Antonio Banderas

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Template:Spanish name

Antonio Banderas
File:AntonioBandaresJune07.jpg
Antonio Banderas at the Shrek the Third London premiere, June 2007
Born
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas
Occupation(s)Actor, director, singer
Years active1979–present
Spouse(s)Ana Leza (1987–1995)
Melanie Griffith (1996–present)

José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960), better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer. He began his acting career at age 19 with a series of films by director Pedro Almodóvar and then appeared in high-profile Hollywood films including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado, The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids and the Shrek sequels.

Early life

Banderas was born in Málaga, Andalusia, in Spain, in 1960; he was the son of Ana Banderas, a school teacher, and José Domínguez, a police officer in the Guardia Civil.[1][2] He also has one younger brother, Francisco. He took his mother's surname as his stage name.[3] He initially wanted to play soccer professionally, but his dream ended when he broke his foot at age 14.

Career in Spain

Banderas' acting career began at the age of 19, when he worked in small theatres during the Movida period. He first gained wide attention of the Spanish audience through starring on a set of films by director Pedro Almodóvar between 1982 and 1990. Labyrinth of Passion ('Laberinto de pasiones', 1982) where he plays a gay man, Matador (1986) where he plays a troubled young man who is confused about his sexuality, Law of Desire ("La Ley del Deseo", 1987) where he plays a psychotic gay stalker, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, 1988), and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! ("¡Átame!", 1989), in which he performed his breakthrough role as "Ricky".

Career in Hollywood

He began appearing in American films; some of his earlier roles there included the 1992 film, The Mambo Kings, as well as a supporting role in the Oscar-winning 1993 film, Philadelphia. He appeared in several major Hollywood releases in 1995, including a starring role in the Robert Rodriguez-directed film, Desperado. In 1996, he starred alongside Madonna in Evita, an adaptation of the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in which he played the narrator, Che, a role originally played on Broadway by Mandy Patinkin. He also made success with his role as the legendary Mexican masked swordsman, Zorro in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, for which he was the first Spanish actor to portray the character after over 80 years since Zorro's creation. In 2000, Ridley Scott offered Banderas a part as a peasant in his film, Gladiator (2000 film) and he reluctantly accepted, but demanded exactly $50,000 for the role, which is currently the world record for the highest salary of an extra.

In 2001, he collaborated with Robert Rodriguez who cast him in the Spy Kids film trilogy. He also starred in Michael Cristofer's Original Sin alongside Angelina Jolie that year. In 2002, he starred in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale (film) opposite Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and in Julie Taymor's Frida with Salma Hayek. In 2003 he starred in the last installment of the "Mexico" trilogy Once Upon A Time In Mexico (in which he appeared with Johnny Depp and Salma Hayek). Banderas' debut as a director was the poorly-received Crazy in Alabama (1999), starring his wife Melanie Griffith.

In 2003, he returned to the musical genre, appearing to great acclaim in the Broadway revival of Maury Yeston's musical Nine, based on the film 8½, playing the prime role originated by the late Raúl Juliá. Banderas won both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards, and was nominated for the Tony Award for best actor in a musical.[4] His performance is preserved on the Broadway cast recording released by PS Classics.

His voice role as Puss in Boots in Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third followed by "Shrek the Fourth" which made the character popular on the family film circuit. In 2005, he reprised his role as Zorro in The Legend of Zorro, though this was not as successful as The Mask of Zorro. In 2006, he starred in Take the Lead, a high school-set movie in which he played a ballroom dancing teacher. That year, he directed his second film El camino de los ingleses (English title Summer Rain), and also received the L.A. Latino International Film Festival's "Gabi" Lifetime Achievement Award on 14 October.[5] He hosted Saturday Night Live's 600th episode (in season 31). The musical guest was Mary J. Blige. He performed a voice-over for a computer-animated bee which can be seen in the United States in television commercials for Nasonex,[6] an allergy medication, and was seen in the 2007 Christmas advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer, a British retailer.[7] He is being considered for the part of Hadrian in the in-production (as of February 2008) film Memoirs of Hadrian.[8] He is also planning to produce a film based on Muhammad XII, the last Moorish ruler of Granada.[9]

He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 6801 Hollywood Blvd in 2005.

Personal life

Banderas divorced his first wife, Ana G. Leza, and in May 1996 married Melanie Griffith.[10] whom he met a year earlier when they shot Two Much.[11] They have a daughter, Stella Banderas, born in 1998, who appeared in the film Crazy in Alabama (1999), in which Griffith starred and which Banderas directed.[12]

He has invested his movie earnings in Andalusian products, which he promotes in Spain and the USA.[12] He owns 50% of a winery in Northern Spain called Anta Banderas which makes red and rose wines.[13]

While he speaks in his native Andalusian Spanish with his family and Spanish press, he switches to the Castilian pronunciation when playing non-Andalusian roles or when dubbing his Hollywood roles.[citation needed]

He is a long time supporter of the Málaga CF.[14]

Filmography

As an actor

See also

References

  1. ^ "Antonio Banderas As Puss 'N Boots' Voice". Vistamagazine.com. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  2. ^ "Antonio Banderas Biography (1965–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  3. ^ "Salon Column | Ron "The Artist" Shelton". Salon.com. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  4. ^ "United Press International". Banderas set for Broadway return. Retrieved 2006-04-06.
  5. ^ Banderas flies flag at LALIFF – Entertainment News, VPage, Media – Variety.
  6. ^ Michael O'Sullivan (October 28, 2005). "Antonio Banderas Dons The Mask Once More". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  7. ^ "Marks And Spencer Warn Of Poor Outlook". Daily Record. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  8. ^ Production Weekly, October 21, 2005, cited at www.comingsoon.net.
  9. ^ Tim Walker & Richard Eden (31 October 2008). "Antonio Banderas bemused by non-Arabic caveat". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  10. ^ "Antonio and Melanie throw joint birthday party". CNN. Associated Press. 2000-08-10. Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  11. ^ ABC News: Banderas: I'm No Latin Lover (Accessed 2008-01-09).
  12. ^ a b Vista: Antonio Banderas as Puss 'N Boots' Voice (Accessed 2008-01-09).
  13. ^ Antonio Banderas Buys Winery Yahoo News, 2009-03-17.
  14. ^ Cigar Aficionado | People Profile | Antonio Banderas (Accessed 2008-01-09).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Antonio Banderas.
Preceded by Actors to portray Zorro with Anthony Hopkins
1998–present 		Succeeded by
N/A
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