Early life

Del Toro was born on February 19, 1967, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Gustavo Adolfo Del Toro Bermúdez and Fausta Genoveva Sánchez Rivera, who were both lawyers. Many of Del Toro's relatives are involved in Puerto Rico's legal system. He has an older brother, Gustavo, who is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. He had a Catalan paternal great-grandfather and a Basque maternal great-grandmother. He stated in an interview that along with Spanish, he has Italian and Indigenous American ancestry as well. Del Toro is related to Puerto Rican basketball player Carlos Arroyo, Spanish pop-eurodance singer Rebeca Pous Del Toro, whose maternal grandfather was Puerto Rican, and Puerto Rican singer Eliseo Del Toro.

Del Toro, whose childhood nicknames were "Skinny Benny" and "Beno", was raised a Roman Catholic and attended Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (The Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help), a Roman Catholic school in Miramar, Puerto Rico. When Del Toro was nine years old, his mother died of hepatitis. At age 12, he moved with his father and brother to Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he was enrolled at the Mercersburg Academy. He spent his adolescence and attended high school there. After graduation, Del Toro followed the advice of his father and pursued a business degree at the University of California, San Diego. Success in an elective drama course encouraged him to drop out of college and study with noted acting teachers Stella Adler and Arthur Mendoza, in Los Angeles, as well as at the Circle in the Square Theatre School, in New York City.

Career

Del Toro began to surface in small television parts during the late 1980s, playing mostly thugs and drug dealers on programs such as Miami Vice and the NBC miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story. He had a cameo in Madonna's 1987 music video clip "La Isla Bonita" as a background character sitting on a car. Work in films followed, beginning with his debut in Big Top Pee-wee and as Dario in the 007 film Licence to Kill, in which the 21-year-old Del Toro held the distinction of being the youngest actor ever to play a Bond henchman. Del Toro continued to appear in movies including The Indian Runner (1991), China Moon (1994), Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), Money for Nothing (1993), Fearless (1993) and Swimming with Sharks (1994).

His career gained momentum in 1995 with his breakout performance in The Usual Suspects, where he played the mumbling, wisecracking Fred Fenster. The role won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male and established him as a character actor. This led to more strong roles in independent and major studio films, including playing Gaspare in Abel Ferrara's The Funeral (1996) and winning a second consecutive Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his work as Benny Dalmau in Basquiat (1996), directed by his friend, artist Julian Schnabel. Del Toro also shared the screen with Robert De Niro in the big budget thriller The Fan, in which he played Juan Primo, a charismatic Puerto Rican baseball star. He subsequently starred opposite Alicia Silverstone in Excess Baggage (1997), which Silverstone produced.

For Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's famous book, he gained more than 40 lbs. (about 18 kg) to play Dr. Gonzo (a.k.a. Oscar Zeta Acosta), Thompson's lawyer and drug-fiend cohort. The surrealistic film, directed by Terry Gilliam, has earned a cult following over the years. Returning from a two-year hiatus after Fear and Loathing, Del Toro gained a mainstream audience in 2000 with a string of performances in four high-profile films. First up was The Way of the Gun, a crime yarn that reunited him with The Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, making his directorial debut. A few months later, he stood out among a first-rate ensemble cast in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, a complex dissection of the North American drug wars. As Javier Rodriguez —a Mexican border cop struggling to remain honest amid the corruption and deception of illegal drug trafficking —Del Toro, who spoke most of his lines in Spanish, gave a performance that dominated the film.

His performance swept all of the major critics awards in 2001. Del Toro won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the fourth living Oscar winner whose winning role was a character who speaks predominantly in a foreign language. Del Toro is also the third Puerto Rican actor to win an Oscar, after Jose Ferrer and Rita Moreno. The night he won his Oscar marked the first time that two actors born in Puerto Rico were nominated in the same category (the other actor was Joaquin Phoenix). In his acceptance speech, Del Toro thanked the people of both Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora and dedicated his award to them. In addition to the Oscar, he also won the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Traffic was also a success at the box office, bringing to Del Toro real Hollywood clout for the first time in his career. While Traffic was still playing in theaters, two other Del Toro films were released in late 2000/early 2001. He had a brief role as the diamond thief Franky Four Fingers in Guy Ritchie's hip caper comedy Snatch, and played a mentally-challenged Native American man in The Pledge, directed by his old friend Sean Penn.

In 2003, Del Toro appeared in two films: The Hunted, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and the drama 21 Grams, co-starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. He went on to garner another Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work in the latter. He then appeared in the film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Things We Lost in the Fire, the English language debut of celebrated Danish director Susanne Bier. Things We Lost in the Fire co-starred Halle Berry, Alison Lohman and John Carroll Lynch.

In 2008, Del Toro was awarded the Prix d'interpretation masculine (or Best Actor Award) at the Cannes Film Festival for his characterization of Che Guevara in the biographical films The Argentine and Guerrilla (together known as Che). During his acceptance speech Del Toro dedicated his award "to the man himself, Che Guevara" along with director Steven Soderbergh. Del Toro was also awarded a 2009 Goya Award as the Best Actor for his depiction of Che. Actor Sean Penn, who won an Oscar for his role in Milk, remarked that he was surprised and disappointed that Che and Del Toro were not also up for any Academy Award nominations. During his acceptance speech for the Best Actor's trophy at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Penn expressed his dismay stating, "The fact that there aren't crowns on Soderbergh's and Del Toro's heads right now, I don't understand ... that is such a sensational movie, Che." For the final portions of the film (shown here), Del Toro shed 35 pounds to show how ill Guevara had become near the end of his life in the jungles of Bolivia.

In 2010, Del Toro starred in and produced the remake of Lon Chaney, Jr.'s classic cult film The Wolf Man.

He was chosen to be the face of the 2011 Campari calendar, becoming the first male model to be featured in the Italian liquor company's calendar.

Del Toro played the Collector in a mid-credits scene of Marvel Studios' superhero film Thor: The Dark World (2013) and later reprised his role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

In September 2015, Del Toro played Alejandro Gillick in critically acclaimed Sicario about a principled FBI agent who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Film critics widely praised his performance alongside Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin.

In the same month, Del Toro confirmed he will play a villain in Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Personal life

While promoting his film The Wolfman in 2010, he described his romantic life as "in limbo." When asked if he had thoughts of settling down, he responded, "Why? Everyone says, 'Why isn’t he married?' But it’s like, 'Fuck! Why do I have to get married? Just so I can get divorced?'" In an interview with The Times he mentioned that he did not want his West Hollywood apartment, which he described as his "cave," to be "invaded" by a wife and children.

On April 11, 2011, Del Toro's publicist announced that Del Toro and Kimberly Stewart (daughter of Rod Stewart) were expecting their first child, although they were not in a relationship. Stewart gave birth to a daughter, Delilah, on August 21, 2011. They had their daughter baptized in Puerto Rico.

On November 4, 2011, he acquired Spanish citizenship, along with fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin. The request was granted by the Spanish government due to his artistic talents and his Spanish roots (he has family in Barcelona).

In March 2012, he was granted an honorary degree by the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico for his impact on the cinema enterprise, during the celebration of the institution centenary.

Environmental cause

In 2003, Benicio del Toro became the spokesman of the educational campaign "Yo Limpio a Puerto Rico", an environmental organization founded in 1997 by Ignacio Barsottelli, whose mission is to educate, create awareness and mobilize the Puerto Rican community in favor of recycling and to the protection of the environment.

Del Toro narrated the public service announcement entitled "Coral Reef", joining the "Artists to the rescue of the environment" campaign.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1988	Big Top Pee-wee	Duke, the Dog-Faced Boy	Randal Kleiser
1989	Licence to Kill	Dario	John Glen
1991	Indian Runner, TheThe Indian Runner	Miguel Aguilera	Sean Penn
1992	Christopher Columbus: The Discovery	Alvaro Harana	John Glen
1993	Fearless	Manny Rodrigo	Peter Weir
	Huevos de oro	Bob, the friend from Miami	Bigas Luna
	Money for Nothing	Dino Palladino	Ramón Menéndez
1994	Swimming with Sharks	Rex	George Huang
	China Moon	Det. Lamar Dickey	John Bailey
1995	Usual Suspects, TheThe Usual Suspects	Fred Fenster	Bryan Singer
	Submission		Benicio del Toro	Short film; director, writer and producer
1996	Funeral, TheThe Funeral	Gaspare Spoglia	Abel Ferrara
	Fan, TheThe Fan	Juan Primo	Tony Scott
	Cannes Man	Himself	Susan Hito Shapiro	Cameo
	Basquiat	Benny Dalmau	Julian Schnabel
	Joyride	Detective López	Quinton Peeples
1997	Excess Baggage	Vincent Roche	Marco Brambilla
1998	Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas	Dr. Gonzo	Terry Gilliam
2000	Traffic	Javier Rodríguez	Steven Soderbergh
	Way of the Gun, TheThe Way of the Gun	Longbaugh	Christopher McQuarrie
	Snatch	Franky "Four Fingers"	Guy Ritchie
	Bread and Roses	Himself	Ken Loach	Cameo
2001	Pledge, TheThe Pledge	Toby Jay Wadenah	Sean Penn
2003	21 Grams	Jack Jordan	Alejandro González Iñárritu
	Hunted, TheThe Hunted	Aaron Hallam	William Friedkin
2005	Sin City	Jack Rafferty	Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez
2007	Things We Lost in the Fire	Jerry Sunborne	Susanne Bier
2008	Che	Che Guevara	Steven Soderbergh	Also producer
2010	Wolfman, TheThe Wolfman	Lawrence Talbot / The Wolfman	Joe Johnston	Also producer
	Somewhere	Himself	Sofia Coppola	Uncredited cameo
2011	The Upsetter	Narrator	Ethan Higbee & Adam Bhala Lough	Documentary
2012	Savages	Lado	Oliver Stone
	7 Days in Havana		Benicio del Toro	Director; segment: El Yuma
2013	Jimmy Picard	Jimmy Picard	Arnaud Desplechin
	Thor: The Dark World	Taneleer Tivan / The Collector	Alan Taylor	Uncredited mid-credits cameo
2014	Guardians of the Galaxy		James Gunn
	Inherent Vice	Sauncho Smilax	Paul Thomas Anderson
	Escobar: Paradise Lost	Pablo Escobar	Andrea Di Stefano
2015	A Perfect Day	Mambrú	Fernando León de Aranoa
	Sicario	Alejandro Gillick	Denis Villeneuve
	The Little Prince	The Snake	Mark Osborne	Voice
2016	Weightless	TBA	Terrence Malick	Post-production
2017	Star Wars: Episode VIII	TBA	Rian Johnson	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Shell Game	Pedroza	Episode: "The Upstairs Gardener"
	Miami Vice	Pito	Episode: "Everybody's in Showbiz"
	Private Eye		Episode: "Blue Movie"
1990	Drug Wars: The Camarena Story	Rafael Caro Quintero	Television miniseries
1994	Tales from the Crypt	Bill	Episode: "Bribe, TheThe Bribe"
1995	Fallen Angels	Paco	Episode: "Good Housekeeping"
2008	Todos Contra Juan	Himself	Episode: "Juan & La Critica"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
1995	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	The Usual Suspects	Nominated
	Independent Spirit Award	Best Supporting Male		Won
	National Board of Review	Best Cast		Won
1996	Independent Spirit Award	Best Supporting Male	Basquiat	Won
1997	ALMA Award	Outstanding Individual Performance in a Crossover Role	Excess Baggage	Nominated
2000	Academy Award	Best Supporting Actor	Traffic	Won
	British Academy Film Award	Best Actor in a Supporting Role		Won
	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Empire Award	Best Actor		Nominated
	Florida Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Golden Globe Award	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Kansas City Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Las Vegas Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	National Society of Film Critics	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	New York Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Phoenix Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Satellite Award	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	San Diego Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Silver Bear	Best Actor		Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role		Won
		Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture		Won
	Southeastern Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Toronto Film Critics Association	Best Actor		Won
	Vancouver Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Won
2001	ALMA Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture	Pledge, TheThe Pledge	Nominated
2003	Academy Award	Best Supporting Actor	21 Grams	Nominated
	British Academy Film Award	Best Actor in a Leading Role		Nominated
	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Central Ohio Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Independent Spirit Award	Special Distinction Award		Won
	Iowa Film Critics	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Phoenix Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
	Vancouver Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Won
2005	ALMA Award	Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture	Sin City	Nominated
2006	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Best Acting Ensemble		Nominated
2008	Cannes Film Festival	Best Actor	Che	Won
	Goya Award	Best Actor		Won
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Actor		Nominated
2012	ALMA Award	Favorite Movie Actor	Savages	Nominated
	Cannes Film Festival	Un Certain Regard Award	7 días en La Habana	Nominated
2014	Phoenix Film Critics Society	Best Cast	Guardians of the Galaxy	Nominated
2015	Central Ohio Film Critics Association	Best Ensemble		Nominated
	Austin Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor	Sicario	Nominated
	British Academy Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Won
	Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Hollywood Film Award	Supporting Actor of the Year		Won
	Indiana Film Journalists Film Award	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Jupiter Film Award	Best International Actor		Pending
	Kansas City Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	London Film Critics' Circle	Supporting Actor of the Year		Nominated
	North Carolina Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	San Francisco Film Critics Circle	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Supporting Actor		Nominated

Charities

Benicio Del Toro supports the following charitable cause: Environment.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]