Antonio Banderas

Antonio Banderas

Born on the 10th of August 1960, Antonio Banderas has a host of talents which he has demonstrated over his career as a successful actor, director and singer. In his early years he found his passion within sports, particularly soccer. He was on course to play professionally and was attracting attention, but he broke his foot during his teenage years causing that dream to fade. His next talent was found at the age of 19 when he started his career in acting. He was fortunate enough to be under the guidance of legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and had many roles with him. One of his more significant roles was in 1989 with ¡Atame! His character, Ricky, gave him the first stepping stone to launch his international career. He followed this by going to Hollywood to be the star in several important roles, most memorably The Mask of Zorro. He was the first Spanish actor to portray the character in the over 70 years that the character had existed.

The early days and progression through the years

He had the chance to work with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire, with Sylvester Stallone in Assassins and with Madonna in Evita. During this period he attempted to flex his directing talents, which weren't completely welcomed. Then, in 2003, he decided to turn to another of his many passions: the stage! From here he revived the role played by Raul Julian in the production of Nine. For his part he won the Outer Critics and Drama Desk award. His image of Zorro seemed to remain with him throughout his career and although the second installment of Zorro wasn't such a big hit as the first, the character was reincarnated in Shrek in the form of the character Puss in Boots. Voiced by Banderas, this animated cat was a direct link to his image.

His other projects have included appearing in advertisements for chains such as English chain Marks & Spencers. He is also passionate about wine, owning fifty percent of a winery located in northern Spain.

List of his notable Films and Productions

• Mask of Zorro
• Interview with the vampire
• Assassins
• ¡Atame!
• Evita
• Nine