Antonio Banderas born on August 10, 1960, in Málaga, Spain. He 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).

He make his Hollywood debut in The Mambo Kings in 1992. After that role he received critical praise for Philadelphia (1993), and the box office success of The Mask of Zorro (1998) made him a star. In 1999 he directed his wife Melanie Griffith in the movie Crazy in Alabama.

Also he starred in other movies such as Never Talk to Strangers (1994), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Desperado (1995), Evita (1996), Frida (2002), Spy Kids (2001) and The Legend of Zorro (2005).

Antonio married actress Melanie Griffith, whom he had met during the shooting of Two Much. They have a daughter, Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith.

Filmography

• Puss in Boots (2010) 
• Shrek 4 (2010)
• Sin City 2 (2008)
• Shrek the Halls (2007) (TV)
• Memoirs of Hadrian (2007)
• Homeland Security (2007)
• Shrek the Third (2007)
• Bordertown (2007)
• Take the Lead (2006)
• The Legend of Zorro (2005)
• Far Far Away Idol (2004)
• Shrek 2 (2004)
• Imagining Argentina (2003)
• And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) (TV)
• Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
• Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
• Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
• Frida (2002)
• Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
• Femme Fatale (2002)
• Original Sin (2001)
• Spy Kids (2001)
• The Body (2001)
• Play It to the Bone (1999)
• The White River Kid (1999)
• The 13th Warrior (1999)
• The Mask of Zorro (1998)
• Evita (1996)
• Two Much (1995)
• Never Talk to Strangers (1995)
• Assassins (1995)
• Four Rooms (1995)
• Desperado (1995)
• Miami Rhapsody (1995)
• Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
• Of Love and Shadows (1994)
• Philadelphia (1993)
• The House of the Spirits (1993)
• ¡Dispara! (1993)
• "Giovane Mussolini, Il" (1993) (mini) TV Series
• The Mambo Kings (1992)
• Mujer bajo la lluvia, Una (1992)
• Terra Nova (1991)
• Contra el viento (1990)
• ¡Átame! (1990)
• Otra historia de Rosendo Juárez, La (1990) (TV)
• Acto, El (1989)
• Blanca Paloma, La (1989)
• Si te dicen que caí (1989)
• Bajarse al moro (1989)
• Bâton rouge (1988)
• Placer de matar, El (1988)
• Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988)
• Mujer de tu vida: La mujer feliz, La (1988) (TV)
• Así como habían sido (1987)
• Ley del deseo, La (1987)
• Delirios de amor (1986)
• 27 horas (1986)
• Puzzle (1986)
• Matador (1986)
• Caso cerrado (1985)
• Corte de Faraón, La (1985)
• Réquiem por un campesino español (1985)
• Zancos, Los (1984)
• "Fragmentos de interior" (1984) TV Series
• Señor Galíndez, El (1984)
• Caso Almería, El (1984)
• Y del seguro... líbranos Señor! (1983)
• Laberinto de pasiones (1982)
• Pestañas postizas (1982)

Awards

• European Film Award European Achievement in Cinema 1999
• European Film Award Audience Favorite for Best Actor "The Mask of Zorro" 1998