Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( , ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. He is known for directing films in a variety of genres including the family drama '' A Little Princess'' (1995), the romantic drama ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' (1998), the

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

road film ''

Y tu mamá también Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

'' (2001), the fantasy film '' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004), the science fiction films ''

Children of Men ''Children of Men'' is a 2006 dystopian action thriller film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel '' The Children of Men'', was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredi ...

'' (2006) and ''Gravity'' (2013), the semi-autobiographical drama ''Roma'' (2018), and the 2009 short ''I Am Autism''. Cuarón has received 10 Academy Award nominations, winning four including

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

for ''Gravity'' and ''Roma'', Best Film Editing for ''Gravity'', and

Best Cinematography This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for ''Roma''. He is the first Mexico-born filmmaker to win the Best Director award, and one of only four people to have been nominated for Academy Awards in six different categories.

Early life

Cuarón was born in Mexico City, the son of Alfredo Cuarón, a doctor specializing in nuclear medicine, and Cristina Orozco, a pharmaceutical biochemist. He has two brothers;

Carlos Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

, also a filmmaker, and Alfredo, a conservation biologist. Cuarón studied philosophy at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

and filmmaking at the

Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos The National School of Film Arts ( es, Escuela Nacional de Artes Cinematográficas or CUEC) is a public film school part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. It was influenced by the ''Nouvelle Vague'' and by the First C ...

, a school within the same university. There he met the director

Carlos Marcovich Carlos Marcovich (born March 20, 1963, Buenos Aires) is a director, editor, photographer and producer of Mexican cinema. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he came with his family to Mexico on April 1, 1976. In 2011 he became a naturalized Mexican. E ...

and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Emmanuel Lubezki, and they made what would be his first short film, ''Vengeance Is Mine''.

Career

1990s: Early career

Cuarón began working on television in Mexico, first as a technician and then as a director. His television work led to assignments as an assistant director for several film productions including '' La Gran Fiesta'', '' Gaby: A True Story'' and ''

Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for a Roman or an Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrimage from Rome (possibly t ...

'', and in 1991 he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment. In 1991, Cuarón directed '' Sólo con tu pareja'', a sex comedy about a womanizing businessman (played by Daniel Giménez Cacho) who, after having sex with an attractive nurse, is fooled into believing he's contracted

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. In addition to writing, producing and directing, Cuarón co-edited the film with Luis Patlán. The film, which also starred cabaret singer Astrid Hadad and model/actress

Claudia Ramírez Claudia Julieta Ramírez Valdez (born July 30, 1964) is a Mexican actress. Filmography Film roles Television roles Awards and nominations Premios TVyNovelas The Premios TVyNovelas are presented annually by Televisa and the magazine ...

(with whom Cuarón was linked between 1989 and 1993) was a big hit in Mexico. After this success, director

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

hired Cuarón to direct an episode of ''

Fallen Angels A fallen angel is an angel that has been exiled or banished from Heaven. Fallen Angels may also refer to: Film and television * ''Fallen Angels'' (1948 film), a Greek film by Nikos Tsiforos * Fallen Angels (1985 documentary film) by Gregory Dark * ...

'', a series of neo-noir stories produced for the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

premium cable network in 1993; other directors who worked on the series included

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direc ...

, Jonathan Kaplan, Peter Bogdanovich, and Tom Hanks. In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, '' A Little Princess'', an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel. Cuarón's next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of Charles Dickens's ''

'' starring Ethan Hawke,

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

, and

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

2000s: International success

Alfonso_Cuarón_y_Clive_Owen_(Children_of_men)

In 2001, Cuarón found himself returning to Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast to film ''

'', starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Maribel Verdú. It was a provocative and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive married woman who is much older than them. The film's open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics. Cuarón shared an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay with co-writer and brother

Carlos Cuarón Carlos José Cuarón Orozco (born 2 October 1966) is a Mexican screenwriter, film producer, and film director. He is also brother of the Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón. Biography Carlos Cuarón was born in Mexico City and studied Engli ...

. In 2004, Cuarón directed the third film in the successful ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' series, '' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''. Cuarón faced criticism at the time from some ''

'' fans for his approach to the film, notably its tendency to take more creative liberties with the source material than its predecessors. However, author J. K. Rowling, who had seen and loved Cuarón's film ''Y tu mamá también'', said that it was her personal favorite from the series so far. Critically, the film was also better received than the first two installments, with some critics remarking its new tone and for being the first ''Harry Potter'' film to truly capture the essence of the novels. It has been subsequently rated by audience polls and critics as the best of the movie franchise series. In 2006, Cuarón's feature ''

'', an adaptation of the

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuring th ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

starring

Clive Owen Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...

, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine, received wide critical acclaim including three Academy Award nominations. Cuarón himself received two nominations for his work on the film, in Best Film Editing (with Alex Rodríguez) and

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

(with several collaborators). He created the production and distribution company Esperanto Filmoj ("Esperanto Films", named because of his support for the international language

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

), which has credits in the films '' Duck Season'', ''

Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...

'', and '' Gravity''. Cuarón also directed the controversial public service announcement ''I Am Autism'' for Autism Speaks that was criticized by disability rights groups for its negative portrayal of autism.

2010s: Awards success

Alfonso_Cuarón,_President_jury_Venezia_72_(25805089406)

In 2010, Cuarón began to develop the film ''Gravity'', a drama set in space. He was joined by producer

David Heyman David Jonathan Heyman (born 26 July 1961) is a British film producer and the founder of Heyday Films. Heyman secured the rights to the ''Harry Potter'' film series in 1999 and went on to produce all eight installments of the franchise. He als ...

, with whom Cuarón worked on ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''. Starring

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Sandra Bullock, various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, Bullock was ...

and

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

, the film opened the 70th Venice International Film Festival in August. The film was then released in America in October 2013. The film became a financial success, earning 723.2 million at the box office against a budget of 130 million. The film also received many awards nominations. For the film, he received the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

in the category of

. The film received ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and

. Cuarón won for Best Directing, becoming the first Latin American to win the award, while he and Mark Sanger received the award for Best Film Editing. In 2013, Cuarón created ''

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

'', a science fiction/fantasy/adventure series that was broadcast as part of the 2013–14 United States network television schedule on NBC as a mid-season entry. The series was created by Cuarón for Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. In 2014, '' Time'' placed him in its list of "

100 Most Influential People in the World ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...

" – Pioneers. In May 2015, Cuarón was announced as the president of the jury for the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. Production began in fall 2016 for Cuarón's eighth film, ''

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

'', a tale of a housekeeper for a middle class Mexican family in 1970s Mexico City, based on the life of his family's longtime maid, Liboria Rodríguez. The project was produced by Cuarón, Gabriela Rodríguez and

Nicolás Celis Nicolás Celis Ríos (born October 24, 1984) is a Peruvian footballer who plays as a center forward. He currently plays for Colegio Nacional de Iquitos in the Peruvian First Division. Club career Early career Nicolás developed as a footballe ...

and starred Yalitza Aparicio and

Marina de Tavira Marina de Tavira Servitje (born 21 November 1974) is a Mexican actress. She is internationally known for her role in the film ''Roma'' (2018), which received widespread acclaim and earned her an Academy Award nomination. Life and career She ...

both of whom received Oscar nominations. The film debuted at the

75th Venice International Film Festival The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018. Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro was named as the President of the Jury. '' First Man'', directed by Damien Chazelle, was selected to open the fest ...

, where it won the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

, and was distributed to select Mexican and American theaters before its online release on Netflix. ''Roma'' was highly acclaimed upon release; among its accolades are two Golden Globes ( Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director for Cuarón) and three Academy Awards (Best Director,

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, and

for Cuarón) out of a leading ten nominations. In 2019, Cuaron signed an overall TV deal at Apple. His first TV show under an overall deal with Apple was the show '' Disclaimer'', which was to star

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...

and

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...

Style

Cuarón often uses long takes and moving cameras to emulate a documentary film style.

Personal life

Cuarón is a vegetarian and has been living in London since 2000. Cuarón's first marriage was to Mariana Elizondo with whom he has a son, Jonás Cuarón, born in 1981. Jonás is also a film director, known for ''

Year of the Nail ''Year of the Nail'' ( es, Año uña) is a 2007 Mexican film written and directed by Jonás Cuarón. The film is told entirely through still photographs that the director took of his real life over the course of a year. Plot American college st ...

'' and ''

Desierto ''Desierto'' is a 2015 thriller drama film co-written and directed by Jonás Cuarón. It was produced by Cuarón together with his father Alfonso and his uncle Carlos, and distributed by STXfilms. The film stars Gael García Bernal (also execu ...

''. Alfonso's second marriage, from 2001 to 2008 was to Italian actress and freelance journalist Annalisa Bugliani, with whom he has two children. He has publicly shown his fascination for the Esperanto language and his support for the

Esperanto movement The Esperanto movement, less commonly referred to as Esperantism ( eo, Esperantismo), is a movement to disseminate the use of the planned international language Esperanto.See the definition in theDeklaracio pri la Esenco de la Esperantismo ("Bu ...

. He called his production company Esperanto Filmoj.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
Alfonso Cuarón: A Life in Pictures
BAFTA webcast, 27 July 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuaron, Alfonso 1961 births Living people Best Cinematographer Academy Award winners Best Cinematography BAFTA Award winners Best Directing Academy Award winners Best Director AACTA International Award winners Best Director BAFTA Award winners Best Director Golden Globe winners Best Film Editing Academy Award winners Directors Guild of America Award winners Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Directors of Golden Lion winners English-language film directors Fantasy film directors Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award Film directors from Mexico City Hugo Award-winning writers Mexican cinematographers Mexican Esperantists Mexican expatriates in the United Kingdom Mexican film producers Mexican filmmakers Mexican people of Spanish descent Mexican screenwriters Mexican television directors Mexican television producers Mexican television writers National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Nebula Award winners Science fiction film directors Spanish-language film directors Writers from Mexico City