 |
Antonio Banderas
5
Biography
Born: José Antonio Domínguez Banderas on 10 August 1960, Malaga, Andalucia, Spain.
Antonio Banderas is a Spanish film actor and singer who has starred in high-profile Hollywood films including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, The Mask of Zorro, the Mariachi sequels, and the Shrek sequels.
A native of Malaga, Spain had dreams of being a great soccer player and his father, a policeman, and mother, a teacher, encouraged him to train hard. Unfortunately for soccer fans but fortunately for Hollywood, Banderas broke his foot when he was 14 and was unable to play again. At that time he developed a passion for theatre after seeing the stage production of 'Hair'. Banderas began his acting studies at the School of Dramatic Art in Malaga, and made his acting debut at a small theatre in Malaga.
In 1981, at the age of 19, he moved to Madrid in pursuit of an acting career. Being a struggling young actor, he also worked as a waiter and took small modelling jobs. At that time he joined the troupe at the National Theatre of Spain, becoming the youngest member of the company. Banderas's stage performances caught the attention of film director Pedro Almodóvar, who cast the young actor in his film debut Laberinto de pasiones (1982). Banderas and Almodovar joined forces in making innovative and sexually provocative movies during the 1980s. In 1984 Banderas made headlines in Spain with his performance as a gay man, making his first male-to-male on-screen kiss in Almodovar's Ley del deseo, La (Law of Desire) (1987). Banderas's long and fruitful collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar eventually prepared him for international recognition that came with his work in the Academy Award-nominated film Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988). In 1991 he appeared as an object of Madonna's affection in Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991).
I hate that cat [Puss in Boots from Shrek]. Ever since he appeared in my life he's more important than me. Now women always say, 'Oh, I love that cat. He's so cute'. Before, it was, 'I loved you in Zorro'. And sometimes you think is she saying that because she has some other . . . intention? But no. They love the cat, and they hate me.
In 1992 Banderas made his Hollywood debut with The Mambo Kings (1992). Banderas shot to international fame with his sensitive performance as a lover of Tom Hanks' AIDS-infected lawyer in Philadelphia (1993), then played opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). Banderas further established himself as one of Hollywood's leading men after co-starring in Evita (1996) opposite Madonna in the title role. In 1998 he won acclaim for his portrayal of Zorro, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones, in The Mask of Zorro (1998). For the role as Zorro Banderas took training with the Olympic national fencing team in Spain, and practiced his moves with real steel swords, then he used the lighter aluminium swords in the movie. He also took a month-long course of horse-riding before the filming. He later returned to the role in The Legend of Zorro (2005). In 1999 Banderas made his directorial debut in Crazy in Alabama (1999), starring his wife, Melanie Griffith.
Other recent films include voice-work as Puss-in-boots for Shrek (2004 and 2007), Bordertown (2006) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003).
Since 1996 Banderas has been married to American actress Melanie Griffith and the couple has one daughter. Outside of his acting profession, Banderas has been a passionate soccer fan and a staunch supporter of the Real Madrid Football Club. He shares time between his two homes in the United States and the South of Spain.
