ArkaEvren
Guillermo del Toro

WRITER

Guillermo del Toro

Known for
Schindler's List (1993), Alien (1979)

13 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

Guillermo del Toro is a screenwriter best known for Schindler's List and Alien.

13 Interesting Facts About Guillermo del Toro

Interesting Facts (10)

  1. #001

    Guillermo del Toro's collection of films and comic books is so large that he had to buy an extra house to accommodate it.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #002

    Del Toro is good friends with director James Cameron. Cameron helped him pay the ransom for his father, who was kidnapped in 1997, and once said he nearly got into a fight over Harvey Weinstein's treatment of del Toro during the shooting of Mimic (1997).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #003

    Guillermo del Toro worked as an orderly in a mental hospital and ate his lunch in the morgue next door.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  4. #004

    After watching The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), del Toro became a vegetarian, but only for four years. He is no longer a vegetarian.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  5. #005

    When choosing his films, Guillermo del Toro first looks for interesting, intriguing eyes in a prospective actor or actress.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  6. #006

    Del Toro lost 45 lbs. while making Pan's Labyrinth (2006), which he admitted in the DVD's video introduction.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  7. #007

    Del Toro considers Mimic (1997) the weakest of his films and cites the constant interference of producers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein as the main reason, since his artistic vision was not respected. He later made peace with the film after creating a new Director's Cut.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  8. #008

    Del Toro took on directing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) but left the project when it stalled due to repeated production delays and MGM declaring bankruptcy. He still received a screenwriting credit on the film and its sequels: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  9. #009

    Guillermo del Toro is a lifelong fan of Hammer Horror films and has said that he made The Devil's Backbone (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015) with their style in mind.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  10. #010

    About 16 years of Guillermo del Toro's life went into writing and co-writing screenplays for films that were never made.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #011

    Del Toro fought with film studios for nearly seven years to cast Ron Perlman in the lead role of Hellboy (2004). The studio wanted a bigger name to guarantee the film's success, but del Toro believed Perlman was the perfect choice and said he would not make the film if Perlman was not cast.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Life & Family (2)

  1. #012

    Del Toro has extensive knowledge and practical experience playing video games and is very good friends with Japanese video game designer/director Hideo Kojima, with whom he shares many interests, including classic 1960s films, Japanese television series and rare toys.

    LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #013

    Guillermo del Toro was set to direct Thor (2011) for Marvel Studios because he was interested in exploring Norse mythology, but he dropped out because he could not commit to it long term.

    LIFE & FAMILY · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Related pages

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work