Film director Robert Rodriguez was born on June 20, 1968, in San Antonio, Texas. While attending the University of Texas, he made his debut with the hit film "El Mariachi," which he produced for $7,000. The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, where independent films are screened, and received rave reviews at numerous film festivals, including Berlin, Munich, and Yubari. He then released "Desperado," which became a series and brought Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek to fame, and "Legends of Mexico," starring Johnny Depp. The latter film also drew attention for its music, featuring the song "Pistolero" by techno-trance group Juno Reactor. In 2001, he directed the children's and family-oriented film "Spy Kids." This spy action comedy starring children became a hit, spawning three films. His 2005 film "Sin City," co-written with Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino, is a black-and-white work with entirely CGI backgrounds. A sequel is due for release in October of this year.

He and Tarantino are close friends, having worked together on films and appearing in each other's work. "From Dusk Till Dawn," for which he starred and wrote the screenplay and which Robert directed, has gained cult popularity for its contrasting storyline, with the suspenseful mood of the first half transforming into B-grade horror in the second half. The film also stars Harvey Keitel, who currently serves as a model for Prada men's campaigns.

In his personal life, he is married to film producer Elizabeth Avellan, with whom he has five children, but they divorced in 2006. He runs his own film production company, Travelmaker Studios, from Elizabeth Avellan.

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