← Home
Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro

Directing

Born: October 9, 1964Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

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
Filmography
The Thing Expanded

The Thing Expanded

Self

2026
Frankenstein: The Anatomy Lesson

Frankenstein: The Anatomy Lesson

Self - Writer / Director

2025
Mollusk

Mollusk

2025
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld

The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld

2025
Sangre del Toro

Sangre del Toro

Self

2025
It’s a Mad Max World

It’s a Mad Max World

Self

2025
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

Self

2025
Netflix Tudum 2025

Netflix Tudum 2025

Self

2025
Surrealistic Nightmares: An In-Depth Look at Walloon Horror Cinema

Surrealistic Nightmares: An In-Depth Look at Walloon Horror Cinema

Self

2025
Dario Argento: Panico

Dario Argento: Panico

Self

2024
Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre

Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre

Self

2023
Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds

Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds

Self

2023
George Pal: Un Marciano De Hollywood En Argentina

George Pal: Un Marciano De Hollywood En Argentina

2023
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema

Self

2022

Boris Karloff: The Rest of the Story

Self

2022
Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters

Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters

Self

2022
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

Self

2021
I'm No Longer Here: A Discussion with Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón

I'm No Longer Here: A Discussion with Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón

Self

2020
Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business

Clapboard Jungle: Surviving the Independent Film Business

Self

2020
Love, Antosha

Love, Antosha

Self

2019
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film

Self

2019
The House Is Alive: Constructing 'Crimson Peak'

The House Is Alive: Constructing 'Crimson Peak'

Self

2019
Guillermo del Toro: Un director y su Oscar

Guillermo del Toro: Un director y su Oscar

Guillermo del Toro

2018
Bloody And Groovy Baby! A Tribute to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2

Bloody And Groovy Baby! A Tribute to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2

Self

2018
Light in the Darkness: The Impact of Night of The Living Dead

Light in the Darkness: The Impact of Night of The Living Dead

Self

2018

When Romero Met Del Toro

2017
78/52

78/52

Self

2017
Five Came Back

Five Came Back

Self

2017
The Giant's Dream: The Making of the Iron Giant

The Giant's Dream: The Making of the Iron Giant

Self

2016
Crimson Phantoms

Crimson Phantoms

2016
I Remember Crimson Peak

I Remember Crimson Peak

Himself

2016
Hand Tailored Gothic

Hand Tailored Gothic

Self

2016
A Living Thing

A Living Thing

2016
The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak

The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak

Self

2016
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

Self

2015
The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet

The First Hundred Feet, the Last Hundred Feet

Self

2015
Metal Gear Solid: Legacy

Metal Gear Solid: Legacy

Self

2015
Extraordinary Tales

Extraordinary Tales

Narrator (voice) (segment 'The Pit and the Pendulum')

2015
Lennon or McCartney

Lennon or McCartney

Self

2014
The Book of Life

The Book of Life

Land of the Remembered Captain's Wife (voice)

2014
Guillermo del Toro Interviews Paul Williams

Guillermo del Toro Interviews Paul Williams

Self

2014
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics

Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics

Self

2013
The Digital Artistry of Pacific Rim

The Digital Artistry of Pacific Rim

Self

2013
The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy

Self

2013
Spanish Gothic

Spanish Gothic

Self

2013
Drew: The Man Behind the Poster

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster

Self

2013
El Santos vs la Tetona Mendoza

El Santos vs la Tetona Mendoza

Gamborimbo Ponx (voice)

2012
Men in Suits

Men in Suits

Self

2012
Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss

Horror Europa with Mark Gatiss

Self

2012
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Self

2012
Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots

Comandante / Hombre del bigote (voice)

2011

Zombie Lover

Interviewee

2011
Back Into the Tunnels: The Making of 'Mimic'

Back Into the Tunnels: The Making of 'Mimic'

Self

2011
A Leap in Evolution: The Creatures of 'Mimic'

A Leap in Evolution: The Creatures of 'Mimic'

Self

2011
Reclaiming 'Mimic'

Reclaiming 'Mimic'

Self

2011
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Self

2011
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Creature (Voice)

2010

Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock

Self

2009
North by Northwest: One for the Ages

North by Northwest: One for the Ages

Self

2009
The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style

Self

2009
El último truco

El último truco

Self

2008
Hellboy: In Service of the Demon

Hellboy: In Service of the Demon

Self

2008
Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace

Additional Voices (voice)

2008
Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators

Partners in Crime: Hitchcock's Collaborators

Self

2008
In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

In the Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy

Self

2008
Saul Bass: Title Champ

Saul Bass: Title Champ

Self

2008
Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro

Bernard Herrmann: Hitchcock's Maestro

Self

2008
Edith Head: Dressing the Master's Movies

Edith Head: Dressing the Master's Movies

Self

2008
Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of Hitchcock

Self

2008
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

Self

2008
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Creature Vocals (voice) (uncredited)

2008
Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound

Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound

Self

2008
The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't

Self

2008
Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of An Artist

Drew Struzan: An Appreciation of An Artist

Self

2008

The Melody Echoes the Fairy Tale

Self

2007
The Power of Myth

The Power of Myth

Self

2007
Pan and the Fairies

Pan and the Fairies

Self

2007
The Color and the Shape

The Color and the Shape

Self

2007
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

Self

2007
Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers

Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers

Self

2007
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard

Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard

Self

2007
Diary of the Dead

Diary of the Dead

Newsreader (voice) (uncredited)

2007
07 Spaceys

07 Spaceys

2007
Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy

2005
Torrente 3: The Protector

Torrente 3: The Protector

Contacto Giannina (scenes deleted)

2005
Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation

Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation

Self

2004
Hellboy

Hellboy

Guy Dressed as Dragon (uncredited)

2004
Que es un Fantasma?: The Making of 'The Devil's Backbone'

Que es un Fantasma?: The Making of 'The Devil's Backbone'

Self

2004
Noin

Noin

Guillermo del Toro

2003
Masters of Horror

Masters of Horror

Self

2002
The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'

The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'

Self

2002
Bullfighter

Bullfighter

Bullboy #2

2000
Cronos

Cronos

Man Walking Dog (uncredited)

1993