Entertainment TV Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas' Relationship: A Look Back Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were married for 18 years before splitting in 2014 By Ilana Frost Ilana Frost Ilana Frost is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared in Elite Daily, Bustle and The List. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 12, 2023 04:45PM EDT Photo: Ryan Miller/Getty Actors Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas may be divorced, but they still have a lot of love for each other. The duo first bonded while filming their 1995 rom-com, Two Much. At the time, Griffith and Banderas were both still married to their former partners — Don Johnson and Ana Leza, respectively. By 1996, they had both divorced their previous spouses, and they got married in London that May. Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas' Daughter Stella Files to Drop Griffith from Last Name Griffith and Banderas welcomed their daughter, Stella Banderas, in September 1996, and the whole family remains close despite the former couple’s 2015 divorce. In June 2020, Banderas reflected on his relationship with Griffith to El Break de las 7. He shared that there were “wonderful moments” in their marriage that he won’t forget, per Hola!. The actor added, “We had a wonderful daughter that we both love and that is the end result of our relationship, the most beautiful thing we have ever done together.” From costarring in movies together to having a friendly post-divorce relationship, here’s everything to know about Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas' relationship. March 29, 1989: Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas meet at the Academy Awards Barry King/Liaison The former couple first crossed paths at the 1989 Academy Awards. Banderas noticed Griffith right away and asked his friend, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, about her. Banderas explained to Vulture that although he recognized “this blonde woman” from movies he’d seen, he couldn’t recall her name. “So, I said to Pedro, ‘Who is she? Who is she? What is her name?’ Pedro said, ‘That’s Melanie Griffith!’ I said, ‘That’s it. Oh my God.’ Six years later, I was married to her," he said. Griffith had a different experience meeting Banderas. She attended the event with Johnson, her husband at the time, and revealed to AARP The Magazine that she didn’t love Banderas’ first question for her. “The first thing he asked me was my age,” she remembered. “I said, ‘That's the rudest thing anyone has asked me first.’ But there was something about him." March 15, 1995: Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas star in the rom-com Two Much Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty When Griffith and Banderas filmed the rom-com Two Much together, they were both married — Griffith to Johnson and Banderas to Leza. Still, there was lots of romantic chemistry between them on set. “It was very, very fast and very compulsive, but at the same time, we were tied at the time,” Banderas explained to ABC News. “We tried as much as we could to be respectful. We just thought this may be one of those, you know, infatuation moments that we have when we shoot movies because we got to play together a couple, so let's just go home.” May 14, 1996: Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith get married SGranitz/WireImage Shortly after connecting on the Two Much set, Banderas and Griffith got married in London in 1996. Per E! News, the wedding was “low-key” and took place one month after each of their divorces were finalized. September 24, 1996: Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas welcome a daughter Jan Jarecki/WWD/Penske Media/Getty Four months after their wedding, Griffith and Banderas welcomed their daughter, Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, in Spain. She is half-siblings with Dakota Johnson and Alexander Bauer, Griffith’s other two children from her previous marriages to Johnson and Steven Bauer. Griffith and Banderas’ only daughter has a close relationship with her parents. On March 11, 2023, Griffith shared a photo of all three of them posing together. “Surrounding our Stella with love,” the actress wrote in her caption. In September 2021, Stella filed a name change petition in Los Angeles to drop Griffith from her last name. Per court documents obtained by PEOPLE, her reasoning was “to shorten my name by removing the extra last name.” 2002: Melanie Griffith says she was banned from the Evita set while Antonio Banderas was filming Bob Berg/Getty When Banderas was filming the 1996 musical drama Evita, there were rumors that his costar Madonna was trying to pursue him. In 2002, Griffith told Larry King, “Madonna was after him publicly.” Griffith added that she was pregnant with their daughter while Banderas was filming the movie. “The press made a big thing about how Melanie’s watching over Antonio and she won't leave him alone with Madonna because she's afraid that Madonna’s going to — the ‘Material Girl’ — will steal him,” she recalled. Griffith noted, “And — it really wasn't the case. I was hurt because I was banned from the set. They didn't let me go on the set.” During a March 2015 interview with Howard Stern, Madonna confirmed that she never crossed a line with Banderas. “I wished,” the singer confessed. “I had a big crush on him, [but] he was with Melanie Griffith. She never left his side.” Banderas said in a 2019 Sirius XM interview that he was totally unaware of Madonna’s interest in him back in the ‘90s. November 2011: Antonio Banderas opens up about his and Melanie Griffith’s relationship Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Banderas revealed to AARP The Magazine that he and Griffith had “as many problems as anybody” who’s married. “We’ve never hidden it,” he pointed out. “We’ve been open about addictions, in the case of Melanie.” The actor explained that being open about their problems was healthiest for their children. “The pretending is the worst, because kids are so smart,” he said. “They can see through all of those things, and if you don’t talk openly about problems, it creates a very dark place. They carry that through the rest of their lives, to their marriages, to their kids.” June 6, 2014: Melanie Griffith files for divorce from Antonio Banderas Sonia Recchia/Getty After 18 years of marriage, Griffith filed for divorce from Banderas, citing “irreconcilable differences,” per documents obtained by PEOPLE. Via their rep, the exes said in a statement about their split: “We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty years of marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together.” June 7, 2014: A friend of Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas tells PEOPLE they “never thought [the divorce] would actually happen” J. Vespa/WireImage After Griffith filed for divorce, a friend of hers told PEOPLE that they didn’t see it coming. Per the source, Griffith had recently posed for photos wearing her wedding ring at an event honoring Jane Fonda, and she was “all smiles.” Antonio Banderas Says Ex-Wife Melanie Griffith Is Still His Best Friend: 'I'll Always Love Her' “She was with Eva [Longoria] and called her ‘my date,’ and randomly said she was doing ‘good,’ ” Griffith’s friend said. They added, “They’ve been down this road before but I never thought it would actually happen. There’s so much love there.” A second source close to the couple echoed that sentiment to PEOPLE. “They were so good together,” they said. “I hate to see marriages end, especially ones that are as solid as theirs for so many years. I’m sad to see it ending.” June 17, 2014: Melanie Griffith changes her Antonio Banderas tattoo Venturelli/Getty Griffith wore a sleeveless dress to the 60th Taormina Film Festival, and her permanent ink previously dedicated to Banderas was noticeably altered. The actress had had Banderas’ name inside a heart tattooed on her arm, and per Today, his name was clearly erased or covered up when she attended the event. October 10, 2014: Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas star in Autómata together Jim Spellman/WireImage Toward the end of their relationship, the former couple worked on the post-apocalyptic film Autómata together. During an interview with Hola!, Banderas commented on filming together at that point in their personal lives. “It’s curious because Melanie and I met as actors [on 1995’s Two Much], and then for the 20 years of our relationship we didn’t shoot together,” he said. “Then, at the end of our relationship, we’re back together again on the screen.” The actor also pointed out that their characters’ relationship on-screen in the film was similar to their real-life relationship at the time. “There is a very curious thing in the movie which I realized when I first saw it,” he reflected. “At the end, there’s a moment where she tells me ‘Goodbye, Jacq Vaucan,’ and I say ‘Goodbye Cleo,’ and that somehow is the close of our relationship.” Elsewhere in the interview, he shared that he and Griffith still had a family bond. “This hasn’t exploded yet,” he said. “We’re going to keep seeing each other. We will continue. The family isn’t dead, not at all.” December 4, 2015: Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith finalize their divorce Kevin Mazur/WireImage Griffith and Banderas finalized their divorce in December 2015. Per court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the former spouses divided their blue-chip artwork and both of their earnings from films that came out between the years 2004 and 2014. They also agreed that Griffith would receive monthly spousal support of $65,000 and ownership of their home in Aspen, Colorado. July 29, 2016: Melanie Griffith opens up about post-divorce life Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic At the Crown Media party for the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills, California, Griffith discussed her single life with PEOPLE. “I’m having a very introspective time right now,” she said. “It’s an interesting time.” The actress continued, “It’s just sort of nice. My kids are all great. They’re beautiful people. I’m single, and lonely, and bored and confused – but then at the same time, totally curious.” She added: “It’s almost like I have to throw myself out of the nest.” “Life is moving on,” Griffith reflected. She shared that she had recently gone to her home in Aspen “in the middle of nowhere” and noted, “It really has a way, for me being there, that is very spiritual and grounding, and sort of lets you think clearly.” April 17, 2018: Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas enjoy family time Melanie Griffith Instagram Two years after their split, Griffith and Banderas enjoyed some quality family time with their daughter. Griffith shared a photo of Stella and Banderas posing together and wrote in the caption, “Father daughter forever” and “#familydinner.” April 23, 2018: Antonio Banderas says he will love Melanie Griffith "until the day I die" SGranitz/WireImage During an interview with PEOPLE Now, Banderas opened up about his post-divorce relationship with Griffith. “Even if we are divorced, she is my family and I will love her until the day I die,” the actor shared. “We have been in contact all these years and we managed to do a separation that is very elegant.” Banderas added, “Our kids are enjoying that and that is very important for both of us. Our kids are priority number one.” August 14, 2018: Melanie Griffith says she doesn’t want to marry again after Antonio Banderas divorce Frank Trapper/Corbis/Getty Griffith revealed to InStyle magazine that she had no plans to get married again. “I really don’t think it’s relevant for anyone anymore,” she mused. “But especially if you’re 60 and you have four kids and you’re living the life you’ve always wanted.” The actress continued, “Then why get married? It’s, like, I would love to fall in love and have a romance, a relationship, but I haven’t. I keep looking. I’ve had a couple of lovers but not a relationship.” September 18, 2019: Antonio Banderas calls Melanie Griffith his “family” Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Banderas only had positive things to say about the Working Girl star during an interview with Vulture. He explained, “I am not married with Melanie anymore, but she is my family.” Antonio Banderas Says Ex-Wife Melanie Griffith Is 'One of My Best Friends': 'She Is My Family' The actor also noted, “She is probably one of my best friends, if not the best friend that I have. My family is there, Dakota, Little Estella and Alexander.” October 16, 2019: Antonio Banderas says Melanie Griffith is still his “best friend” Jim Spellman/WireImage The following month, Banderas had more praise for his ex-wife. “Melanie is not my wife anymore, but I think she is my best friend," he told PEOPLE. "I love her and will love her until the day I die. She’s my family.” He also spoke about taking on a stepfather role for her two other children, Dakota and Alexander, and helping to raise them. "I was there because I love their mother and I am totally taken with their mother and they were the most important part of what she came with,” Banderas said. “Very soon they understood that. They called me Paponio, a mixture between Papa and Antonio.” April 5, 2023: Melanie Griffith looks back on her relationship with Antonio Banderas Kevin Winter/ImageDirect The Spanish-Catholic celebration of Holy Week — April 2 to April 8 in 2023 — brought back fond memories for Griffith. She shared photos of the festivities on Instagram and reminisced about her time attending Holy Week with her ex-husband. “During the 19 years I was married to Antonio, one of the many extraordinary experiences he gave to me and the kids was our introduction to and subsequent love for Semana Santa (Holy Week),” she wrote on Instagram. Griffith explained that during the holiday, people carry thrones that represent Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary on the streets. She described the week as “magical and mystical” and added, “I think of it as a spiritual experience.” “I send so much love to my family and friends in Spain. Viva Cautivo! Viva España! Gracias y amor @antoniobanderas,” she concluded her caption. July 10, 2023: Melanie Griffith replaces Antonio Banderas tattoo with a tattoo of her children's names In July 2023, Griffith was spotted out in L.A. with a new tattoo in the same spot as her old heart-shaped tattoo of Banderas' name. The new ink featured a crossword-style design of her four children’s monikers: Dakota, Alexander, Stella and her stepson Jesse Johnson.