Full name: Antonio Banderas
Date of birth:
August 10, 1960
Zodiac sign:
Leo
Age:
60 years old
Place of birth:
Malaga, Spain
Nationality:
Spanish
Activities:
Actor, director
Height:
174 cm
Education: National School of Dramatic Art Marital status:
Divorced
Children:
Stella Banderas
Spouse( a):
Ana Lesa (1987-1996), Melanie Griffith
Childhood and youth, family
Antonio Banderas was born on August 10, 1960 in Malaga, Spain, into the family of a Spanish officer, Jose Dominguez, and a schoolteacher, Ana Bandera Gallego. The actor used his mother's last name as a pseudonym, making a slight change. The family also has a younger brother, Francisco Javier, with whom he played football since childhood.
While the mother taught the children arithmetic, and the father caught criminals, Antonio Dominguez was kicking a ball in the yard.
He dreamed of a football career, but it didn’t work out: as a teenager, Antonio broke his leg, and he had to give up the big sport. The young man had a different path. Antonio's parents loved art and often took their son with them to performances. According to legend, this is how he got to see the musical “Hair”, which was staged at a local theater in Malaga. According to another version, there was a rumor that the actors would be naked on stage, and Antonio and his friends could not help but grab tickets.
The production amazed him. Antonio was fired up with an idea: he wants the same thing! At the age of 14, he found himself in a local theater troupe, but he was not allowed to go on stage right away. The young man made scenery, applied makeup, sewed costumes, set up equipment, and carried out small assignments. His peers laughed at his persistence, and his parents thought that his passion for the theater would soon pass. But two years later Antonio entered the National School of Dramatic Art in Malaga. And after graduation I decided to go to the capital.
Antonio Banderas says he is sick
Antonio Banderas. Photo: social networks Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas told fans sad news. The Spaniard admitted that shortly before his 60th birthday, doctors diagnosed him with a coronavirus infection COVID-19. Now Banderas is forced to quarantine.
“I would like to announce that today, August 10, I am forced to celebrate my 60th birthday in quarantine, having tested positive for COVID-19,” the actor admitted. He added that he feels good, but gets tired faster than usual. The Spaniard also said that he uses the time freed up due to quarantine to read, relax and think about his future.
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Actor career
Madrid received him coldly. Dominguez had to work either as a waiter or as a loader. Later, he was accepted into the troupe of the National Theater of Spain. But even there, Antonio was content with minor characters for five years and agreed to any productions. Only in 1982 did his finest hour come.
After the next performance, a strange-looking man appeared behind the scenes.
From the outside he might have looked like a tramp, his clothes were so shabby. It turned out to be Pedro Almodóvar, whose films were only gaining popularity in those years. “You have an interesting face,” he complimented Antonio. “You need to act in films.” Later, Pedro came to the theater more than once, often attending productions with the participation of Dominguez. It was rumored that Apmodovar, being a lover of boys, had his eye on Antonio. One way or another, one day he invited a young actor to his film.
Almodovar's paintings were striking in their expressiveness and shockingness. Just look at “Labyrinth of Passions,” where Dominguez starred in 1982. He got the role of a Spanish homosexual radical who is not indifferent to the ruling prince. A strange idea, but Antonio had no choice. He wanted to become famous!
Almodovar gave him advice - to come up with a stage name. It was decided to take the mother’s last name, Bandera, and add “s” at the end. This is how Antonio Dominguez became Antonio Banderas.
Projects followed one after another, where Almodóvar called him. Antonio also acted for other directors, but it was Pedro, like a father, who looked after him, helped him, and led him by the hand in the dark labyrinth of Spanish cinema. Almost all of Banderas’ roles were versatile and unusual, but this was the intention - to demonstrate the versatility of his talent. With Almodóvar, Antonio was both one of the sides of the gay love triangle and a patient in a mental hospital. And everywhere he turned out to be different, everywhere he amazed the viewer.
Soon Banderas became cramped in Spain. He decided to conquer Hollywood. And when Almodóvar invited him to the next shooting of the film “Kika,” the actor refused. They say the director harbored a grudge, but could not do anything.
In 1992, Banderas received an offer to play in the American film “Mambo Kings.” I agreed without thinking how difficult it could be to work in a foreign country without even knowing the language. No one on the set understood him. As a result, the actor was assigned a translator, and later a tutor who helped him understand the pronunciation and accent.
Banderas was popular in his homeland, but no one knew about him in America. A fiery Spanish handsome man, a temperamental macho - all this faded here, the competition was too high. But Antonio made the right bet. He realized that... women would help him settle in America.
Personal life
Banderas came to the USA as a married man.
It has been five years since he was married to Spanish actress Ana Lesa. However, she left her career almost immediately as soon as she met her future husband. It was with Ana that Antonio appeared at the premiere of the film, where he was invited by Madonna, who is partial to spectacular brunettes. However, he did not come alone. "A curse!" - the singer was angry in the dressing room, but in public she only smiled sweetly. Antonio understood what women liked and used this advantage, winning his place in the sun. Someone advised: a Spanish wife is not a competitor to Hollywood divas. Either Banderas listened to someone else's advice, or he really fell in love, but soon his marriage began to crack.
The culprit was actress Melanie Griffith. While his official wife was still waiting for Antonio in Spain, he and Melanie were already living together in America. Banderas even mended his relationship with her daughter Dakota. Divorce and new marriage were not long in coming. Soon Griffith gave birth to Antonio's daughter Stella.
Banderas's career also took off: Interview with the Vampire (1994), Four Rooms (1995), Desperado (1995), The Mask of Zorro (1998), Seduction ( 2001) and other works made him popular. Now Banderas' partners were top stars - Tom Hanke, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie.
By the way, according to rumors, Antonio had an affair with the latter. Or maybe not only with her... At least, Melanie always seemed to think that her husband was infatuated with other women. Despite the fact that he repeatedly proved his devotion to her - he was there when she struggled with alcohol addiction, when she was being treated for cancer - the actress never ceased to suspect her husband of infidelity. On the same grounds, in 2014 she filed for divorce. Later, I probably regretted it, but nothing could be changed.
Antonio did not remain alone for long: a year later he began an affair with Dutch financier Nicole Kempel, 21 years younger than him. But does age matter when it comes to the handsome Banderas? Over the years, like a good wine, it has only gotten better.
No longer macho: Paparazzi filmed 57-year-old Antonio Banderas on a yacht in his underpants
Antonio Banderas and his friend Nicole Kempel opened the beach season on the Cote d'Azur. Photo: Instagram.
Antonio Banderas opened the beach season on the Cote d'Azur: together with his beloved Nicole Kempel, he sunbathes on a yacht in Monaco. In Monte Carlo, the Spaniard and his chosen one came to the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix race, which these days gathered many world stars and celebrities in its stands. In their free time, the actor and the 38-year-old banker spend a lot of time outdoors and swimming, although the water in the Mediterranean Sea is still cool. During one of these moments, Antonio was photographed by the paparazzi. Banderas, wearing bright light green shorts, basked in the sun on the deck of the yacht.
The paparazzi photographed the actor on a yacht: Banderas was basking in the sun in light green shorts.
Photo: EAST NEWS
It’s easy to see that at 57 years old, Antonio has lost his former form and no longer looks as macho as before. The artist gained a belly and a rounded waist. More recently, Banders was much thinner. To keep in shape, the actor sweated until exhaustion in the gym, and in addition to fitness, he also did rock climbing.
As a result, the actor overdid it with physical activity - in March last year he felt pain in his chest while playing sports. Banderas was then hospitalized and released after an examination, with a strict order to moderate his ardor. Apparently Antonio no longer trains as intensely as before - and this is the result. Although he looks very good for his age.
It is easy to notice that the actor has gained weight and gained weight at the waist.
Photo: EAST NEWS
Nicole accompanies her beloved everywhere - the couple got engaged, but is in no hurry to walk down the aisle. The engagement of the Spanish actor and his girlfriend became known in July 2020. Antonio Banderas began dating Dutch investment banker Nicole Kempel in 2014, shortly after his divorce from actress Melanie Griffith was announced. Throughout the 18 years of their marriage, the ex-wife did not let Antonio get bored: Melanie had constant problems with alcohol, cocaine and painkillers, which began long before their wedding. She regularly went to clinics to have another plastic surgery, and to rehabilitation centers to get rid of her addiction to alcohol and pills.
But Banderas’ new girlfriend brought regularity and order into his life. Nicole, as a financier, loves to plan and sort everything out. At the same time, her friends describe her as an ironic and very easy-to-communicate person. Apparently, it was just such a woman that Banderas needed, who, by the end of his marriage to Griffith, was quite tired of his wife’s bad habits and her rapidly deteriorating character.
Antonio and Nicole got engaged in July 2020.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Antonio Banderas now
Antonio remains a sought-after actor to this day. For example, in 2018 he played Pablo Picasso in the television series “Genius”. A year later he appeared in the film “Pain and Glory,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar. I have also tried myself as a director, but for now I still consider acting my main activity.
Puss in Boots from the cartoons about Shrek speaks in the voice of Antonio Banderas.
Eau de toilette with his name written on it has been used all over the world for several years now. Someone was even lucky enough to try the wine of the same name: Antonio has his own vineyard in Spain. And in 2016 ago, Banderas surprised everyone by moving to live in the UK and enrolling in the College of Fashion and Design. His new hobby is creating clothing collections. Of course, we cannot do without small tragedies. In 2020, Banderas suffered a heart attack and stent surgery. What happened made him look at life from a different angle. Antonio quit smoking, started doing yoga, and began to approach many things more simply. “My life has never been perfect,” he admitted in a recent interview. “But I’m turning 60 soon. And I realized that the moment has come when there is no room for anything but the truth.”
