Author: Suren Prasad
Antonio Banderas is estimated to be worth £31 million.
Born to school teacher Ana Banderas Gallego and police officer José Domínguez on August 10, 1960 in Málaga, Spain, José Antonio Banderas dreamt of a football career, but a broken foot at 14 forced a shift in profession. Interested in drama, he landed a place with the National Theatre of Spain.
While performing in small theatres he was noticed by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. In 1982, he was cast in the director’s debut film, Labyrinth of Passion. That decade, he went on to act in several Almodóvar productions, including the headline-making Law of Desire (1987). Their partnership resulted in an Oscar nomination for Banderas with Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and Almodóvar’s controversial Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! reaped more accolades.
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In 1991, Banderas was introduced to Hollywood by Madonna in her documentary, Truth or Dare. Barely speaking English, the Spanish citizen started doing American films. Although he had to phonetically learn his lines, Banderas came out with flying colours in The Mambo Kings (1992).
He earned further plaudits as Tom Hanks’ lover in Philadelphia (1993), and soon rubbed shoulders with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire (1994).
In 1995, he got to play the hero in Desperado and the villain in Assassins with Sylvester Stallone. Banderas firmly planted the Spanish flag in Hollywood when he starred with Madonna in the musical Evita in 1996. He earned $4 million and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of narrator Che.
His success in The Mask of Zorro (1998) also earned him a Golden Globe nomination and the ALMA for Outstanding Actor in 1999. Training for the role, Banderas practised with the Spanish Olympic fencing team using real steel swords, reprising the role in The Legend of Zorro (2005). His role as Ahmad ibn Fadlan in The 13th Warrior (1999) also won him an ALMA award in 2000 for Outstanding Actor.
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Banderas’ directorial debut <em>Crazy in Alabama (1999) won him the ALMA for Outstanding Director in 2000. His highest paying film is reported to be The Body (2001) where he earned $12 million.
Desperado director Robert Rodriguez cast him again in box office smash Spy Kids (2001), going on to make three more sequels in 2002, 2003 and 2011.
He romanced Angelina Jolie in Original Sin (2001), later playing a commendable role in Frida (2002) opposite Salma Hayek.
In 2003, he starred in Once Upon A Time In Mexico, the last of the Desperado trilogy. It grossed 122 per cent more than Desperado and was rated as most improved second sequel of all time.
That year, Banderas also shone in Nine, where he won the Theatre World Award and Drama Desk Award, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The same year, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003). In 2004, he was conferred the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence.
Banderas popularised Puss in Boots by lending his voice to the Shrek franchise and encored Puss in Shrek’s offshoot, Puss in Boots (2011). The horror movie The Skin I Live In (2011) celebrated Banderas’ reunion with Pedro Almodóvar.
He promotes Andalucian products in the US and Spain and is half-owner of a winery called Anta Banderas in Villalba de Duero, Burgos, Spain. For over 10 years, he has been an ambassador of fragrance and beauty brand Puig.
Estranged from Melanie Griffith in June 2014, Banderas has a huge Spanish style home in Hancock Park, LA. The two also have luxurious abodes in Marbella, Southern Spain, Aspen, Colorado and New York, commercial property overseas in Miami and LA, and restaurants worldwide.
