Robert Anthony Rodriguez 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 against a budget of $7,000. The film spawned two sequels, collectively known as the Mexico Trilogy: Desperado (1995) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). Rodriguez directed From Dusk till Dawn in 1996 and developed its television series adaptation(2014–2016). He 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. He is also the creator of the Spy Kids franchise, as well as The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005), Planet Terror (2007), Machete (2010), We Can Be Heroes (2020), and directed The Faculty (1998) and Alita: Battle Angel (2019). Rodriguez 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.

Filmography

• 2023Hypnotic — Director of Photography, Story, Editor, Screenplay, Producer
• 2023Spy Kids: Armageddon — Producer, Editor, Director of Photography, Writer
• 2023Thanksgiving — Thanks
• 2021Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles — Director
• 2021Hood River — Executive Producer
• The Book of Boba Fett — Dokk Strassi (voice), Mayor Mok Shaiz (voice), Mayor Mok Shaiz / Dokk Strassi (voice), Executive Producer, Director, Music Producer
• 2020Cirque du Soleil: R.U.N — Writer
• 2020We Can Be Heroes — Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Editor, Producer
• 2019Alita: Battle Angel — Director, Producer
• 2019Red 11 — Director, Screenplay, Editor, Production Design, Director of Photography, Gaffer, Camera Operator, Special Effects, Sound Designer
• The Mandalorian — Director
• 2019UglyDolls — Producer, Story
• 2018Also Starring Austin
• 2018Light in the Darkness: The Impact of Night of The Living Dead — Self, Thanks
• Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight
• 201421 Years: Richard Linklater — Thanks
• 2014Bullet — Producer
• El Mariachi — Creator
• 2014From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season — Executive Producer
• From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series — Director, Writer, Creator
• Lucha Underground — Executive Producer, Creator
• Matador — Director, Executive Producer
• 2014Sin City: A Dame to Kill For — Sam's Friend (uncredited), Director, Editor, Producer, Director of Photography, Original Music Composer
• The Director's Chair — Self - Host, Writer, Director, Creator
• 2013Amelia's 25th — Emilio Cruz
• 2013Machete Kills — Story, Original Music Composer, Director, Producer, Editor, Director of Photography
• 2013Two Scoops — Director, Music, Executive Producer, Cinematography, Writer
• 2012Django Unchained — Thanks
• 2011Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair — Original Music Composer
• 2011Spy Kids: All the Time in the World — Director, Writer, Producer, Director of Photography, Original Music Composer
• 2010Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright — Executive Producer
• 2010Machete — Director, Editor, Producer, Writer
• 2010Predators — Producer
• 2010The United Monster Talent Agency — Jaws Scientist
• 2009Shorts — Director, Writer, Cinematography, Editor, Producer, Original Music Composer, Director of Photography
• 2007Death Proof — Producer
• 2007Grindhouse — Extra (segment "Planet Terror") (uncredited), Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Producer, Editor, Original Music Composer
• 2007Planet Terror — One of Abby's Henchmen (uncredited), Director, Director of Photography, Screenplay, Editor, Producer, Visual Effects Supervisor, Sound Mix Technician, Original Music Composer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Music Producer
• 2007Red Princess Blues Animated: The Book of Violence — Thanks
• 2006High Hopes — Mr. Lewis
• 2005Confessions of a Pit Fighter — Executive Producer
• 2005Curandero — Screenplay, Executive Producer
• 2005Sin City — Director of Photography, Original Music Composer, Editor, Visual Effects Supervisor, Camera Operator, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Writer
• 2005The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl — Shark (voice) (uncredited), Director of Photography, Writer, Camera Operator, Editor, Visual Effects Supervisor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Original Music Composer
• Best Week Ever
• 2004Del Castillo — Editor, Cinematography
• 2004How to Make Cool Home Movies — Himself (voice), Director
• 2004Inside Troublemaker Studios — Himself, Editor, Director
• 2004Kill Bill: Vol. 2 — Original Music Composer
• 2003Kill Bill: Vol. 1 — Thanks
• 2003Once Upon a Time in Mexico — Director, Editor, Original Music Composer, Screenplay, Production Design, Producer, Sound Effects Editor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Director of Photography
• 2003Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over — Original Music Composer, Director, Screenplay, Director of Photography, Producer, Editor, Visual Effects Supervisor
• George Lopez — Robert Rodriguez
• 2002Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams — Director of Photography, Original Music Composer, Screenplay, Producer, Editor, Production Design, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Sound Effects Editor
• 2001El cuerno del diablo — Production Design
• 2001Spy Kids — Editor, Director, Producer, Camera Operator, Visual Effects Supervisor, Writer, Original Music Composer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• 2000Bullfighter — Bullboy #1
• Deadline — Chicago SWAT Lieutenant
• 2000From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter — Executive Producer, Story
• 2000Lisa Picard Is Famous — Punk #2
• 1999From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money — Executive Producer
• 1998The Faculty — Director, Editor, Producer, Camera Operator, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
• 1997Mimic — Second Unit Director
• 1996From Dusk Till Dawn — Band Member (uncredited), Editor, Director, Executive Producer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Steadicam Operator
• Nash Bridges — Marlo Veras
• 1995Desperado — Producer, Director, Steadicam Operator, Editor, Writer
• 1995Four Rooms — Editor, Director, Writer
• Rebel Highway — Director, Writer, Editor
• 1994Roadracers — Editor, Director, Writer
• 1993El Mariachi — Producer, Editor, Director of Photography, Writer, Still Photographer, Camera Operator, Music Editor, Sound Editor, Special Effects, Additional Editing
• 1991Bedhead — Screenplay, Director, Editor, Story, Original Music Composer, Sound Effects, Director of Photography
• 1991Pretty Good Man — Director, Camera Operator, Animation
• Blood — Producer
• Fire and Ice — Editor, Director, Producer
• Incógnito — Director, Producer
• Machete Kills Again... in Space — Director, Writer
• Plotagon City — Creator
• The Faculty — Producer
• The Naughty List — Director, Writer, Producer
• Untitled We Can Be Heroes Sequel — Writer, Director

Appearances as themselves (29)

• 2025Long Lonesome Highway: The Story of Michael Parks — Self
• 2024Frank Miller: American Genius — Self
• 2024Like Tears in Rain — Self
• Disney Gallery / Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett — Self
• Directors on Directors — Self
• 2021Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Rebel Without a Crew: The Robert Rodriguez Film School — Himself
• 2021The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles — Self
• Disney Gallery / Star Wars: The Mandalorian — Self
• 2019Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo — Self
• The Chef Show — Self - Guest
• 2017Life After Flash — Self
• Ride with Norman Reedus — Self
• 2015Fanarchy — Self
• 2015Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini — Self
• 2013Quentin Tarantino: 20 Years of Filmmaking — Self
• Uncle Grandpa — Self (voice)
• 2012Side by Side — Self
• 2009The Shark Is Still Working — Self
• 2008Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX — Self
• 2007Grindhouse 101 — Self
• 2006Back to the Well: 'Clerks II' — Self
• Scream Awards — Self
• 2005Champion — Self
• 2004The Making of 'Kill Bill Vol. 2' — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self
• 1998Full Tilt Boogie — Self
• Lo + plus — Self
• Evolution of the Species: Predators Reborn — Self