Antonio Banderas

Spanish actor known for collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar and roles in Hollywood franchises.

Banderas began his acting studies at the School of Dramatic Art in Málaga and made his debut at a small theater there.^[1] A broken foot at age 15 ended his childhood ambition of becoming a professional football player.^[2]

Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name

José Antonio Domínguez Bandera

Born

10 August 1960

Birthplace

Málaga, Spain

Occupation

Actor
impresario
filmmaker

Years active

1982–present

Partner

Nicole Kimpel (2015–present)

Children

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He formed part of the ARA Theatre School and the College of Dramatic Art in Málaga.^[3] Still speaking minimal English, he began acting in American films the following year.^[4] He was later nominated for his first Academy Award for Best Actor for that film.^[5] In 2022, Banderas appeared as Santiago Moncada, the antagonist of the film Uncharted with Tom Holland.^[6]

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar noticed Banderas during his theater work and cast him in his first film, the 1982 screwball sex comedy Labyrinth of Passion.^[7] Madonna was the person who introduced Banderas to Hollywood in 1991.^[4] Banderas first performed on Broadway in 2003, taking on the role of Guido Contini in the revival of Maury Yeston's musical Nine.^[8] For that stage performance, he earned both the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical.^[8]

In 2005, Banderas was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the 2,294th recipient.^[9] At the Cannes Film Festival on 25 May 2019, Banderas received the Best Actor award for his performance in Pain and Glory.^[5]

What the cited sources add

In a 2018 interview with Religión en libertad, Banderas recounted that in 1994, after his brother underwent a frightening operation, he realized he had always had a connection to the transcendent.^[10] The Diócesis de Málaga reported in 2018 that Banderas would be one of the faces of the "Malagueños con corazón" campaign supporting the Casa del Sagrado Corazón.^[11] A 2024 article in 20 Minutos reported that due to rain, Banderas was unable to carry out his yearly custom of leading the throne of the Virgen de Lágrimas y Favores on Domingo de Ramos.^[12] The same article stated that during the Semana Santa events, Banderas was joined by his partner Nicole Kimpel and his brother Francisco Javier.^[12]

References

Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Melanie and Antonio: How the 'Working Girl' fell for Spain's sexiest import", (Slide 4 of 14) Hello, 20 May 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Parcero, "Antonio Banderas en 10 curiosidades: Obama, el calabozo y un ogro taquillero", Vanitatis, 6 October 2021; "Hispanic Almanac 2005", Hispanic Publishing Group, 2005, p. 202; "Antonio Banderas", Biography.com; "The mother of ... Antonio Banderas", El Mundo, n.d.; "The mother of ... Antonio Banderas", El Mundo, n.d. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Antonio Banderas Biography", StarPulse.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Writer, "FOLLOWING MADONNA'S LEAD, HOLLYWOOD REALIZES BANDERAS IS HOT", courant.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Cannes: Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' Wins Palme d'Or", The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2019; Dargis, "'Pain and Glory' Review: Almodóvar's Dazzling Art of Self-Creation", The New York Times, 3 October 2019; "Oscars: Antonio Banderas and Scarlett Johansson Among First-Time Nominees", The Hollywood Reporter, 13 January 2020; "Oscar voters snub J.Lo, Eddie Murphy and De Niro; Banderas lands first nomination", Reuters, 13 January 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kroll, "Antonio Banderas Joins Tom Holland in 'Uncharted' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)", Variety, 2 March 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Canby, "Reviews/Film; Almodovar's 'Matador,' Surrealist Sex Comedy", The New York Times, 16 September 1988 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brantley, "THEATER REVIEW; Gals, Gams and Glamour", The New York Times, 11 April 2003; "United Press International", Banderas set for Broadway return (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Antonio Banderas" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Banderas flies flag at LALIFF", Variety, 22 October 2006; Saxon, "Antonio Banderas gets star on Walk of Fame", TODAY.com, 19 October 2005; "Antonio Banderas", Hollywood Star Walk (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
"Antonio Banderas relata su búsqueda espiritual, su alejamiento de la Iglesia y su paulatina vuelta", Religión en libertad, 13 April 2018. facts only, no text reused. religionenlibertad.com
"Antonio Banderas: «La Semana Santa me acercó a la Iglesia de nuevo»", Diócesis de Málaga, 13 April 2018. facts only, no text reused. diocesismalaga.es
"Antonio Banderas: "La Semana Santa es una metáfora de la vida, a veces toca lágrimas, otras favores"", 20 Minutos, 24 March 2024. facts only, no text reused. 20minutos.es

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Antonio Banderas (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.