Guillermo del Toro
Personal Info
Known for
Directing
Gender
Male
Birthday
1964-10-09 (60 years old)
Place of Birth
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Guillermo del Toro
Biography
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (Spanish: [ɡiˈʝeɾmo ðelˈtoɾo]; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, gothicism, and horror, often blending the genres to infuse visual or poetic beauty into the grotesque. He has had a lifelong fascination with monsters, which he considers symbols of great power. He is known for pioneering dark fantasy in the film industry and using insectile and religious imagery, his themes of Catholicism, and celebrating imperfection, underworld motifs, practical special effects, and dominant amber lighting.
Throughout his career, del Toro has shifted between Spanish-language films—such as Cronos (1993), The Devil's Backbone (2001), and Pan's Labyrinth (2006)—and English-language films, including Mimic (1997), Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and its sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army(2008), Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015), The Shape of Water (2017), Nightmare Alley (2021), and Pinocchio (2022).
As a producer or writer, he worked on the films The Orphanage (2007), Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), The Hobbit film series (2012–2014), Mama (2013), The Book of Life (2014), Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), and The Witches (2020). In 2022, he created the Netflix anthology horror series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, featuring a collection of classical horror stories.
With Chuck Hogan, he co-authored The Strain trilogy of novels (2009–2011), which was later adapted into a comic book series (2011–15) and a live-action television series (2014–17). With DreamWorks Animation and Netflix, he created the animated franchise Tales of Arcadia, which includes the series Trollhunters (2016–18), 3Below (2018–19), and Wizards (2020) and the sequel film Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021).
Del Toro is close friends with fellow Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, collectively known as "The Three Amigos of Mexican Cinema". He has received several awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Golden Lion. He was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, and he received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.
Known For
Acting
(2025)
(2024)
Dario Argento: Panico
as Self
(2023)
(2023)
(2023)
(2022)
(2022)
(2022)
(2021)
(2020)
(2020)
(2019)
(2019)
Love, Antosha
as Self
(2019)
(2018)
(2018)
Guillermo del Toro: Un director y su Oscar
as Guillermo del Toro
(2018)
(2017)
78/52
as Self
(2017)
Five Came Back
as Self
(2017)
(2016)
(2016)
I Remember Crimson Peak
as Himself
(2016)
(2016)
(2016)
Hand Tailored Gothic
as Self
(2016)
(2015)
Metal Gear Solid: Legacy
as Self
(2015)
(2015)
(2014)
Lennon or McCartney
as Self
(2014)
The Book of Life
as Land of the Remembered Captain's Wife (voice)
(2014)
(2013)
(2013)
(2013)
Extraordinary Tales
as Narrator (voice) (segment 'The Pit and the Pendulum')
(2013)
Spanish Gothic
as Self
(2013)
(2013)
(2012)
(2012)
Men in Suits
as Self
(2012)
El Santos vs la Tetona Mendoza
as Gamborimbo Ponx (voice)
(2012)
(2011)
Zombie Lover
as Interviewee
(2011)
(2011)
Puss in Boots
as Comandante / Hombre del bigote (voice)
(2011)
Reclaiming 'Mimic'
as Self
(2011)
(2011)
(2010)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
as Creature (Voice)
(2009)
(2009)
(2009)
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
El último truco
as Self
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
Saul Bass: Title Champ
as Self
(2008)
(2008)
(2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
as Creature Vocals (voice) (uncredited)
(2008)
Quantum of Solace
as Additional Voices (voice)
(2008)
(2007)
(2007)
(2007)
(2007)
(2007)
The Power of Myth
as Self
(2007)
Pan and the Fairies
as Self
(2007)
(2007)
The Color and the Shape
as Self
(2007)
Diary of the Dead
as Newsreader (voice) (uncredited)
(2005)
(2005)
Torrente 3: The Protector
as Contacto Giannina (scenes deleted)
(2004)
(2004)
(2004)
Hellboy
as Guy Dressed as Dragon (uncredited)
(2002)
Masters of Horror
as Self
(2002)
(2000)
Bullfighter
as Bullboy #2
(1993)
Cronos
as Man Walking Dog (uncredited)
Crew
Frankenstein
Screenplay, Producer, Director
The Buried Giant
Producer, Director
The Bloody Benders
Producer
(2025)
The Monkey
Thanks
(2024)
The Apprentice
Thanks
(2024)
Megalopolis
Thanks
(2023)
(2023)
(2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema
Executive Producer
(2022)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
Screenstory, Director, Producer, Screenplay
(2021)
Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans
Screenplay, Producer, Creator, Book
(2021)
Antlers
Producer
(2021)
Nightmare Alley
Director, Producer, Screenplay
(2020)
Roald Dahl's The Witches
Producer, Screenplay
(2019)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Screenstory, Producer
(2018)
Pacific Rim: Uprising
Producer
(2018)
Ayotzinapa: The Turtle's Pace
Producer
(2017)
The Shape of Water
Producer, Director, Story, Screenplay
(2016)
Una suegra muy norteña
Executive Producer
(2016)
Kung Fu Panda 3
Executive Producer
(2015)
Crimson Peak
Director, Writer, Producer
(2015)
The Thin Yellow Line
Producer
(2014)
The Book of Life
Producer
(2014)
(2014)
(2013)
Pacific Rim
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(2013)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Screenplay
(2013)
Mama
Executive Producer
(2013)
Gravity
Thanks
(2012)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Screenplay
(2012)
The Captured Bird
Executive Producer
(2012)
Rise of the Guardians
Executive Producer
(2011)
Puss in Boots
Executive Producer
(2011)
Kung Fu Panda 2
Creative Consultant
(2010)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Producer, Screenplay
(2010)
Splice
Producer
(2010)
Julia's Eyes
Producer
(2010)
Megamind
Creative Consultant
(2010)
(2010)
Biutiful
Associate Producer
(2009)
District 9
Thanks
(2009)
Rage
Producer
(2008)
Rudo & Cursi
Producer
(2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Screenplay, Director, Story
(2008)
Insignificant Things
Producer
(2008)
(2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Prologue
Screenplay
(2008)
While She Was Out
Executive Producer
(2007)
The Orphanage
Executive Producer
(2007)
Diary of the Dead
Thanks
(2007)
Year of the Nail
Thanks
(2007)
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron
Creative Producer
(2006)
Pan's Labyrinth
Director, Screenplay, Producer
(2006)
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms
Creative Producer
(2005)
Home Delivery
Presenter
(2004)
Hellboy
Screenplay, Director, Fight Choreographer
(2004)
Crónicas
Producer
(2003)
Mimic 2
Characters
(2002)
Blade II
Director
(2002)
I Murder Seriously
Executive Producer
(2001)
The Devil's Backbone
Screenplay, Director
(2001)
Y Tu Mamá También
Thanks
(2000)
Amores Perros
Editorial Coordinator
(1999)
Under a Spell
Producer
(1997)
Mimic
Screenplay, Director, Screenstory
(1995)
Algunas nubes
Makeup Effects
(1993)
Cronos
Director, Screenplay
(1992)
Sólo con tu pareja
Thanks
(1991)
Cabeza de Vaca
Makeup Effects Designer
(1990)
Dying in the Gulf
Makeup Effects, Storyboard
(1989)
Love Lies
Makeup Effects, Special Effects Makeup Artist
(1989)
Goitia: A God for Himself
Special Effects Makeup Artist
(1987)
Geometry
Director, Writer, Producer
(1987)
Obdulia
First Assistant Director
(1986)
Mrs. Lupe
Director, Screenplay, Executive Producer, Casting, Assistant Editor
(1985)
Doña Herlinda and Her Son
Executive Producer