José Antonio Domínguez Banderas, better known to international film buffs as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor, director, film producer and singer. Born in 1960, Banderas initially dreamed of becoming a football star until an injury thwarted his career ambitions. He began to immerse himself in theater and worked in several small theater companies in Spain,
until legendary Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar caught his attention.

Almodóvar cast the young actor - only 22 years old at the time - in his debut film, "Laberinto de Pasiones" ("Labyrinth of Passion"). The duo would collaborate on a series of successful films in the 1980s, which set them both on their path to international stardom. They reunited in 2011 for "La piel que habito" ("The Skin I Live In").