Benicio Del Toro biography
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Benicio Del Toro story
Benicio Del Toro discography
Benicio Del Toro photographs
Benicio Del Toro bio
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Benicio Del Toro images
Benicio Del Toro quotes
Benicio Del Toro films
Benicio Del Toro filmography

Benicio's mother died when he was just nine years old, and his father moved the family from Puerto Rico to a farm in Pennsylvania.

Although Benicio expressed an interest in acting, his family urged him to become a lawyer, because they felt there was no future in acting.

Consequently, he decided to study business at the University of California in San Diego.

A drama class renewed the acting bug, and he dropped out and began studying with legendary acting teacher Stella Adler in Los Angeles, and at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York.

Pretending to his parents that he was taking courses in business, Benicio hid his new studies from his family for a while.

Benicio's big screen career got off to a slow start. His first role was in 'Big Top Pee-Wee', in 1988.

Things looked better, however, when he landed the role as a baddie in the James Bond film 'Licence to Kill'.

Surprising his co-stars, Del Toro was the youngest actor ever to portray a Bond villain, only 21 years old at the time.

1995 proved to be a very successful year for Benicio, as he gave a strong performance in 'Swimming with Sharks', before taking critics by storm as the mysterious gangster in 'The Usual Suspects'.

An Oscar-winning film, Benicio won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting actor for the role.

Eventually he went to work for director Steven Soderbergh in 'Traffic', a widespread hit and Oscar winning film.


Benicio Del Toro biography



Although he eagerly gained 40 pounds for his role in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, Del Toro was reluctant to take the part of Diego Rivera in “Frida”, the biopic of Frida Kahlo, due to the required weight gain.

Del Toro burned himself with cigarettes repeatedly for the elevator scene in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), as done by the real Oscar Zeta Acosta. The shots of the burns were nevertheless cut.

Del Toro is passionate about oil painting.

He was the youngest person ever to portray a villain in a James Bond film.

He won the 2003 Audience Award for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival for his role in "21 Grams" and was the third Puerto Rican actor to win an Academy Award.
Benicio Del Toro biography



Che (2005)
In Search of Ted Demme (2005)
Sin City (2005)
21 Grams (2003)
The Hunted (2003)
The Pledge (2001)
Traffic (2000)
The Way of the Gun (2000)
Snatch (2000)
Bread and Roses (2000)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Excess Baggage (1997)
Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1997)
The Funeral (1996)
The Fan (1996)
Basquiat (1996)
Joyride (1996)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Submission (1995)
Swimming with Sharks (1994)
China Moon (1994)
Fearless (1993)
Huevos de oro (1993)
Money for Nothing (1993/I)
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)
The Indian Runner (1991)
Madonna: The Immaculate Collection (1990)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Benicio Del Toro biography




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