Robert Anthony Rodriguez (
/rɒˈdriːɡɛz/; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of
Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 action film
El Mariachi, which was a commercial success after grossing $2.6 million ($5.5 million in 2023 dollars) against a budget of $7,000 ($14,937 in 2023 dollars). The film spawned two sequels known collectively as the
Mexico Trilogy:
Desperado and
Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
He directed
From Dusk till Dawn in 1996 and developed its
television adaptation series (2014–2016). Rodriguez co-directed the 2005 neo-noir crime thriller anthology
Sin City (adapted from the
graphic novel of the same name) and the 2014 sequel,
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Rodriguez is also the creator of the
Spy Kids franchise, as well as
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl,
Planet Terror,
Machete,
We Can Be Heroes, and also directed
The Faculty and
Alita: Battle Angel.
He is a close friend and frequent collaborator of filmmaker
Quentin Tarantino, who founded the production company
A Band Apart, of which Rodriguez was a member. In December 2013, Rodriguez launched his own cable television channel,
El Rey.
