He spent some time in Guadalajara and Penjamo during the Mexican revolution. He established two photographic studios in Mexico City, one in Hollywood and one in Paris. He returned to Mexico in 1934 and debuted as a cinematographer in Good-Bye Nicanor (1937) and as a director with The Mayor (1939). He has directed more than 140 films and has written approximately half that number. He has received a variety of awards, among them the "Festival of the Three Continents" in Nantes, France; an award given at this festival for new directors bears his name (Prix Gilberto Martinez Solares).