Benicio del Toro

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Del Toro and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez.
Benicio del Toro

Del Toro at the Guardians of the Galaxy
premiere in July 2014
Born Benicio Monserrate Rafael Del Toro Sánchez
(1967-02-19) February 19, 1967
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Spain
Occupation Actor, film producer
Years active 1985–present
Children 1

Benicio Monserrate Rafael Del Toro Sanchez (born February 19, 1967), known professionally as Benicio Del Toro, is a Puerto Rican actor. He has won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Javier Rodríguez in the film Traffic (2000). He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual Suspects (1995), Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Franky Four Fingers in Snatch (2000), Jackie Boy in Sin City (2005), Che Guevara in Che (2008), a performance which garnered him the Best Actor Award both at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Goya Awards, and Alejandro Gillick in Sicario (2015), for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award. He has also portrayed Taniller Tivan, The Collector in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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.[1] 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.[2][3] He had a Catalan paternal great-grandfather and a Basque maternal great-grandmother.[4] He stated in an interview that along with Spanish, he has Italian and Indigenous American ancestry as well.[5] 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[6][7] and attended Academia del Perpetuo Socorro (The Academy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help), a Roman Catholic school in Miramar, Puerto Rico.[8][9] When Del Toro was nine years old, his mother died of hepatitis.[2] 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.[10] After graduation, Del Toro followed the advice of his father and pursued a business degree at the University of California, San Diego.[10] 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.[10]

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,[10] 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.[10] 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.[10] 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.[10]

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.[10] 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.[10]

del Toro at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International

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.

del Toro at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival

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).[11] During his acceptance speech Del Toro dedicated his award "to the man himself, Che Guevara" along with director Steven Soderbergh.[12] Del Toro was also awarded a 2009 Goya Award as the Best Actor for his depiction of Che.[13] 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."[14] 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.[15]

In 2010, Del Toro starred in and produced the remake of Lon Chaney, Jr.'s classic cult film The Wolf Man.[16]

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.[17][18]

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).[19]

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.[20][21]

In the same month, Del Toro confirmed he will play a villain in Star Wars: Episode VIII.[22]

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.[23]

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.[24] Stewart gave birth to a daughter, Delilah,[25] on August 21, 2011.[24] 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).[26]

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.[27]

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.[28]

Del Toro narrated the public service announcement entitled "Coral Reef", joining the "Artists to the rescue of the environment" campaign.[28]

Filmography

Del Toro as revolutionary Che Guevara in Che (2008)

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Big Top Pee-wee Duke, the Dog-Faced Boy
1989 Licence to Kill Dario
1991 Indian Runner, TheThe Indian Runner Miguel Aguilera
1992 Christopher Columbus: The Discovery Alvaro Harana
1993 Fearless Manny Rodrigo
Huevos de oro Bob, the friend from Miami
Money for Nothing Dino Palladino
1994 Swimming with Sharks Rex
China Moon Det. Lamar Dickey
1995 Usual Suspects, TheThe Usual Suspects Fred Fenster
Submission Short film; director, writer and producer
1996 Funeral, TheThe Funeral Gaspare Spoglia
Fan, TheThe Fan Juan Primo
Cannes Man Himself Cameo
Basquiat Benny Dalmau
Joyride Detective López
1997 Excess Baggage Vincent Roche
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Dr. Gonzo
2000 Traffic Javier Rodríguez
Way of the Gun, TheThe Way of the Gun Longbaugh
Snatch Franky "Four Fingers"
Bread and Roses Himself Cameo
2001 Pledge, TheThe Pledge Toby Jay Wadenah
2003 21 Grams Jack Jordan
Hunted, TheThe Hunted Aaron Hallam
2005 Sin City Jack Rafferty
2007 Things We Lost in the Fire Jerry Sunborne
2008 Che Che Guevara Also producer
2010 Wolfman, TheThe Wolfman Lawrence Talbot / The Wolfman Also producer
Somewhere Himself Uncredited cameo
2011 The Upsetter Narrator Documentary
2012 Savages Lado
7 Days in Havana Director; segment: El Yuma
2013 Jimmy Picard Jimmy Picard
Thor: The Dark World Taneleer Tivan / The Collector Uncredited mid-credits cameo
2014 Guardians of the Galaxy
Inherent Vice Sauncho Smilax
Escobar: Paradise Lost Pablo Escobar
2015 A Perfect Day Mambrú
Sicario Alejandro Gillick
The Little Prince The Snake Voice
2016 Weightless TBA Post-production
2017 Star Wars: Episode VIII TBA 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[29] 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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Benicio DEL Toro Biography (1967-)". filmreference.com.
  2. 1 2 'Dammit, this guy is cool' - The Guardian - published 2008-11-29, retrieved June 29, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Gustavo Del Toro - Mount Sinai Doctors Faculty Practice". Mount Sinai Faculty Practice Associates.
  4. ↑ CARMEN MUÑOZ
    BARCELONA. "Ricky Martin y Del Toro se hacen españoles". El Periódico.
  5. ↑ "- EL MUNDO - Suplemento Crónica 431 - Benicio del Toro: "Soy como un enterrador"". elmundo.es.
  6. ↑ "Benicio Del Toro's "Let's Have Some Fun, Okay?" Page". Portland Mercury.
  7. ↑ Mike Sager (April 1, 2005). "Toro, Benicio Del". Esquire. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  8. ↑ 'Traffic Stopper' - People - published 2001-04-16, retrieved May 14, 2010.
  9. ↑ 'Benicio del Toro: Mild at heart' - Irish Independent - published 2010-02-05, retrieved May 14, 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
  11. ↑ Associated Press (May 25, 2008). "Benicio Del Toro gana premio a mejor actor en Cannes" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  12. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene; Brooks, Brian (May 25, 2008). "Laurent Cantent's The Class Wins the Palme d'Or". indieWIRE. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  13. ↑ Rolfe, Pamela (February 1, 2009). "Camino Leads Goya Awards with Six Nods". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Penn Surprised over Toro's Absence from Nominations List". The Hindu. February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  15. ↑ Olsen, Mark (December 11, 2008). "Benicio Del Toro leads the charge for Che". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ↑ "Benicio Del Toro Talks The Wolfman". DreadCentral.
  17. ↑ Rosario, Mariela (September 30, 2010). "Benicio Del Toro Named Face of 2011 Campari Calendar". Latina. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  18. ↑ Badiali, Alessandro (October 22, 2010). "Guests in frenzy for the Puerto Rican actor, star of the Campari Calendar 2011". Vogue. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  19. ↑ Fleming, Jr., Mike (June 3, 2013). "Benicio Del Toro Takes Lead Role In Marvel’s ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  20. ↑ Galloway, Stephen; Belloni, Matthew (January 18, 2016). "Watch THR's Full, Uncensored Actor Roundtable With Will Smith, Mark Ruffalo and More - Actor Oscar Roundtable". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ Galloway, Stephen; Belloni, Matthew. "Will Smith, Mark Ruffalo and Four More A-List Actors on Hollywood Racism, Aging and … Peeing in Sinks?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Star Wars Episode 8's Villain to Be Played by Benicio Del Toro". GameSpot.
  23. ↑ Daily Mail Reporter (April 12, 2011). "What will Rod Stewart say? Daughter Kimberly is pregnant after secret fling with Benicio del Toro". Daily Mail. London, UK. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  24. 1 2 "Kimberly Stewart Gives Birth to Baby Girl!". Us Weekly. August 21, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  25. ↑ Finlayson, Ariana (December 4, 2011). "First Pic: Meet Kimberly Stewart's Daughter, Delilah, 3 Months". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  26. ↑ Puente, Maria (November 4, 2011). "Oscar winner Benicio del Toro, singer Ricky Martin become Spanish citizens". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Benicio del Toro recibe homenaje en la Interamericana de San Germán". March 4, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  28. 1 2 Vargas, Patricia (June 10, 2003). "Protege Benicio la vida marina" (in Spanish). Adendi.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2003. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Film Nominations Are Independent-minded". Chicago Tribune. January 12, 1996. Retrieved August 16, 2012.

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