Julio Torres | |
|---|---|
 Torres in 2024 | |
| Born | (1987-02-11)February 11, 1987 (age 38) San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Education | The New School (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
Julio Torres (born February 11, 1987)[1] is aSalvadoran-American writer, comedian, and actor. He is known as a writer forSaturday Night Live and as the co-creator, writer, and executive producer of theHBO seriesLos Espookys andFantasmas. He previously wrote forThe Chris Gethard Show ontruTV. He directed, wrote, and starred in thesurrealistcomedy filmProblemista.
Torres was born on February 11, 1987, inSan Salvador, El Salvador. His father, Julio, is a civil engineer and his mother, Tita, is an architect and fashion designer. His grandmother was told by a fortune teller that one of her descendants would be successful in New York City which his mother believed to be Torres.[2]
He grew up during the last years of theSalvadoran Civil War and remembers hiding under the dining table with his mother; however, he describes his childhood as idyllic. Torres grew up in an apartment above his mother's clothing store where she would sew both his and his sister's clothes. He had few friends in his youth and spent his time creating elaborate stories forBarbies and miniature toy cars. At age 11, his grandfather died and Torres moved with his family to a farmhouse outside the city, where his mother grew up, after his mother's clothing store went out of business.[2]
Torres attended a private high school in San Salvador after he and his sister received scholarships. After high school, he enrolled in a two-year advertising program and later worked at an ad agency. He made a presentation to his relatives to convince them to pay for Torres to attend college in New York and moved to Manhattan in 2009 after applying toEugene Lang College of Liberal Arts atThe New School a second time with a scholarship. Torres majored in English literature while he also studied playwriting, graduating in 2011.[2][3]
Torres worked as a writer onThe Chris Gethard Show before he was hired to write forSaturday Night Live.[4] He worked atSNL from 2016 to 2019, writing sketches including "Papyrus" and "Wells for Boys".[5][6] He was nominated for four Emmys as a member of the SNL writing team.[7] He has appeared onThe Tonight Show and other late-night programs.[5][8] His comedy is frequently described by critics as "otherworldly" and "surrealist," with elements of the fantastical and a melancholy undercurrent.[9][10][11]After pitching a Spanish-language comedy toHBO, the comedianFred Armisen brought Torres andAna Fabrega on to co-write the series. Armisen and Torres had met when the former hostedSNL.[5] Torres was also a co-showrunner and actor on the project, which becameLos Espookys. The first season aired in 2019, and it was renewed for a second season later that year.[12] Torres plays Andrés, a wealthy heir who searches for answers about his mysterious past.[13]
His comedy specialMy Favorite Shapes premiered August 10, 2019, on HBO. It was directed by his frequent collaboratorDave McCary and produced by Fred Armisen andLorne Michaels.[14] Torres played the gay barista Jules in the 2021 comedy filmTogether Together. His first feature film,Problemista, was released in the United States released byA24 on March 1, 2024.[15] Torres wrote and directed the film, asurrealistcomedy, in which he portrays Alejandro, a Salvadoran creative struggling to succeed in New York City before hiswork visa expires, alongsideTilda Swinton.[16]
In 2024,Ryan Gosling asked Torres to return to SNL with a sequel to "Papyrus". Although cut for time during Gosling's live episode, "Papyrus 2" was later released online in full.[17]
His mother and his sister, a designer, have collaborated with him on comedy projects. He says he has always wanted to pursue a career in writing for comedy.[18]
Torres is gay. He said in June 2020, "I never want to claim to speak for anybody else's experience. I am not here representing immigrants. I am not here representing Salvadorians, or Hispanics, or gay people. I can only share what's in me and that may or may not ring true with people, but I have never wanted to use any of those things as a calling card."[19][7]
Torres is in a relationship with actorJames Scully.[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres | Self | Also writer and executive producer |
| 2021 | Together Together | Jules | |
| 2023 | Problemista | Alejandro | Also writer and director |
| Nimona | Diego the Squire (voice) | ||
| Millennial Hunter | Chaz AF (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Boys Go To Jupiter | T-bone/Gas Station Guy/Brontosaurus (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | The Chris Gethard Show | Self | 2 episodes |
| The Special Without Brett Davis | Various roles | 6 episodes | |
| 2016 | Horace and Pete | Young hipster | Episode #1.1 |
| The Jim Gaffigan Show | QED MC | Episode: "The List" | |
| High Maintenance | Art school kid 2 | Episode: "Tick" | |
| 2017–2019 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Correspondent | 8 episodes |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self | 3 episodes | |
| 2017 | Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents | Self | Episode: "Julio Torres" |
| 2018 | The Shivering Truth | Dale (voice) | Episode: "Ogled Inklings" |
| 2019 | The Other Two | Jordan | Episode: "Chase Turns Fourteen" |
| 2019–2022 | Los Espookys | Andrés Valdez | Main role; also writer and executive producer |
| 2021 | Bob's Burgers | Rodrigo (voice) | Episode: "Y Tu Tina También" |
| Shrill | Ricochet | 3 episodes | |
| Ziwe | Self | Episode: "Immigration" | |
| Tuca & Bertie | (voice) | Episode: "Sleepovers" | |
| 2021–present | The Great North | Crispin Cienfuegos (voice) | 15 episodes |
| 2022 | Search Party | Quique | Episode: "Kings" |
| 2024 | Fantasmas | Julio Torres | Also executive producer, writer, director[21] |
