Robert Anthony Rodriguez is an American film director known for making both independent and studio films with extremely low budgets. He gained international recognition with films such as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Sin City, becoming a key figure in modern independent American cinema.

Robert Rodriguez was born on June 20, 1968, in San Antonio, Texas. He began his filmmaking journey at a very young age using a camera he obtained as a child. While studying at the University of Texas, he continued making short films and, in the fall of 1990, earned a place in the university’s film program after winning a film competition. During this period, he directed the award-winning 16 mm short film Bedhead. Encouraged by the attention the film received, Rodriguez decided to pursue filmmaking as a full-time career.

Inspired by the action films of John Woo, Robert Rodriguez directed his first feature film, El Mariachi, in Spanish in 1992. The film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was originally intended for the low-budget video market. However, it attracted the attention of Columbia Pictures. Along with his influential book Rebel Without a Crew, which documented the making of the film, Rodriguez inspired countless aspiring filmmakers to create films with minimal resources.

Following the success of El Mariachi, Rodriguez directed its sequel, Desperado, starring Antonio Banderas, which introduced Salma Hayek to American audiences. He then directed From Dusk Till Dawn, written by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Kurtzman, and later collaborated with Kevin Williamson on the sci-fi horror film The Faculty.

In 2001, Rodriguez achieved his first major box-office success with Spy Kids, which eventually became a trilogy. The third installment of his Mariachi series, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, was released toward the end of 2003. In 2005, he directed Sin City, adapted from the graphic novels by Frank Miller. One scene of the film was directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film was a commercial success and later spawned sequels.

Beyond directing, Robert Rodriguez frequently serves as the writer, producer, editor, cinematographer, visual effects supervisor, composer, and sound editor on his own films. Due to his hands-on approach, he is widely known by the nickname “the one-man film crew.”

Selected Films
Bedhead (1991)
El Mariachi (1992)
Desperado (1995)
Four Rooms (1995 – “The Misbehavers” segment)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
The Faculty (1998)
Spy Kids (2001)
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Sin City (2005)
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005)

Source: Biyografiler.com