Guillermo del Toro

Who is Guillermo del Toro?

Guillermo del Toro Gómez is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, producer, and novelist. In his filmmaking career, del Toro has alternated between Spanish-language dark fantasy pieces, such as The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, and more mainstream American action movies, such as Blade II, Hellboy, its sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Pacific Rim.

In addition to his directing works, del Toro is a prolific producer, his producing works including acclaimed and/or successful films such as The Orphanage, Julia's Eyes, Biutiful, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, and Mama. He was originally chosen by Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit films; he left the project due to production problems but was still credited as co-writer for his numerous contributions to the script.

Del Toro's work is characterised by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty. He has a lifelong fascination with monsters, which he considers symbols of great power. Del Toro is known for his use of insectile and religious imagery, the themes of Catholicism and celebrating imperfection, underworld and clockwork motifs, dominant amber lighting, and his frequent collaborations with actors Ron Perlman and Doug Jones.