They were one of the longest lasting Hollywood marriages.
It’s often cited that half of marriages will end in divorce, for a Tinseltown couple, that percentage seems awfully low. After years of speculation, it was announced today that Melanie Griffith has filed for divorce from Antonio Banderas after 18 years of marriage.
The Working Girl actress cited irreconcilable differences as the cause of separation. The couple was married in May 1996. They met on the set of the romantic comedy Two Much in 1995. However, both Griffith and Banderas were married to other people at the time.
According to the divorce documents, Griffith is seeking child support, sole physical, and joint legal custody of the couple’s daughter Stella. However, Stella is 17-years-old, and will turn 18 in September, so custody may not play that important of a role in the proceedings.
Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas are splitting "in a loving and friendly manner": http://t.co/9Kl0s4xeHy
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) June 6, 2014
This was Griffith’s fourth marriage, to three different men. She was previously married to actor Don Johnson (twice) and also to Steven Bauer for five years. Meanwhile, this was Banderas’ second trip down the aisle. He was first married to Ana Leza in 1987, however, the couple split when Banderas and Griffith met on the set of Two Much.
A statement was just released by the couple’s representative, “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.”
Griffith was one of Hollywood’s most prolific actresses in the 1980s and 1990s. A few of her more popular films included Something Wild, Working Girl, and Pacific Heights. Banderas, a Spanish actor who could sing and wield a sword, also had a nice run in Hollywood in the 1990s. Some of his work included Desperado, Assassins, Evita, and The Mask of Zorro. More recently, Banderas has voiced the animated character Puss in Boots in the Shrek films.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
