生于1955年，从小喜欢电影和电视。七十年代初加入香港无线电视台，后来当上电视剧的编导和监制。

杜琪峯擁有超過三十年電視和電影拍攝經驗，曾監製和執導超過五十多部電影。杜氏自八十年代開始拍攝一系列成功的商業電影，包括《阿郎的故事》和《審死官》。自一九九六年創立銀河映像 (香港) 有限公司後，杜氏逐漸憑其獨特創新的電影語言在國際影壇受到重視。《鎗火》和《全職殺手》等均受邀參加各大國際電影展。自二零零四年作品《大事件》首次參加康城國際影展後，其二零零五年作品《黑社會》更入圍康城國際影展競賽組，並榮獲台北金馬獎十一項提名，及香港金像獎之最佳導演及最佳影片殊榮，二零零六年作品《放逐》亦角逐威尼斯國際電影展之競賽單元。二零零八年，杜氏受威尼斯電影節邀請成為主競賽單元的評委團成員之一。二零零九年獲法國文化部頒發「藝術及文學勳章」，二零一零年獲嶺南大學頒授榮譽院士。

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With a film career spanning over 30 years, Johnnie To is one of Hong Kong’s leading directors. Having reached commercial success in the 80s with films including ‘All About Ah Long’ and ‘Justice, My Foot’, he turned to more personal works in the mid-90s following the creation of his independent film production company Milkyway Image (HK) Limited. In recent years, his stylish film aesthetics caught on in the west following the film festival appearance of his works including ‘The Mission’ and ‘Fulltime Killer’. To’s ‘Breaking News’ premiered at 2004 Cannes International Film Festival’s Official Selection programme. ‘Election’ was in Competition in Cannes in 2005 and went on to receive 11 nominations at the Taipei Golden Horse Award. The film won Best Picture and Best Director Awards at the 2006 Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2006, ‘Exiled’ was invited to the Competition Section of the Venice International Film Festival. In 2008, he was invited to join the main competition jury at the Venice International Film Festival. In 2009, he was awarded the Officer of the National Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture and in 2010, he was conferred the Honorary Fellowship by the Lingnan University.