Antonio Banderas

COMING SOON!

Desperado, The Mask Of Zorro and even Madonna's musical hit Evita. Mr Melanie Griffith was already an A-list star in Spain when he smouldered into Hollywood. A versatile talent.

Biography

Curious

Films

Quotes

Related

1 2 3

NEXT >>

Antonio Banderas
born: 10-08-1960
birth place: Malaga, Spain

Banderas was born to father, Jose and mother, Ana, a school teacher, during the height of tyrannical Spanish leader, Francisco Franco’s oppressive regime. Banderas has a brother Francisco Javier, eighteen months younger than him, nicknamed ‘Chico’.

As a youngster, Banderas dreamed of becoming a professional football player. At age fourteen, he broke his foot, which put an end to this dream. Instead, against his parent’s wishes, he enrolled for classes at the School for Dramatic Art, in Malaga. There he discovered a love of acting, did lots of street theatre, later joined a small theatre troupe and toured Spain with them. His efforts paid off and in 1981 he was offered a place to perform with the National Theatre of Spain, in Madrid.

The following year, Banderas was to make his screen debut in “Laberinto de Pasiones” (“Labyrinth of Passion”) (1982), directed by Pedro Almodovar, who had noticed Banderas performing at the National Theatre. Almodovar was a radical young director who wanted Banderas to help him forge a new film industry. They would continue working with one another for a number of years

Banderas made a whole slew of Spanish films from 1982 to 1985, before working again with Almodovar, this time on two movies back-to-back. The first was “La Ley Del Deseo” (“The Law of Desire”) (1986), in which he played a gay man and made headlines with his first onscreen man-to-man kiss. The second, was “Matador” (1986). Ever the hard worker, Banderas appeared in a range of films between 1986 and 1988, before teaming up once more with Almodovar, in his internationally acclaimed “Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios” (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988).

Banderas was in demand and the Almodovar formula seemed unfailing. Two years later, they made “Atame!” (“Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!”) (1990), a warm, unorthidox romantic comedy about a mental patient who kidnaps a porn star, tying her up until she loves him. Banderas’s recognition rose considerably.

Successful in his home country, and with the experience of many films under his belt, Banderas was keen to break into the American market, realising that was where the money lay. He bravely pursued this dream, even although he could not speak any English. His charisma and smouldering Latino looks helped to get him noticed and it was Madonna who gave America their first big screen viewing of Banderas. He appeared as an unwitting object of her desire in “Madonna: Truth or Dare” (1991).

1 2 3

NEXT >>