Antonio Banderas Biography

Actor. Born on August 10, 1960, in Málaga, Spain. Banderas studied drama, eventually moving to Madrid where he performed in plays including Historia de los Tarantos and La hija del aire. There he met Pedro Almoóvar who gave him a small part in the film Laberinto de pasiones (1982) and from then on he worked exclusively with Almodóvar in such films as Matador (1985) and La ley del deseo (1986).

His first bona fide American movie role was in The Mambo Kings (1992), and still speaking no English, he was forced to learn his lines phonetically. To his credit, his performance as a struggling musician was critically praised.

Early in the 1990s, largely due to the international popularity of Almodóvar's films, he began a film career in Hollywood.His real breakthrough to the mainstream American audience came with starring in Philadelphia with Tom Hanks (1993). Banderas played the gay lover of a lawyer with AIDS (Tom Hanks), with a sensitivity that earned him much kudos. His star was shining brightly and the following year he won a role in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles(1994). He was now working with the likes of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Banderas had truly made the grade in Hollywood.

Banderas then made his next big movie, Evita (1996) opposite Madonna, in a singing, dancing role. The following year, Banderas made The Mask of Zorro (1998), with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins. It seemed he could do no wrong, both personally and career-wise. Along with acting on screen, Banderas has found success with using only his deep, distinctive voice. He won new fans as Puss in Boots in the popular animated film Shrek 2 (2004).

He met actress Melanie Griffith on the set of Two Much (1996). After a whirlwind romance and his divorce from wife Ana Leza, the couple married in May 1996. Banderas and Griffith have a daughter, Stella.

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