Known for his epic, ambitious films that combine insane technical flourishes with extremely personal stories, Alejandro González Iñárritu, who was born in Mexico City, has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of cinema's most sought-after directors. In fact, Iñárritu is close friends with his two most successful contemporaries, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, which has earned the trio the nickname of "the Three Amigos" within the film industry.
After his 2000 feature film debut, the thriller Amores perros, Iñárritu made waves with 2003's 21 Grams, which starred big Hollywood names like Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro. A few years later, he completed his unplanned, informal "Death Trilogy" with 2006's Babel, which earned a nod for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, followed closely by 2010's Biutiful, which starred Javier Bardem and scored a nomination for Best Actor.
Eventually, Iñárritu became an awards season darling. In 2014, Iñárritu directed Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), which starred Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, and Emma Stone, and told the story of a washed-up superhero actor looking for respect. The film ultimately beat out stiff competition to win Best Picture and Best Director. Then, in 2015, he unleashed The Revenant, an icy film that focused on a wounded mountain man searching for revenge, and it earned Iñárritu his second statue for Best Director and a long-awaited Best Actor award for star Leonardo DiCaprio. Throughout his career, Iñárritu has made history multiple times, and you'll be stunned by any of his high-concept films.
