Guillermo del Toro Gómez (Guadalajara, 9 October 1964) is a film director, screenwriter, film producer and Mexican writer.
In his career as a director, del Toro alternated his work between works in Spanish focusing on dark fantasy themes, such as the gothic films The Devil's Backbone (2001) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006), for which he was a candidate for two Oscars as best foreign film and best original screenplay, and classic American action films, such as the vampire superhero movie Blade II (2002), the supernatural Hellboy (2004), his sequel Hellboy: The Golden Army (2008) and the sci-fi monster movie Pacific Rim (2013). The fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017) received critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion at the 74th Venice Film Festival, also receiving two Oscars in the categories best director and best film, plus a nomination for the best original screenplay; del Toro has received many other awards for his work as a director, winning the aforementioned category at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the Directors Guild of America Awards.
In addition to his work as a director, del Toro is a prolific film producer, having produced films like The Orphanage (2007), Julia's Eyes (2010), Biutiful (2010), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), Puss in Boots (2011) and Mama (2013).
Del Toro's works are characterized by a strong bond with fairy tales and horror, with the desire to infuse his works with an aesthetic or poetic beauty. He has always been fascinated by monsters, whom he considers symbols of great power; it is also known for its use of religious images and themes of Catholicism, of insectoids and of the celebration of imperfection, of the idea of the underworld and of the mechanisms of clocks, as well as for the use of practical special effects, of a dominant illumination amber and for his frequent collaborations with actors Ron Perlman and Doug Jones. He is also a great friend of fellow countrymen Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu; the three cineastisono known together as "The three amigos of cinema".
