by Bob Strauss

If an actor and a role were ever meant for each other, it's Antonio Banderas and Zorro.

Banderas, in the critically acclaimed action romp The Mask of Zorro, wears the hero's black cape and mask with all the swaggering brio of such legendary Zorros as Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks Sr.

Check out our unadulterated history of Zorro

As Banderas rights wrongs with Anthony Hopkins and Welsh newcomer Catherine Zeta Jones, his abundant movie-star charisma and wicked wit come through like never before.

It's good to see. Banderas has had his share of missteps since he caught the world's attention in such wild Spanish films as Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. But he's been on a roll recently, and Zorro is further proof he's clearly doing something right.

The 37-year-old heartthrob earned strong notices for Desperado and even better reviews for his turn in Evita.

And his marriage to Melanie Griffith, initially a target of tabloids and monologue jokes, is working out beautifully and has produced the love of Banderas' life, two-year-old daughter Stella. Plus, he just completed his directing debut (a dark comedy starring Melanie).