Love and passions of Antonio Banderas: “Seeing his wife, Madonna fell into hysterics”

Jose Antonio Dominguez Banderas (that’s the real name of the actor) was born in 1960 in the large Spanish city of Malaga. His father, José Dominguez Prieto, was an officer in the Spanish Civil Guard, and his mother, Ana Banderas, worked as a simple teacher.

Little Antonio was not an exemplary student at school. He only dreamed of becoming a famous football player, and all his free time he chased the ball around the field. Unfortunately, during one of the matches, Banderas seriously injured his leg, so he had to forget about his sports career.

It was then that the eccentric experimental production of “Hair” opened in the city theater of Malaga. Of course, the young athlete Banderas was not at all interested in cinema and theater. But there was a rumor going around town that the actors in the production were starring naked, and Antonio’s teenage interest got the better of him. The young man was shocked by what he saw to the core, it was then that a spark of acting skills crept into his heart. He did not immediately decide to connect his whole life with this craft, but he certainly wanted to try himself on stage.

He got a job as an assistant in a small theater. However, he was rarely given roles, and those that he did get were very small. It is understandable, the young man had no suitable experience and education at all. Basically, he hesitated by making scenery, sewing costumes, cleaning the hall, putting out the light. You could say he was a theatrical laborer. However, the hard everyday life spent at work only convinced him more that he had found his life’s work.

After graduating from school, Antonio used all his theatrical experience to enter the National School of Dramatic Art, and later left to conquer the theater stage in Madrid. He continued to keep that very play “Hair” in his heart, so all his early theatrical work was associated with experimental theater. In total, he worked on the stage of Madrid for 6 years, combining performances in the theater and part-time work as a loader in the port, because avant-garde art never brought him enough money to live on.

The actor himself says that he always saw the secret of his craft in enjoying the process: “If you lose the ability to see the world and play like a child, then you cannot practice this profession. To enjoy the game, to believe in it yourself and to make others believe in it – that’s what we do.

Almodovar and forbidden love

It was during one of these productions that Banderas was noticed by director Pedro Almodovar. They quickly got along in character: both worked in the theater, both were recent debutants who burned with their profession, and, of course, both were in dire need of new bold projects. Antonio agreed to play Pedro in the new film.

For several years together they made several small films that somehow sunk into oblivion. For example, in one of them, Banderas played a young Islamic radical who has a secret forbidden love for the monarch of his country. But all that was just a warm-up, both for the director and for the actor. Their first truly major collaboration was the film “Matador”. In it, Banderas played the role of a former matador who could not overcome his desire to kill after he left the ring and became a serial killer.

Finally, in 1988, the creative duo created their main masterpiece, which entered all the textbooks of the history of cinema and became an integral part of the heritage of cinema. This, of course, is about the film “Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown.” In it, Antonio played the role of a shy young Carlos who is looking for true love. The picture received an Oscar nomination and many prizes at international festivals. And most importantly, it provided Banderas with a path to Hollywood.

“Crushed my Spanish accent”

The first invitation to American cinema for Antonio was the role in the film “The Mambo Kings Sing Love Songs.” The actor spent hours studying English to suppress his thick Spanish accent. But, unfortunately, the project did not win the love of either the audience or the critics, but allowed Banderas to start his promotion within the main film industry of the world.

Antonio Banderas’ real American debut came in Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. The picture was awarded an Oscar in 3 nominations, and opened up the opportunity for Banderas to play the main roles in Hollywood blockbusters.

In the second half of the 90s, the actor’s career grew very rapidly. At least several times a year, films with him were in the tops of the highest grossing hits. It was then that his projects “Interview with a Vampire”, “Desperate”, “Evita” and many others came out.

Finally, Antonio reached the peak of his popularity in 1998, when he starred in one of the best action films of all time – The Mask of Zorro. The image of the enigmatic Mexican fighter for justice brought him not only many awards, but also a long-awaited cult status.

Following the “Mask of Zorro” was followed by everyone’s favorite “Spy Kids” by Robert Rodriguez, “The Temptation”, in which Banderas played the lead role paired with Angelina Jolie, “Frida” and so on.

On the way of Indiana Jones

A great actor does not like to rest on his laurels. Even now, he often takes on rather experimental projects, including those aimed at an exclusively Spanish audience.

For example, not so long ago in Russia there were screenings of his new film “The Leading Role”, directed by the young Argentinean Mariano Kona. In it, he played the semi-biographical role of eccentric former superstar actor Felix Rivero. The film received excellent reviews from critics and viewers, and also became a possible contender for this year’s Oscar.

All the fame that fell on Banderas over the years did not make him forget about his old friend Pedro Almodovar. In 2019, the last work of the Spanish genius, Pain and Glory, was released on world screens. In the film, the actor embodied the image of Almodovar himself, suffering from injuries accumulated over many years of hard creative work. Antonio perfectly conveyed the pain of the creator, limited by his own craft, forced to pull out his demons from the soul and release them onto the screen canvas.

Banderas’ next major film will be the fifth installment in the acclaimed Indiana Jones franchise. However, who exactly he will play in the film is still unknown.

Banderas’ personal life: from Madonna to financier

Antonio Banderas turned out to be exactly the case when the attractiveness of a man is directly proportional to the number of romantic scandals that he gets into. Although he himself always spoke about the opposite sex very sublimely: “A woman is the greatest mystery. Even now I cannot unravel the secret of their charm. I’m not talking only about beauty, but about the subtle energy that appears in the air when there is a woman nearby.

Men are more primitive and not so generous – after all, our bodies are filled with testosterone. I’m sure if women ruled the world, there wouldn’t be as many problems as there are now.”

The first time he was married before his world fame came to actress Anya Lesa, but their life together did not last long.

In the late 80s, Banderas got into his first scandal. Then Madonna herself fell in love with him, but she did not suspect that Antonio was already married. She invited him to a party at her house in hopes of getting them closer. When Madonna saw the actor walking arm in arm with his wife Ana, the singer had a real tantrum.

After breaking off relations with his first wife, handsome Banderas, being at the peak of his form, expectedly did not remain alone for long. In 1995, he met actress Melanie Griffith. Being an absolutely open person, he announced his new relationship in the press almost immediately after the start of their romance. The only trouble was that Melanie was married, and not much time had passed since the break with Ana. Therefore, Banderas’ relatives met his new love with hostility, believing that it was she who caused the collapse of Antonio’s first marriage.

The journalists also took a hard look at the couple, reading that Melanie had cheated on her husband with the first comer. But the actor remained adamant in his decision, so already in 1996 they got married, and a little later their daughter Stella del Carmen was born in their family. Their marriage lasted as long as 18 years.

In 2014, Antonio’s ardent temper again made itself felt: Melanie caught him cheating with Natalie Byrne. Banderas himself and Natalie in every possible way denied any connection between them, but these comments did not save him from breaking off relations with Griffith.

Finally, in 2015, his last and true love appeared in the life of the actor – financier Nicole Kempel. She is almost 20 years younger than Banderas, but according to the couple, they do not pay attention to age. They are not going to formalize their relationship.

As for Antonio’s hobbies, his life in this regard is no less diverse than the history of his novels. The great actor owns many businesses, both in Spain and in the United States. At home, he has his own network of restaurants, a vineyard and a winery, which also produce products under his brand. In America, he produces perfumes and clothes, also under his own brand, and also gives music concerts and does charity work.