Antonio Banderas

José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas (), is a Spanish actor and filmmaker. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a European Film Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards.

Banderas made his acting debut at a small theater in Málaga, where he caught the attention of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who gave the actor his film debut in the screwball comedy ''Labyrinth of Passion'' (1982). They have since collaborated on many films including ''Matador'' (1986), ''Law of Desire'' (1987), ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' (1988), ''Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' (1989), and ''The Skin I Live In'' (2011). For Almodóvar's 2019 film ''Pain and Glory'', Banderas earned various accolades in the Best Actor category including the Cannes Film Festival Award, Goya Award, and nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

In 1992, Banderas made his American film debut with the musical drama ''The Mambo Kings'' (1992). He subsequently appeared in a series of American films such as ''Philadelphia'' (1993), ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994), ''Assassins'' (1995), and ''Evita'' (1996). In 1998, he portrayed Zorro in the swashbuckler film ''The Mask of Zorro'', and reprised the role in ''The Legend of Zorro'' (2005). In 1999, he made his directorial debut with the comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama''. He is a frequent collaborator with director Robert Rodriguez, having starred as El Mariachi in the ''Mexico Trilogy'' films ''Desperado'' (1995) and ''Once Upon a Time in Mexico'' (2003), the first three films of the ''Spy Kids'' series (2001–2003), and ''Machete Kills'' (2013). He also provided the voice of Puss in Boots in the ''Shrek'' franchise (2004–present) starting with ''Shrek 2'' (2004) and most recently ''Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'' (2022).

In 2003, Banderas made his US theater debut as Guido Contini in ''Nine'', for which he was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award. He received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles in the television film ''And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself'' (2004) and the second season of ''Genius'' (2018); his portrayal of Pablo Picasso in the latter garnered him critical praise. Provided by Wikipedia