The mystery of Ana Leza, Antonio Banderas’ first wife who helped him break into Hollywood

Antonio Banderas (Malaga, 1960) earned his first Oscar nomination for best actor 30 years after trying his luck in Hollywood. His first film in the Mecca of cinema was The kings of the mambo, in which the actor managed to act in a completely unexpected way. In 1989, the Malaga-born actor went to Los Angeles to attend the Oscar ceremony, where Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown Of Pedro Almodovar it was nominated for best foreign film. In the days preceding the ceremony, some agents from the well-known ICM agency had interviewed the cast in search of possible profiles for some American productions, but for Antonio the auditions had been disastrous: he didn’t know “a damn thing” about English. While he was leaving the casting, Manuel Núñez, «a boy who brought coffee to the ICM agents», proposed to him to be his representative. A few weeks later Antonio was called to London for an audition. He memorized part of the script. He made a good impression. They called him to New York. Eventually they gave him the part.

But the road that Antonio would have to travel to join the short list of Spaniards who succeed in Hollywood was not an easy one. Language was a very difficult barrier to overcome. At the time, the actor was married to the actress Ana Leza, who, in addition to being his private English teacher, became one of the main promoters of his career. «You helped me translate the script The kings of the mambo, working on it, gave me a lot of confidence. Without her I would not have had the part of her, ”said Antonio of her, whom he married on July 27, 1987 in the church of San Nicola in Madrid after only six months of engagement. “It was essential that I accompany him to the United States, because he didn’t speak a word of English and I speak it fluently,” Leza said.

Antonio improved his command of the language and made other American films, such as The house of the spirits And Interview with the vampire. But in 1995 he divorced Leza, who like him had appeared in Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown and had made a cameo in Philadelphia And Of love and shadow, two other films in which Banderas had acted. To the Madrid actress, daughter of another actress, Conchita Leza Núñez (Goya, Valentina…), went the house where they lived in Madrid, 570 million pesetas (3.4 million euros), 2.4 million pesetas of food per month (just over 12,000 euros), as well as the right to life at 50% of all the proceeds from the films Antonio had acted in while they were married. Ana was the best and worst thing about those early days in Hollywood. «They left me in my underwear… The trial lasted eight days. It’s a deal. The only thing the judge is interested in is knowing how much you will pay your ex. They grab you by the feet, shake you and when the last dollar drops they let you go. They did that to me”, the actor reminded the journalist Jesus Quintero in 2004.

Since then, Ana Leza’s fate has become an occasional pastime for the press. It is known that she left acting and made a new life for herself with Dharma Villareal, a Xerox editor and documentarian born in Ojai, California. The couple remarried in 2000 in Santa Barbara, also in California, with a very discreet ceremony where Carmen Maura she acted as godmother. The spouses had two daughters, Clara Maria And Sofia Macarena. In 2003 they tried to open a restaurant in Madrid, but it didn’t work. They have lived in many places (Madrid, Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi) and until a few years ago lived with their daughters in South Fallsburg, New York.

Villarreal-Leza’s true passion is meditation. Dharma, Ana and their daughters are very involved in the mystical organization of Hindu origin Siddha Yoga Meditation, known by the acronym SYDA, which is based in the town where they lived, South Fallsburg. After the controversial divorce from Banderas (second ¡Hola!, there were also accusations of alleged mistreatment), Leza took refuge in this foundation, where the man who would later become her second husband also regularly went. Today, her daughters also participate in this NGO (some media claim that it is a sect), so much so that they both have Buddhist alter egos: her eldest, Clara María, calls herself Clara Priyawhile the youngest, Sofía Macarena, is Sophia Sindhu (so says the association’s website). The whole family found peace in the doctrines of a now deceased Hindu guru called Swami Muktananda and the current leader, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda.

Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown it was also a turning point in Antonio’s private life, which in 1995 he had already been seen with Melanie Griffith. «At the Oscars we arrive on the red carpet and suddenly I see a blonde who seemed familiar to me because I had seen her in some film, but at that moment I didn’t remember what her name was. So I said to Pedro: “Who are you? Who is she? What’s your name?” and Pedro replied: “Antonio, it’s Melanie Griffith”. And I said, “Right, right. OMG”. Well, six years later I married her. Everything that happened in the years we were together went by very quickly. My life was fascinating, if I look at it in perspective. I remember those years as an effervescent and truly beautiful period. Today I am no longer married to Melanie, but she is my family”, declared Antonio in an interview given in Malaga. Now Antonio’s life has undergone a radical turning point. He celebrated the Oscar nomination with his inseparable girlfriend Nicole Kimpel. Meanwhile, the woman who helped him make his way into the U.S. industry 30 years ago continues to steer clear of the worldly hype.