Guillermo del Toro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guillermo del Toro
Del Toro in 2023
Born	Guillermo del Toro Gómez (1964-10-09) 9 October 1964 (age 60) Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Occupation	Filmmaker author artist
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	Lorenza Newton ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 2017)​ Kim Morgan ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	2
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Guillermo del Toro Gómez (born October 9, 1964) is a famous filmmaker, author, and artist from Mexico. He is known for his unique movies that often mix fairy tales, gothic stories, and horror. He likes to make scary or strange things look beautiful.

Guillermo has always loved monsters, seeing them as symbols of great power. His films often feature dark fantasy, insect-like creatures, and themes of imperfection. He also uses lots of practical special effects and warm, amber lighting.

He has made films in both Spanish and English. Some of his Spanish films include Cronos (1993), The Devil's Backbone (2001), and Pan's Labyrinth (2006). His English films include Hellboy (2004), Pacific Rim (2013), The Shape of Water (2017), and Pinocchio (2022).

Besides directing, he has also produced or written many other projects. These include The Orphanage (2007), The Hobbit film series (2012–2014), and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019). In 2022, he created the Netflix horror series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.

He also co-wrote a series of novels called The Strain (2009–2011). With DreamWorks Animation and Netflix, he created the animated world of Tales of Arcadia. This includes the popular series Trollhunters (2016–18) and its follow-ups.

Guillermo del Toro is good friends with other Mexican filmmakers Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro G. Iñárritu. They are sometimes called "The Three Amigos of Mexican Cinema." He has won many important awards, including three Academy Awards (Oscars), three BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life and First Steps in Film

Del Toro promoting his first feature film, Cronos, which was released in 1993

Guillermo del Toro was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. His parents were Guadalupe Gómez and Federico del Toro Torres. He grew up in a strict Catholic home. He studied filmmaking at the University of Guadalajara. While there, he wrote his first book, which was about the famous director Alfred Hitchcock.

When Guillermo was about eight years old, he started making short films. He used his father's Super 8 camera and toys like those from Planet of the Apes. He made about 10 short films before his first big movie. Only two of these early films, Doña Lupe and Geometria, are available today.

He also worked on a Mexican TV series called La Hora Marcada. He wrote and directed several episodes.

Before making his first feature film, he planned a stop-motion movie. He and his team built many sets and puppets. But sadly, vandals broke into the studio and destroyed everything. This made him switch to making live-action films instead.

Del Toro also studied special effects and make-up. He spent 10 years as a special-effects make-up designer. He even started his own company called Necropia. He also helped start the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Later, he created his own film production company, the Tequila Gang.

Guillermo del Toro's Film Career

Del Toro being interviewed in 2002

Guillermo del Toro has directed many different kinds of movies. He has made films based on comic books like Blade II (2002) and the Hellboy movies (2004 and 2008). He also directs historical fantasy and horror films. Two of his most famous films, The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, are set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. These films are highly praised by critics.

Del Toro believes that horror movies can tell important stories about society and politics. He says that some fairy tales and horror stories teach you to follow rules, while others encourage you to question things.

He is very good friends with fellow Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. They often help each other with their films. For example, Cuarón helped produce Pan's Labyrinth. The three friends even started a production company together called Cha Cha Cha Films.

In 2008, Guillermo was asked to direct The Hobbit movies, based on J. R. R. Tolkien's book. He worked on the project for a while but had to leave because of delays. Even though he didn't direct them, he is still credited as a co-writer for the films.

In 2009, del Toro released his first novel, The Strain. It was the first book in a vampire story series he wrote with Chuck Hogan. The books were later turned into a TV show.

He directed Pacific Rim (2013), a big science fiction movie. In this film, giant monsters called kaiju attack cities, and humans fight back with huge robot suits called Jaegers. Del Toro said this was his most exciting film to make. It earned over $411 million around the world.

After The Strain TV show, del Toro directed Crimson Peak (2015). This was a gothic horror film. He wanted it to feel like classic ghost stories. The movie starred Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Mia Wasikowska.

Awards and Recent Projects

Del Toro at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015

In 2017, del Toro directed The Shape of Water, a drama set during the Cold War. The film won the Golden Lion award at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. This made him the first Mexican director to win that award. The movie was a huge success and won many more awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Del Toro also won the Academy Award for Best Director for it.

He also worked with video game designer Hideo Kojima on a video game called P.T..

From 2016 to 2018, his animated series Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia was released on Netflix. It became one of Netflix's most-watched kids' original shows. In 2017, an exhibition called Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters showed his collection of art and movie props at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Guillermo del Toro in Annecy in 2016

In 2021, del Toro directed Nightmare Alley, a film based on a 1946 novel. It received good reviews and was nominated for four Academy Awards.

In 2022, his stop-motion animated film Pinocchio was released. This version of the classic story was set during the rise of a dictator in Italy. Netflix supported the project, and it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Del Toro has shared plans to direct a stop-motion film based on the novel The Buried Giant. He also plans to make a live-action Frankenstein film for Netflix. He has said that he might focus mostly on animation in the future.

Favorite Films

Guillermo del Toro has shared his favorite films. Here are some of the movies he loves:

• 8½ (1963)
• Beauty and the Beast (1946)
• Frankenstein (1931)
• Freaks (1932)
• Goodfellas (1990)
• Greed (1924)
• Los Olvidados (1950)
• Modern Times (1936)
• Nosferatu (1922)
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

He updated his list in 2022, adding:

• Barry Lyndon (1975)
• Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• City Lights (1931)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
• Nazarín (1959)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)

Personal Life and Interests

Family and Homes

Guillermo del Toro married Lorenza Newton in 1986, and they had two daughters. They divorced in 2017. In 2021, he married Kim Morgan.

He has homes in Toronto and Los Angeles. He also visits his family in Guadalajara every few weeks. He owns two special houses just for his huge collection of books, movie posters, and other items related to his work. He once said he dreamed of having a house with secret passages and a room where it rained all day.

Views and Beliefs

Del Toro has shared his thoughts on various topics. He believes in people and dislikes strict rules from big organizations, whether they are social, religious, or economic. He says the bad guys in his films often represent strict power.

He was raised Catholic but later changed his beliefs. However, his background still influences his films. He believes that art and storytelling are very important in his life. He also believes that we gain clarity at the end of our lives, realizing who we truly are.

Del Toro is also cautious about using AI in filmmaking. He thinks AI can make simple things like screensavers, but it cannot create art that makes people feel deep emotions. He believes art requires effort and risk from humans.

Interests

Guillermo del Toro is a big fan of video games. He calls them "the comic books of our time." He especially likes games like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

His favorite film monsters include Frankenstein's monster, the Alien, and Godzilla. He has a special connection to Frankenstein, calling it "the most important book of my life." He watches three movies every day. He also loves Japanese manga and anime, saying Doraemon is "the greatest kids series ever created."

Del Toro is also very interested in Victorian culture. He has a special room in his library dedicated to authors like Charles Dickens and other Victorian novelists.

A Difficult Time

Around 1997, Guillermo del Toro's father was kidnapped in Guadalajara. His family had to pay a large amount of money for his release. After this difficult event, Guillermo, his parents, and his siblings moved out of Mexico. He has said that this experience made him feel like he was living in "involuntary exile" from his home country.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

Guillermo del Toro's films have won and been nominated for many awards.

Images for kids

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  Del Toro in 2023

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  Guillermo del Toro's signature

See also

In Spanish: Guillermo del Toro para niños

• Cinema of Mexico
• Guillermo del Toro's unrealized projects