Antonio Banderas

Spanish actors

Many internationally known actors and actresses are of Spanish descent. For example, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Fernando Rey, among others, are from Spain. Antonio Banderas is also one of many well-known Spanish actors. In addition to being an actor, Antonio Banderas is also a reggisseur, producer and singer.

José Antonio Dominguez Banderas was born on August 10, 1960 in Benalmádena, Malaga. In his younger years, Antonio always wanted to become a professional soccer player. However, this dream fell apart when Banderas broke his foot at the age of 14. At that time, he went to see the theater show "Hair" with his parents and thus his interest in theater was awakened. Soon after, Antonio started taking drama classes. He then joined a theater group and toured the whole country with this group. In this theater group, he caught the attention of some big names in the Spanish theater industry. As a result, he managed to secure a place in the National Theater of Spain. From the theater, he rolled into the film industry and frequently starred in Spanish films.

Fame with "The mask of Zorro"

His breakthrough came in 1990 with his role in the film "Tie me up! Tie me down!", a Spanish romantic comedy. Until 1992, Antonio Banderas barely spoke English but still managed to attract the attention of the film industry in America. In 1993, he broke through in America with his role in the film "Philadelphia. This was followed by many roles in well-known films including Desperado, Evita, The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The 1990s in particular were good years for Banderas; his roles in Evita in 1996 and "The Mask of Zorro" in 1998 brought him great fame. And even led him to take on the role of Zorro again in 'The Legend of Zorro' in 2005.

In 2003, Antonio Banderas returned to the theater with his role in the musical "Nine. Banderas has also voiced many voices for various animated films. His best-known voice role can be found in "Shrek 2," "Shrek the Third" and "Shrek Forever After. In these films, he voiced the role of the Puss in Boots. This cat became so popular that the Puss in Boots was even given its own movie for which Antonio Banderas once again contributed the voice.

His input in various films has also earned Antiono Banderas several awards. In 2005, for example, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2006, Antonio Banderas won the "Gabi Lifetime Achievement Award" at the Los Angeles International Film festival. He was also nominated for 3 Golden Globe Awards and presented the 69th version of the Golden Globe Awards ceremony with Salma Hayek in 2012.