José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960) is a Spanish actor, director, singer, and producer. He began his acting career with a series of films by director Pedro Almodóvar and then appeared in high-profile Hollywood movies, especially in the 1990s, including Assassins, Evita, Interview with the Vampire, Philadelphia, Desperado, The Mask of Zorro, Take the Lead, The Expendables 3 and Spy Kids. Banderas also portrayed the voice of "Puss in Boots" in the Shrek sequels and Puss in Boots as well as the bee in the US Nasonex commercials.
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera was born on 10 August 1960, in the Andalusian city of Málaga, to José Domínguez Prieto (1920-2008), a police officer in the Civil Guard, and Ana Bandera Gallego (1933-2017), a school teacher. He has a brother, Francisco Javier. Although his father's family name is Domínguez, he took his mother's last name as his stage name. As a child, he wanted to become a professional soccer player until a broken foot sidelined his dreams at the age of fourteen. He showed a strong interest in the performing arts and formed part of the ARA Theatre-School run by Ángeles Rubio-Argüelles y Alessandri (wife of diplomat, writer and film director Edgar Neville) and the College of Dramatic Art, both in Málaga. His work in the theater, and his performances on the streets, eventually landed him a spot with the Spanish National Theatre.