in industrial films. While working with Glenn, Albert met actor Harvey Lembeck, who ran an actor's workshop. Harvey helped Albert improve his comedy timing. Penny Marshall, sister of Gary Marshall, was also part of the workshop. One night, Penny invited Gary to see Albert, who was then producing "The Grasshopper" starring Jacqueline Bissett and wanted Albert to play a truck driver. Albert declined due to a scheduling conflict with a Pepto-Bismol commercial shoot in Phoenix.
A year later, encouraged by writer friend John Rappaport, Albert contacted Gary Marshall about a role in "The Odd Couple" TV show. After multiple unanswered calls, Albert dressed as a delivery man and brought a 2'x3' card featuring many photos of himself with the message: "Al Molinaro is a Poker Player. ...Assorted Poker Faces ... More faces available upon demand. Just Call (phone number). Dear Gary, If you don't call me for an audition, I'll put a curse on you to make you sterile for life. Sincerely, Al Molinaro." Though the delivery outfit didn’t get him past the Paramount gate, the card was delivered, leading to an audition and landing the role of Murray the Cop. Gary later said, "Although we thought Albert was wrong for the part, we decided to take a chance on Al because, of all the men who auditioned, he was the funniest."
Albert spent five years on "The Odd Couple." When it ended, Jack Klugman wanted to pursue drama, and Albert was offered the role of the malt shop owner on Gary's new show, "Happy Days." Initially, Albert turned it down, not wanting to work with "a bunch of kids." After the first season, when Pat Morita, who played the malt shop owner, left for his own show, Gary invited Albert again. Albert agreed on the condition he could quit anytime if he didn't enjoy it; Gary agreed verbally. Albert then enjoyed ten years on "Happy Days" from 1974 to 1984 and one more year on "Joanie Loves Chachi." He guest-starred in many TV shows during and after "The Odd Couple" and "Happy Days." He also appeared in the short-lived sitcom "The Family Man" from 1990-1991 but stopped taking roles by the mid-1990s. He completed his 10-year contract with Encore Frozen Foods, and his final job was appearing in a music video with Weezer.
Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the mid-1990s, Albert lived with the condition for 20 years. Early diagnosis and careful medication allowed him to enjoy life until a mild heart attack in May 2015. A kind man, Albert taught himself piano, clarinet, and ukulele, even performing gigs playing clarinet in Reno during his youth. His family believes his improvisational skills helped him mask his Alzheimer's until shortly before his death. He continued answering fan mail personally until his health declined. He celebrated his 96th birthday in June 2015 but was rapidly declining. Developing gallstones, surgery was not recommended due to his age and recent heart attack. Albert passed away on October 30, 2015.
