Antonio Banderas.

Antonio Banderas was born José Antonio Domínguez Banderas on August 10, 1960, in Málaga, Spain. His father, José Domínguez Prieto, was a civil guard policeman, and his mother, Ana Banderas Gallego, was a school teacher. Raised Roman Catholic, Banderas dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player and achieved success on his school team until he broke his foot at age 14. That injury ended his soccer aspirations but ignited a passion for theater after he saw a stage production of Hair. He began studying at the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático in Málaga and made his acting debut in a small theater. Early in his career, he was arrested multiple times for performing politically charged plays by Bertolt Brecht under Franco’s regime.

In 1979, Banderas moved to Madrid and joined the National Theatre of Spain as its youngest member. His stage work caught the attention of director Pedro Almodóvar, who cast him in Labyrinth of Passion 1982. Their collaboration continued with Law of Desire 1987, where Banderas performed Spain’s first male-to-male on-screen kiss, and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 1988, which earned an Oscar nomination and brought him international notice. In 1992, Banderas made his Hollywood debut in The Mambo Kings, learning his lines phonetically because he did not speak English. He gained wider recognition with Philadelphia 1993, playing the lover of Tom Hanks’ AIDS-infected lawyer, and Interview with the Vampire 1994 alongside Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. His role as Che in Evita 1996 opposite Madonna solidified his leading-man status. In 1998, he starred as Zorro in The Mask of Zorro, training with Spain’s Olympic fencing team and learning horse riding for a month. He also voiced Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise and directed Crazy in Alabama 1999.

Antonio Banderas married actress Ana Leza in 1987; they divorced in 1996, the same year he married Melanie Griffith after meeting her on the set of Two Much 1995. Banderas had admired Griffith since seeing her in Something Wild 1986. They have one daughter, Stella Banderas, born September 24, 1996. Banderas and Griffith divorced in 2014 after 19 years together. He is a passionate supporter of Real Madrid and Málaga soccer clubs. He resides in Los Angeles, Aspen, and Marbella, Spain. Despite a Catholic upbringing, he identifies as agnostic, stating that his children’s spiritual beliefs are their own choice.

Antonio Banderas is one of Spain’s most successful international film stars. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard on October 18, 2005. He has won multiple Goya Awards, the European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award, and the European Film Award for Best Actor. His collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar have been critically acclaimed, and his role as Zorro became his most famous performance. He was named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996 and chosen by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars. Banderas also contributed to stage, receiving a Tony nomination for the musical Nine in 2003. His films Philadelphia, Spy Kids, and Frida have been selected for the National Film Registry. He is remembered for breaking barriers as a Spanish actor in Hollywood and for his charismatic performances across genres.