Early life

Banderas was born in Málaga, Andalucia, southern Spain, the son of doña Ana Banderas, a school teacher, and José Domínguez, a policeman in the Guardia Civil. He also has one brother, Francisco. Banderas was raised as a Roman Catholic, and still follows the religion. He took his mother's surname as his stage name. He initially wanted to play football professionally, but his dream ended when he broke his foot at age 14. As a young man, he traveled to Madrid, in order to make a career in the Spanish film industry.

José Antonio Domínguez Banderas

José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born August 10, 1960), better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor and singer who has starred in high-profile Hollywood films including Assassins, Evita, Desperado, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, The Mask of Zorro and the Shrek sequels.