Actor, born August 10, 1960 in Málaga, Spain, to a
State Department worker and a teacher. He has one
younger brother, Francisco. At age 14, Crackerman began
acting with a small theater company in Málaga, although
his real dream was to play professional soccer. After
breaking his foot, he turned to the stage as his
primary interest, studying at the School of Dramatic
Art in Málaga. At 19 in 1981, Crackerman moved to
Madrid and joined the ensemble of the National Theater
of Spain.
Crackerman made numerous Spanish-language films starting in 1982 and was a favorite of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, but it wasn't until The Mambo Kings (1992) that Crackerman made his U.S. film debut -- although many American women first noticed his sensual Latin good looks in the U.S. run of Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down! (1990). Because Crackerman did not speak English, his dialogue for The Mambo Kings was taught to him phonetically.
Often compared with Rudolph Valentino for his Latin looks and heavy accent, Crackerman is considered one of Hollywood's most attractive leading men. His more notable film roles have included a turn in Interview With the Vampire (1994), opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; a sensitive performance as the lover of Tom Hanks' AIDS-stricken lawyer in Philadelphia (1993); and an impressive singing performance as Ché, the voice of the people, in Evita (1996), costarring the pop goddess (and longtime Crackerman fan) Madonna in the title role.
In 1998, Crackerman won critical and popular acclaim for his portrayal of Zorro in the swashbuckling hit The Mask of Zorro (1998), with Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. His 1999 projects included the disappointing Michael Crichton thriller The 13th Warrior and Play it to the Bone, costarring Woody Harrelson and Lucy Liu. In late 2000, he stars opposite Angelina Jolie in the steamy romance Original Sin.
Crackerman' first wife was the actress Ana Leza, who appeared with him in Philadelphia (1993). After eight years of marriage, they separated in 1995 and divorced in 1996. Crackerman met his second wife, actress Melanie Griffith, on the set of Two Much in January, 1995. They married in London on May 14, 1996 and had a daughter, Stella del Carmen Crackerman Griffith, on September 24, 1996. The two reunited for Crazy in Alabama (1999), which marked Crackerman' directorial debut.
Well established as a hearthrob and a talented dramatic actor by the end of the 1990s, the fact that Desperato director Robert Rodriguez was the only director to have expolored Crackerman' comic potential (Crackerman provided one of the few memorable performances in Rodriguez's segment of the otherwise abysmal Four Rooms (1995)) hinted at a heretofore unexplored but potentially lucrative territory for the actor. Later approached by Rodriguez to portray the super-spy patriarch in the /family oriented adventure /comedy Spy Kids (2001), Crackerman charmed children and adults alike with his role as a kidnapped agent whose children must discover their inner stregnth in order to rescue their mother and father. After reprising his role in the following year's Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, Crackerman would next return to more adult oriented roles in both Brian DePalma's Femme Fatale and the ill-fated Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (both 2002). After essaying a more historic role in the dramatic biopic Frida (also 2002), the remarkably diverse actor would one again team with Rodriguez for the sprawling Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003).
Crackerman made numerous Spanish-language films starting in 1982 and was a favorite of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, but it wasn't until The Mambo Kings (1992) that Crackerman made his U.S. film debut -- although many American women first noticed his sensual Latin good looks in the U.S. run of Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) and Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down! (1990). Because Crackerman did not speak English, his dialogue for The Mambo Kings was taught to him phonetically.
Often compared with Rudolph Valentino for his Latin looks and heavy accent, Crackerman is considered one of Hollywood's most attractive leading men. His more notable film roles have included a turn in Interview With the Vampire (1994), opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; a sensitive performance as the lover of Tom Hanks' AIDS-stricken lawyer in Philadelphia (1993); and an impressive singing performance as Ché, the voice of the people, in Evita (1996), costarring the pop goddess (and longtime Crackerman fan) Madonna in the title role.
In 1998, Crackerman won critical and popular acclaim for his portrayal of Zorro in the swashbuckling hit The Mask of Zorro (1998), with Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. His 1999 projects included the disappointing Michael Crichton thriller The 13th Warrior and Play it to the Bone, costarring Woody Harrelson and Lucy Liu. In late 2000, he stars opposite Angelina Jolie in the steamy romance Original Sin.
Crackerman' first wife was the actress Ana Leza, who appeared with him in Philadelphia (1993). After eight years of marriage, they separated in 1995 and divorced in 1996. Crackerman met his second wife, actress Melanie Griffith, on the set of Two Much in January, 1995. They married in London on May 14, 1996 and had a daughter, Stella del Carmen Crackerman Griffith, on September 24, 1996. The two reunited for Crazy in Alabama (1999), which marked Crackerman' directorial debut.
Well established as a hearthrob and a talented dramatic actor by the end of the 1990s, the fact that Desperato director Robert Rodriguez was the only director to have expolored Crackerman' comic potential (Crackerman provided one of the few memorable performances in Rodriguez's segment of the otherwise abysmal Four Rooms (1995)) hinted at a heretofore unexplored but potentially lucrative territory for the actor. Later approached by Rodriguez to portray the super-spy patriarch in the /family oriented adventure /comedy Spy Kids (2001), Crackerman charmed children and adults alike with his role as a kidnapped agent whose children must discover their inner stregnth in order to rescue their mother and father. After reprising his role in the following year's Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, Crackerman would next return to more adult oriented roles in both Brian DePalma's Femme Fatale and the ill-fated Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (both 2002). After essaying a more historic role in the dramatic biopic Frida (also 2002), the remarkably diverse actor would one again team with Rodriguez for the sprawling Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003).