When he was young, Antonio wanted to play soccer professionally, but he broke his foot at 14. He turned to the theatre, studying at the School of Dramatic Art and working with an independent theater company in Malaga. He supported himself as a waiter and advertising model before making his stage debut in 1981. He moved to Madrid and became an ensemble member of the prestigious National Theater of Spain, where he stayed on through 1986. 
International acclaim came to Banderas in films such as Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989). He made his American debut in 1992 (as a young Cuban musician in The Mambo Kings), but it wasn't until he appeared in another Oscar-winning film (as Tom Hanks's lover in Philadelphia) that American audiences began to recognize him. His next film, Interview With The Vampire, strengthened that recognition and led to leading roles in films such as Desperado, Assassins, and Never Talk To Strangers. During the filming of Two Much he became romantically involved to co-star Melanie Griffith. His divorce from Ana Leza was completed in 1996. He and Melanie were married in May of 1996 and had a baby, Estella, in September.