Antonio Banderas

He married his first wife, Ana Leza, in July 1987 but the couple separated in May 1995.

After divorcing his first wife, Ana Leza, he married actress Melanie Griffith in 1996 with whom he had a relationship since they worked in the movie, ‘Two Much’, and they have a daughter, Stella. The couple announced their separation in June 2014.

Banderas was born José Antonio Dominguez Banderas on 10th August 1960, in Benalmádena, Málaga, Andalucía, Spain, to Ana Banderas, a school teacher, and José Domínguez, a police officer in the Guardia Civil.

His ambition of becoming professional football player ended due to a foot injury at fourteen. He enrolled in some drama classes, and joined a theater troupe that toured all over Spain.

His work in the theater, and his performances on the streets, eventually landed him a spot with the National Theatre of Spain and he earned his G.E.D in 1990.

Banderas debuted in Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s 1982 movie, ‘Labyrinth of Passion’. Almodovar went on to cast him in many of his movies including internationally acclaimed, ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’.

In 1992, despite speaking minimal English and having to learn his lines phonetically, he gave a great performance as a struggling musician in his first American drama film, ‘The Mambo Kings’.

With the film ‘Philadelphia’ in 1993, he made his mark with mainstream American audience. He played the character of Miguel Álvarez, the gay lover of AIDS-afflicted lawyer Andrew Beckett played by Tom Hanks.

’Desperado’, a 1995 action film, saw him play a mariachi or folk singer seeking revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover. The film enhanced his fame and made $25,405,445 at the box-office.

In ‘Evita’, a 1996 musical drama film based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name about Eva Perón, he starred as Che with Madonna, and Jonathan Pryce.

’The Mask of Zorro’, starred him with Anthony Hopkins and received both financial and critical success.

‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’, was his second performance as El Mariachi. This final 2003 film in Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy holds the record for being the most improved second sequel of all-time.