Antonio Banderas's Real Name: José Antonio Domínguez Banderas

Quick answer: Antonio Banderas's documented full name is José Antonio Domínguez Banderas. He was born on August 10, 1960, in Málaga, Spain. He is a Spanish-born actor and director known for films including Evita, The Mask of Zorro, and Pain and Glory (Britannica).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his name in full as José Antonio Domínguez Banderas and lists that form under "also known as," with the birth date August 10, 1960, in Málaga, Spain. A Library of Congress CIP galley records the birth name as José Antonio Dominguez Bandera, without the accent and with Bandera rather than Banderas, and says he changed his name to Antonio Banderas in 1982. This page follows Britannica's spelling in the title and notes the Library of Congress variant in the body. He is the son of a police officer and a teacher, Britannica says. A serious foot injury at 14 ended his hopes of a professional football (soccer) career; the following year he became interested in acting after seeing a stage production of Hair. In 1981 he began a five-year stint with the Spanish National Theatre in Madrid, where Pedro Almodóvar discovered him.

Career highlights

Early Almodóvar films include Matador (1986). He later became an international star in Evita (1996) and The Mask of Zorro (1998), Britannica says, and is also known for work with Robert Rodriguez, notably Desperado (1995) and Spy Kids (2001). Hollywood films from this period also include Philadelphia and Interview with the Vampire, which helped introduce him to wider American audiences. He reunited with Almodóvar in Pain and Glory (2019), playing a director looking back on his life, and received his first Academy Award nomination, for best actor. Later credits include Dolittle (2020), Official Competition (2021), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). He was married to Ana Leza from 1987 to 1996 and to Melanie Griffith from 1996 to 2015, Britannica says.

Name notes for searchers

José Antonio Domínguez Banderas is the form documented by Britannica; Antonio Banderas is the professional name he has used since 1982, according to a Library of Congress CIP galley, which spells the original surname Bandera. Searchers looking for either form are usually aiming at the same person.