Del Toro: a career in myths and monsters

A look back at Del Toro's path to success

Doña Lupe Geometria (1987):Two career-opening shorts which signal the intentions of the future king of fantasy, the former a zero-budget werewolf movie with plenty of bite (and promise).

Cronos (1993):Del Toro's multi-award-winning first full-length feature, a vampire tale about, among other things, the emotional perils of immortality. Featuring Ron Perlman in his first role for the director.

Mimic (1997):After Cronos, Hollywood comes calling on del Toro to direct this horror-thriller about giant mutant cockroaches in Manhattan. Superior craftsmanship prevents this from being a total mess; del Toro flees back to Mexico.

The Devil's Backbone/El Espinazo del Diablo (2001):A return to del Toro's indie gothic horror roots (and produced by Pedro Almodóvar), a Spanish civil war-set ghost story that offers a foretaste of the tenderness and terror that will be fully realised five years later in Pan's Labyrinth. Hollywood takes fresh notice.

Blade II (2002):Back in Hollywood, del Toro relights the vampire/comic-book franchise (with the help of Ron Perlman) and improves on the original, both financially and critically. Hollywood takes further notice.

Hellboy (2004):A long- cherished project for del Toro, based on a cigar-chewing, supernatural crime fighter. Ron Perlman stars.

Pan's Labyrinth/El Laberinto del Fauno (2006):Masterful, nightmarish fantasy set against the backdrop of the Spanish civil war. Six Oscar nominations, three wins. Del Toro becomes a Hollywood golden boy.

Hellboy II - The Golden Army (2008):Clout-wielding del Toro turns down big offers in favour of this spectacular sequel, once again featuring Ron Perlman.

The Hobbit (2011)/The Hobbit 2 (2012):Via a prequel pact with Tolkien auteur Peter Jackson, del Toro agrees to bring Bilbo Baggins's early days to life. Oh, and there will be dragons.