Alejandro Jodorowsky was born 1930 in Iquique, Chile, but moved to Paris, France in 1953 to study mime with Marcel Marceau (!).
During the 1960s, Jodorowsky experimented with cartooning and miming, and formed the Theatre of Panic in 1962 with French surrealists Fernando Arrabal and Roland Topor. Jodorowsky staged an avant-garde performance called "Sacramental Melodrama" in 1964, 4 hours of religious themes and violence. These were to become key themes for Jodorowsky.
Jodorowsky had his directorial debut in 1968 with "Fando Y Lis" (Fando and Lis), a movie telling of alienation and socio-political upheaval in Mexico. However, it wasn't until 1971, that he attained fame, with El Topo (The Mole). It's Dali-esque style was praised by John Lennon. Jodorowsky himself wrote the script and soundtrack, directed and starred in El Topo and the psychedelic western can be likened to the works of Kenneth Anger and Maya Deren. A follow-up, "La Montaña sagrada" (The Holy Mountain) came about in 1974.
Seeing the success of Jodorowskys movies, Hollywood asked him to filmatize Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965). According to rumors, Pink Floyd were to do the soundtrack, Salvador Dali, Gloria Swanson and Orson Welles were cast for roles and Dan O'Bannon for special effects. H.R. Giger (Alien) was hired to design Giedi Prime home of House Harkonnen and Jean Giraud (Moebius) were to design Arrakis.
The movie imploded in 1977, and after being passed on to Ridley Scott, it was handed to David Lynch, whose 1983 interpretation bombed.
Jodorowsky began work on "Santa Sangre" in 1983, working for six years on the movie. It dealt with themes of family dynamics, murder, and obsession. Once again Alejandro Jodorowsky was in the spotlight.
Alongside his movie projects, Jodorowsky has worked with several comic book artists, including Moebius (the John Difool series, telling the story of a futuristic private detective and his adventures involving the mythical artifact The Incal Light), Arno (the Alef-Thau series, about a child born without arms and legs in a fantasy world ruled by immortals) and François Boucq to name a few.
One of his latest projects is "La Folle de la Sacré-Coeur" (The Insanity of the Sacred Heart), also a Moebius-collaboration. It's a typical Jodorowsky tale, about a professor of theology who falls in love with a student of his, and has an affair with her.
See also other Comics creators.