Alfonso Cuaron has certainly made his mark in the film and entertainment industry. He notably stands alongside Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. Since 1983, the Latin director has been involved in numerous projects for Hollywood and his native Mexico.
Alfonso has notably directed films like Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Children of Men (2006). More recently, he was involved in the making of Gravity (2013), and Roma (2018), receiving a plethora of awards and nominations for his efforts.
Cuaron, producer, director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer, made history in 2013 when he became the first director of Latin American origin to win an Academy Award for best director.
His bio
The accomplished director cum producer was born in New Mexico, Mexico on November 28, 1961. Growing up, Alfonso had only two dreams: to be a filmmaker or an astronaut. With his dream of space requiring military service, he settles into the film industry. Cuaron received his first camera when he was 12 years old. This only reinforced his obsession with cinema.
He studied philosophy at UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), while taking film courses at CUEC (Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos). There, he collaborated with school principal friends to make Who’s He Anyway (1983) and Revenge Is Mine (1983). He was eventually expelled for making his films in English.
Alfonso then worked as a technician and then as a director in Mexico, where he worked on numerous local productions.
In 1991, Alfonso Cuaron directed his first major project, a sex comedy, Sólo con Tu Pareja. It was in 1995 that he signed a contract with Warner Brothers to direct A Little Princess. This led to other directional hits like Great Expectations (1998), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). The latter was better received than the previous two installments of the series. His next Hollywood work Children of Men (2006) saw him nominated for three Oscars and three BAFTAs, winning two categories of the latter. After creating the short-lived NMC fantasy drama Believe (2013), Alfonso Cuaron earned himself a spot at the Times2014 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
As if to channel his childhood dream of wanting to be an astronaut, Alfonso then worked on the sci-fi thriller Gravity (2013). On this project, he was producer, director, screenwriter and editor. The film received 25 nominations and won 14 (7 Academy, 6 BAFTA and 1 Golden Globe).
In 2018, he took on all of those responsibilities in his hit drama, Roma. For this effort, he received 20 applications.
So far, Alfonso Cuaron has won over 30 awards for his films and personal efforts. He has also worked with big names in cinema such as Sandra Bullock, Jonathan Kaplan, Tom Hanks and George Clooney.
The parents, brothers and sisters of Alfonso Cuaron
The star director was born to his mother, Cristina Orozco and his father, Alfredo Cuaron. During his active years, Alfredo worked with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) of the United Nations. Through his parents, Alfonso has two brothers, Alfredo, of the same name as his father, and Carlos.
While Alfredo took the path of science like his father, working as a conservation biologist, Carlos followed the same path with Alfonso. Carlos is a director and screenwriter and has worked with Alfonso on several projects. This includes writing the screenplay for Sólo con tu Pareja (1991), directed by Alfonso. Carlos and Alfonso also co-wrote Y tu mamá también (2001).
Woman, children
Cuaron has been around the marital block a few times. His first marriage was to Mariana Elizondo. He met Mariana when they were both studying at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC). They married in 1980 and have one child together, Juan Cuaron, born in 1981. The marriage lasted thirteen years and they divorced in 1993.
In 2001, he tied the knot with Italian journalist and actress, Annalisa Bugliani. They had their first child, Tess Bu Cuarón in 2002, and their second, Olmo Teodoro Cuarón in 2005, before divorcing in 2008.
Since 2011, Alfonso Cuaron has been in a relationship with Sheherazade Goldsmith, author and entrepreneur. Sheherazade, like Alfonso, is divorced. She has three children with her ex-husband and MP Zac Goldsmith. As of 2019, Alfonso and Sheherazade are unmarried and have no children together.
Net value
Alfonso Cuaron can win more than one film than his contemporaries. Indeed, on several projects, he wears more than one hat, as producer, director, screenwriter and editor. As a result, he can earn up to four responsibilities.
When it comes to movie budgets, the multi-manager director hasn’t really shot a lot of movies with big budgets. At least not in the same vein as the best men in the business. However, with the making of Gravity and then Roma, things can definitely only get better.
Due to his personal success as a filmmaker and the plethora of nominations and awards received for his films, Celebrity Net Worth estimates his net worth at $40 million circa 2018.