Inside Antonio Banderas' Health History

Fans have been anxious for the release of a new film starring the famous Spanish actor, Antonio Banderas. The action star, known for movies including "Femme Fatale," "Shrek 2," and "The Mask of Zorro," completed his latest project, "Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard," this year, which was a sequel to 2017's "The Hitman's Bodyguard." Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until 2022 for Banderas' next film, according to Cinema Blend. However, the wait will definitely be worth it, as the actor has three movies slated to release throughout the year. The video game adaptation, "Uncharted," will premiere in February of 2022, "Indiana Jones 5" is set to release in July of 2022, and "Puss in Boots 2" will also premiere at some point during the same year. Banderas isn't slowing down any time soon either, as he has several other projects currently under way, per IMDb.

In an interview with Esquire in 2019, Banderas discussed his philosophy on being an actor. "When I went to America, and my first movies were successful, my agents, everybody, told me not to get away from what the audience wants," he explained. "But ... I really enjoy doing many different things ... I paid a price, of sorts, because I didn't follow the path I was supposed to follow. I am an actor, and that's it, period." 

Along the way, Banderas has gone through some scary health experiences that could have jeopardized his acting career, but luckily for his fans, didn't keep him down. Keep reading to find out more.

In 2017, Antonio Banderas was shocked when he had a heart attack at the relatively young age of 56, per Forbes. When he recovered from the incident, the actor told Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" that the experience was a wake up call. "I was living life in a not nice way," Banderas explained. "I'm not a drinker. I was a smoker, which was probably one of the most stupid things I have ever done in my whole life. I was very lucky, after all." 

The "Desperado" actor also revealed how he survived the heart attack. His girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, had gone out the night before to purchase aspirin for a headache. When Banderas began having heart attack symptoms the next morning, she placed one of the aspirins under the actor's tongue, which ended up saving his life. 

The heart attack forced Banderas to reevaluate his priorities in life and begin to value what he refers to as the "real things." He explained, "Things that I gave a lot of importance to stopped being important. You put attention to the real things. My daughter is the real thing, my friends, my family, and my vocation as an actor. In a way, this is very, it's probably stupid to say this, but it's probably one of the best things that happened in my life." Following the heart attack, Banderas also began taking better care of his health.

In August of 2020, Antonio Banderas revealed he had contracted and overcame the coronavirus via a Twitter post. In his message, he wrote, "After 21 days of disciplinary confinement I can say now that today I overcame the Covid 19 infection. I am cured." 

The "Philadelphia" actor was incredibly lucky to survive the virus and expressed his gratitude for getting through it. He also stated that his thoughts were with those who weren't as fortunate as he was or who suffered more than he did. "I also wish strength to the ones who are in the middle of the fight," he added. The message was posted alongside a photoshopped image of Banderas kicking representations of the virus.

Banderas received an outpouring of support from his Twitter followers, many of whom commented that they were happy to hear he had overcome the virus. Others expressed wishes of continued good health, while some shared their own stories of catching the virus. Sadly, several of his fans used the opportunity to open up about their own losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. One Twitter user commented, "Awesome news! Now do stay well so we can continue to enjoy your amazing acting talents!" while another wrote, "I am so pleased to hear you are well again. You have been in my thoughts as after the initial announcement not much was reported. Stay safe!"