After studying at Mexico's Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos, Cuaron gained experience working as an assistant director on many English-language films shot in Mexico and Latin America. He was first AD to Luis Mandoki on "Gaby-A Love Story" (1987) and served the same function for "Romero" (1989), in which Raul Julia was a doomed Salvadoran priest. For his follow-up to "A Little Princess", he directed "Great Expectations" (1997), a modern update of the Dickens classic, now set in Florida fishing villages and New York art's scene. Still a tale of a young man making his way in the world, the film stars Ethan Hawke, Robert De Niro and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Cuaron seemed to find his niche with the release of "Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too)"(2001). The frank portrayal of two adolescent boys and their road trip with an older woman was a runaway success. The movie's intoxicating spirit seemed to flow off the screen and swept audiences away. Although the film was met with some controversy over its graphic sex scenes, the overwhelming response was positive. Cuaron had captured the passion of youth and showed it to audiences in an authentically tender, albeit raw, manner. And perhaps it was treading in the wild and isolated land of his native Mexico that allowed Cuaron to find this charmingly honest story of the unspoiled hearts of two boys before they are men.

The success of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" next led Cuaron to a seemingly unlikely and far more commercial project, helming "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), the third film installment of the wildly popular J.K. Rowling series. While Cuaron demonstrated a potent sense of visual flair and brought a welcome new element of darkness to the franchise, the film—like its predecessors—still suffered somewhat by an understandable unwillingness to stray too far afield from the source material that led to a certain sense of over-caution. Nonetheless, “The Prisoner of Azkaban” raked in the cash, taking in close to $800 million worldwide. Prior to “Harry Potter” being made and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” being released, Cuaron was approached by producers Hilary Schor and Marc Abraham, who had acquired the rights to author P.D. James’ 1992 dystopian novel “Children of Men.” Though Cuaron was interested, Universal Pictures lacked enthusiasm, perhaps due in part to the events of September 11, 2001—at the time, studios were highly reluctant to produce bleak films about the end of human civilization. Cuaron went on to direct “Harry Potter,” promising Schor he would return.

While most Hollywood promises reek vaguely like something found on a farm, Cuaron stayed true to his, returning from England after “Harry Potter” with renewed perspective and the clout of a newly minted hit director. Cuaron and writing partner Timothy Sexton set out to rework the half dozen scripts that were previously developed, infusing current events—the war in Iraq, torturing prisoners, illegal immigration—into a framework that transformed James’ meditation on the loss of hope into a hyperkinetic mix of chaos, martial law and the collapsing of a not-too-futuristic society. Cuaron and Sexton developed not a science fiction story, but a “movie about the state of things,” developing a film that reflected the failings of humanity and people’s lack of historical perspective.

“Children of Men” (2006) starred Clive Owen as Theo, a one-time political activist turned down-and-out bureaucrat and Julianne Moore as his former love who convinces Theo to help a young woman pregnant with the world’s only child after civilization has long been infertile reach the fabled Human Project in order to save humanity’s future. While box office success remained elusive, “Children of Men” roused critics and film buffs alike, many of whom called it the best film of 2006. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, however, shamelessly neglected to nominate the film for Best Picture, though Cuaron did get an Oscar nod for Best Adapted Screenplay.