All About Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith's Daughter Stella Banderas

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Melanie Griffith Instagram

Melanie Griffith Instagram

Antonio BanderasandMelanie Griffithmight have ended their nearly 20-year marriage in 2015, but the exes still have a close relationship — particularly when it comes to co-parenting their daughter,Stella Banderas.

Banderas and Griffith met when they costarred in the 1995 comedyTwo Much. In May 1996, a year after the film was released, they got married in London. That September, the couple welcomed their daughter, bornStella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, in her father’s home country of Spain.

When Stella was 17 years old, her parents announced thatthey were splitting up, and theirdivorce was finalizedin 2015. “We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty years marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together.”

Since their split, Banderas and Griffith have spoken highly of each other, and have reunited on several occasions to support their daughter. In March 2023,Griffith shared two photosof their family of three at a restaurant. “Surrounding our Stella with love," the actress captioned the snaps.

From her business endeavors to her red carpet appearances, here’s everything to know about Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith’s daughter Stella Banderas.

She was born in Spain

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection

Thanks to having one American parent and one Spanish parent, Stella speaks both English and Spanish. In aninterview withElle Españain 2021, Stella shared some of her favorite Spanish things, including her favorite dish to cook (paella), food to eat (Spanish omelet) and film (El Orfanato).

She has other famous relatives

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Stella’s parents aren’t the only celebrities in her family. Her maternal grandmother is Hollywood legendTippi Hedren, who is known for starring inAlfred Hitchcock’s filmsThe BirdsandMarnie.

Then there’s Stella’s sister, actorDakota Johnson, daughter of Griffith and her first husband,Don Johnson. Dakota is close with both Stella and her stepfather Banderas.

In 2019, Dakotapresented Banderas with an awardat theHollywood Film Awardsceremony and called Stella a “remarkably magical little sister” during her speech. “When I was 6 years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light and a whole new world of creativity and culture — and one remarkably magical little sister into our family,” she said.

In addition to Dakota, Stella also has a brother,Alexander Bauer, from her mother’s marriage to actorSteven Bauer, and stepbrother Jesse Johnson, Griffith’s stepson.

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

She’s attended events with her parents

Carlos Alvarez/Getty

Given that her parents are both A-list actors, it’s no surprise that Stella has attended red carpet events with them over the years. In 2012, Stella, Banderas and Griffith attended a charity gala together in Spain.

Now that Stella is older, those dates have included major industry events, including the Academy Awards in 2020. Shewalked the red carpet with her dad, who wasnominated for Best Actorfor his performance inPain and Glory, as well as Banderas' girlfriend Nicole Kimpel.

The following year, she joined her father at the opening of the 2021 San Sebastián International Film Festival in Spain. Griffith posted a photo of the father-daughter duo at the festivalon Instagram, writing, “Father and daughter ♥️♥️♥️ Stella and Antonio on the red carpet at San Sebastion Film Festival.”

She filed to legally change her name

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Stella was born Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, but in 2021, sherequested to legally change her nameto Stella del Carmen Banderas, removing “Griffith.”

Stella said in the filing, “I typically do not use ‘Griffith’ when referring to myself or on documents. … So, dropping the name would match my regular use.”

She founded her own brand

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Stella founded the health and beauty brand Lightbound in 2021. The company released its first product, a perfume oil called “Alma,” that August.

She worked as her father’s second assistant director

In November 2021, Banderas began directing and starring in the first Spanish-language production of theStephen SondheimmusicalCompanyat the theater he founded in Málaga. He hired Stella as second assistant director for the production,according to Reuters.

“When we walk home after rehearsals is when she really does her work,” the actor told reporters of his daughter. “When we’re at home maybe having dinner is when I ask her very direct questions and that’s when I get very direct answers about what she’s seeing.”

She posed for a campaign with her mother

Donato Sardella/Getty

Stella hasn’t just collaborated with her father. In April 2021, she and Griffith were featured in a short film forVogueand luxury jeweler Bulgari. The mother-daughter duo posed together wearing the brand’s jewelry andspoke toVogueabout their relationship.

As for Griffith, she said it made her feel “incredible” to watch Stella grow up. She said, “I’ve watched her go from being this, at times, scared little girl afraid to go to a new school, turn into this amazing woman who’s launching her own business, doing so many different things, and just being so brave. And opinionated.”

Her mother has a tattoo of her name

In July 2023,Griffith debuted a new tattooon her upper arm. The crossword-style tattoo features the names of her four children: daughters Stella and Dakota, son Alexander and stepson Jesse.

The new ink replaced Griffith’s heart-shaped tattoo that featured Banderas' first name written inside, which she got in the ’90s. The actressstarted the process of removing that tattooshortly after announcing her divorce in 2014.

She got engaged in August 2024

In August 2024, Griffith announced in a post onInstagramthat Stella is engaged to entrepreneur Alex Gruszynski.

Sharing black-and-white photos of Stella and her future husband, the proud mom wrote, “He asked…. On bended knee… she said yes ♥️ Stella and Alex are engaged to be married ♥️. Their love story began in pre-school! True love, deep love! Congratulations to the beloveds!!! ♥️💥♥️💫♥️.”

Stella posted a photo of her ring on her ownInstagram, along with photos of her and Alex growing up together through the years. “I get to hang out with my favorite person on earth forever!!!!!!!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍,” she wrote in her caption.

source: people.com