Significant Other(s):
Wife: Ana Leza, actress; appeared with Banderas in Philadelphia (1993); separated 1995; divorced later that year
Wife: Melanie Griffith, actress; met on set of Two Much in January 1995; married in London on May 14, 1996

Family:
Father: State Department worker
Mother: Teacher
Brother: Economist
Daughter: Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, born September 24, 1996; mother Melanie Griffith

Jose Antonio Dominguez Banderas was born on August 10, 1960 in Malaga, Spain, during the height of the oppressive regime of tyrannical leader Francisco Franco. He was named after his father, Jose, and his mother¦s beloved brother, Antonio. His mother, Ana, was a school teacher. The birth of his brother, Francisco Javier, better known as Chico, came just eighteen months later.

Antonio knew fairly early in life that he wanted to be an actorAntonio enrolled in drama classes - against his parents¦ wishes - and put together a group of other young thespians to form his own troupe. The crew traveled to little towns all over Spain performing on the streets. In 1981 he moved to Madrid and won a place as an ensemble member of the esteemed National Theater of Spain. Being a struggling young actor he also worked as a waiter and took small modeling jobs to provide for himself.After a performance at the theater, Antonio was introduced to Pedro Almod-var, a radical young film director. Pedro was one of the most outrageous and talented of an emerging breed of cinematic pioneers and wanted Antonio to help him forge a new film industry. They joined forces and made several respectable and controversial movies. It was the 1988 hit (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown¦ that brought Banderas international attention