Julio Torres

Julio Torres was born on February 11, 1987, in San Salvador, El Salvador. He grew up during the final years of the Salvadoran Civil War. His mother, an architect and fashion designer, and his father, a civil engineer, supported his early creative endeavors. Torres moved to New York City in 2009 after receiving a scholarship to attend Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School, where he majored in English literature and studied playwriting, graduating in 2011.

Torres began his career as a writer for “The Chris Gethard Show” before joining “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 2016. During his tenure at SNL from 2016 to 2019, he co-wrote notable sketches such as “Papyrus” and “Wells for Boys,” earning him four Emmy nominations. In 2019, he co-created, wrote, and executive produced the HBO series “Los Espookys,” alongside Fred Armisen and Ana Fabrega, later appearing as an actor in the show as Andrés. Both “Los Espookys” and his subsequent HBO series “Fantasmas,” which he also wrote, directed, and starred in, received Peabody Awards.

His surrealist comedic style extended to his HBO special “My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres,” which premiered in 2019 and was produced by Fred Armisen and Lorne Michaels. Torres made his feature directorial debut with the A24 film “Problemista” (2023), which he also wrote and starred in as Alejandro, a Salvadoran creative navigating New York City. He has also taken on voice roles in animated productions like “Nimona” (2023) and “The Great North” (2021-2023). In 2022, he authored the children’s book “I Want To Be A Vase” with illustrator Julian Glander, further showcasing his diverse creative output.