Antonio Banderas Shows His Charitable Side

By Michael Lopez

There’s nothing we like more than an undercover philanthropist. Part of the joy of giving is not having to always announce it to the world, especially if you happen to be a world-famous movie star. That’s why it’s very interesting to note that Mr. Puss In Boots himself, Antonio Banderas, has quietly donated nearly $200,000 to various charities.

Together with his wife, actress Melanie Griffith, Banderas has created the Lágrimas y Favores Foundation, a charitable organization that funds needy college students, cancer victims, and those struggling to make ends meet. This past week, Lágrimas y Favores donated $108,000 to college scholarships in Antonio’s hometown, $36,000 to the Cancer Care Association, and $43,000 to the Catholic charity Caritas.

“The whole world is in a very tough, very deep crisis,” Antonio said. “It is causing suffering to a lot of people. We’re not going to fix the problems of the whole world, but we have a great belief in the work the foundation is doing.”

And, by the looks of things, Antonio is very serious about getting people involved in the foundation. Click over to the Lágrimas y Favores website and you’ll see ongoing blogs, pictures of Banderas from various fundraising events, and links to his charity’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

Which celebrity philanthropist are you most impressed by? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Antonio Banderas, Celebrities, Charities, Lagrimas y Favores, Melanie Griffith