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

Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith might 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 comedy Two Much. In May 1996, a year after the film was released, they got married in London. That September, the couple welcomed their daughter, born Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, in her father’s home country of Spain.

When Stella was 17 years old, her parents announced that they were splitting up, and their divorce was finalized in 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 photos of 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

Stella was born in Marbella, Spain, on Sept. 24, 1996. Her father was born in the nearby city of Málaga.

Thanks to having one American parent and one Spanish parent, Stella speaks both English and Spanish. In an interview with Elle España in 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

Stella’s parents aren’t the only celebrities in her family. Her maternal grandmother is Hollywood legend Tippi Hedren, who is known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock‘s films The Birds and Marnie.

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

In 2019, Dakota presented Banderas with an award at the Hollywood Film Awards ceremony 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 actor Steven Bauer, and stepbrother Jesse Johnson, Griffith’s stepson.

She appeared in her parents’ movie as a baby

In 1999, Stella appeared in the movie Crazy in Alabama, which was directed by her father and starred her mother. Stella and her sister Dakota played two of her mother’s children.

“My little sister also played my mom’s youngest daughter, and she was a baby,” Dakota recalled to Vanity Fair in 2022. “She was like 1½ maybe. And every time Antonio, my stepfather — her dad — yelled, ‘Action,’ she’d freak, she’d just burst into tears and would be sobbing the entire take. He’d yell cut, come over, and be like, ‘Stella,’ and she’d be fine and happy. I think she thought it was really scary when he yelled action. And I was the one holding her the whole time. Like, running down the street holding this crying, crying baby.”

She’s attended events with her parents

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.

Two years earlier, Banderas spoke to PEOPLE about spending quality time with his daughter. “I have one date night with my daughter every week,” he said. “I take her for dinner by herself and we can talk, spend some time together. We just try to be dynamic in our relationship to the family and it’s fun too.”

Now that Stella is older, those dates have included major industry events, including the Academy Awards in 2020. She walked the red carpet with her dad, who was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Pain 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 festival on Instagram, writing, “Father and daughter ♥️♥️♥️ Stella and Antonio on the red carpet at San Sebastion Film Festival.”

She filed to legally change her name

Stella was born Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, but in 2021, she requested to legally change her name to Stella del Carmen Banderas, removing “Griffith.”

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE showed that Stella sought “to shorten” her name by “removing the extra last name.”

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

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

In an Instagram post, Stella announced her entrepreneurial venture. “I’ve put all my love and energy into @thisislightbound and am so excited to share the space on the site as well as the first product,” she wrote. “A genderless, handcrafted, and sustainably packaged perfume oil reminiscent of and inspired by my intertwined upbringing between Málaga and Los Angeles.”

Griffith supported her daughter by sharing Stella’s Instagram post. “Stella has launched her very beautiful perfume oil!!” the proud mom wrote. “Take a look, try the scent, enjoy! It’s as beautiful as she is!”

She worked as her father’s second assistant director

In November 2021, Banderas began directing and starring in the first Spanish-language production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company at 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

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

Stella described her mom as “fearless, fierce and radiant,” and added, “My mother has always emphasized the importance of having a good, loving relationship with myself. One way of doing this was by encouraging me to have sort of an open dialogue with my higher self, or God, or the universe. She often says, ‘Ask for wisdom.’ ”

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 tattoo on 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 actress started the process of removing that tattoo shortly after announcing her divorce in 2014.

She got engaged in August 2024

In August 2024, Griffith announced in a post on Instagram that 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 own Instagram, 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.