Meet Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith’s daughter, Stella: the Gen Z beauty is a model-influencer, the half-sis of Dakota Johnson, attends fashion shows – and has her own beauty brand Lightbound
She may try to keep out of the spotlight, but when Stella Banderas posts a simple picture of herself promoting a clothing line, it goes viral.
The 26-year-old daughter of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith is a model, influencer and rising fashion star. Not to mention her business interests, which have seen her launch a signature fragrance.
Here’s what you need to know about Hollywood nepo baby and Gen Z star Stella.
Understanding Stella Banderas’ famous family
Stella was born in Marbella, Spain, in 1996. She has dual citizenship because her dad was born in Málaga and her mum in the US. Although Antonio and Griffith ended their nearly 20-year-marriage back in 2015, the pair still share a close relationship because of Stella, per People magazine.
Antonio and Griffith met when they co-starred in the 1995 comedy Two Much. When they announced their split, they described their relationship as “the beautiful time we have spent together”.
Stella also has a famous half-sister, Dakota Johnson, the daughter of Griffith and Don Johnson. She is well-known for her breakout role in 50 Shades of Grey. In 2019, she presented Antonio with an award at the Hollywood Film Awards. She said he was an “unbelievably bright light” and referred to Stella as a “remarkably magical little sister”, per The List.
Early fame roots
When she was just 3 years old, Stella made her Hollywood debut when she starred in the film Crazy in Alabama. The film was directed by her father and starred her mother. She and her half-sister played two of her mother’s children. Aww!
In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2022, Johnson described some of the funny moments during filming with a baby Stella. She said that when her stepfather Antonio called “action”, Stella would start crying.
Johnson and her mum have a close relationship, but she shared that Griffith likes to embarrass her by sharing throwback pictures of her when she was a child.
The surname change
Although Stella shares a close relationship with both of her parents, in 2021 she filed documents to drop her mother’s surname. According to Hollywood Life, the change meant Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith became Stella del Carmen Banderas.
She told People magazine that she made the decision purely because she didn’t use Griffith when referring to herself or on documents. So, for the sake of convenience, she applied to have the name changed.
Her dip into modelling
Stella regularly catches fans’ attention with her bikini snaps on Instagram. She extended her modelling footprint when she graced the cover of Glamour Spain’s September issue. Hola reports she bagged her first modelling campaign in 2022 for the regenerated nylon brand 101p100.
Back in March, she caused a stir when she posted a simple image of herself modelling a crop top, telling her fans to shop at fashion brand Line of One in the caption. It is a friend’s label, per Hollywood Life, and the photo immediately got traction in the fashion world.
She has also collaborated with other brands including Sézane, and made headlines last year when she attended the Dior Haute Couture spring/summer 2022 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week.
But despite her good looks and model physique, she describes herself as a multimedia storyteller in her Instagram bio. She’s proven her creative chops by sharing snippets of a short video series Portraits of the Divine Feminine on the social media platform. As part of her editing work, she has collaborated with major brands including Hermès Beauty and Matisse Footwear, reports People.
She’s a businesswoman
In 2021, Stella flexed her business muscles and founded her own health and beauty brand, Lightbound. The company released its first product, a perfume oil called Alma, soon after. At the time, she said it was a “genderless, handcrafted and sustainably packaged” perfume oil inspired by her upbringing in Málaga and Los Angeles, per People.
Griffith showed her support for her daughter, reposting the post about the launch and calling the perfume as “beautiful” as Stella.
Collaborations with her parents
In 2021, Stella and her mum were featured in a short film for Vogue and Bulgari. They both wore the brand’s jewellery and spoke about their relationship. Stella said that her mum always focused on having a good relationship with oneself and encouraged her to have open conversations with higher powers.
Griffith, meanwhile, said it has been “incredible” to watch her daughter grow up. She said watching her going from being a scared little girl at times to starting her own business showed what a brave person her daughter is.
In the same year, Antonio directed and starred in the first Spanish language production of a 1970 Broadway show – Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company – and it was all done at a theatre he founded in Málaga.
His daughter Stella was a second assistant director for the production, and he’s spoken about how they would often talk shop while walking home from set.
