The great Antonio Banderas turns 55 today! Wow! Hard to believe this one-time heartthrob qualified for AARP benefits five years ago, but it’s true. Since we’re fond of lists around these parts, I’ll go ahead and list my favorite Banderas projects in a few loose categories:
Action Movies
Antonio has certainly done his fair share of small and big budget action thrillers, but for my money, these are his best:
Desperado – Modern, south-of-the-border shoot-em up featuring the luminous Selma Hayek.
The 13th Warrior – Anachronistic but entertaining adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel Eaters Of The Dead.
Assassins – Antonio and Sly Stallone blowin’ stuff up? Sign me up for some of that.
Romantic Turns
Romance, you say? Antonio was seemingly born to play romantic roles! But I can really only mention one in particular that I have seen:
Evita – Antonio and Madonna sing and dance their way through this 1990s update of a musical classic!
Voice Work
Mr. Banderas has done a surprising amount of voice work for animation. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Shrek 2 – Antonio steals the show as Puss-n-Boots in this hilarious sequel to the original.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water – Mr. Banderas plays the bad guy in this one, and he delights in hamming it up while doing so!
With such a storied career, Mr. Banderas is almost certain to have starred in something you’ve loved too! Join me in wishing him many more great years of movie magic!
–Scott P.
Eleventh Stack 