Director/Producer Profile: Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo is not amused.

Personal Life

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on October 9, 1964, del Toro first got into film when he studied special effects and make-up with Academy Award winning make-up artist Dick Smith at around age 8. 8 years were spent as a special effects make-up designer, during which time he founded the design company Necropia. He would later make his own production company: The Tequila Gang. Del Toro married his high school sweetheart, Lorenza Newton, and they live in Wellington, New Zealand with their 2 daughters, Mariana and Marisa.

(Abridged) Filmography

1997 – Mimic (Director)

2001 – The Devil’s Backbone (Director, Writer, Producer)

2002 – Blade II (Director)

2004 – Hellboy (Director, Writer)

2006 – Pan’s Labyrinth (Director, Writer, Producer)

2008 – Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Director, Writer)

2011 – Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (Writer, Producer)

2012 – At the Mountains of Madness (Director, Writer)

2012 – The Haunted Mansion (Writer, Producer)

2012 – The Hobbit (Writer)

TBD – A Van Helsing movie of some sort (Director?, Writer, Producer)

Critical Reception

His Hellboy and Hellboy II movies were generally seen as better than the average movie, but by no means masterpieces, and Blade II was almost universally regarded as barely mediocre. Del Toro’s 2^nd film, Mimic, was also a bit of a letdown. Possibly his 2 biggest hits so far have been The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, with the latter winning Academy Awards for Art Direction, Cinematography, and Make Up, while also nominated for Original Score, Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Film.

The Future

 Del Toro shows enormous promise for many years to come, especially if he sticks with the mysterious, dark, “Faerie” air of Pan’s Labyrinth. In 2008 he was announced to be the director of the 2012 Hobbit film with Peter Jackson as the executive producer, but recently backed out due to delays; thanks a bunch, MGM. Even so, he’s continuing his work on the screenplays. He’s on board to direct and/or produce multiple movies right now, including Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and At the Mountains of Madness, which is of course based on H.P. Lovecraft’s novella of the same name. Comic Con 2010 marked del Toro’s announcement that he would produce, write, and possibly direct a remake of Disney’s The Haunted Mansion, with a less comedic nature. In addition, word is that he'll be (at least) writing and producing a film that takes Van Helsing in a new direction. The way I see it, the Guillermo touch can never hurt. My expectations are high.