Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz nominated for Golden Globes

PENÉLOPE Cruz and Antonio Banderas have been nominated for a Golden Globe award for their leading roles in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Genius: Picasso respectively.

It is rare for two Spanish actors from different productions to be in the running for a Golden Globe at the same time, but 'Almodóvar Girl' Penélope Cruz's Donatella Versace and Mask of Zorro Antonio Banderas' Pablo Picasso enthralled critics and viewers.

For Banderas, who is up for Best Actor against German-Spanish Daniel Brühl for his The Alienist, this will be his fourth Golden Globe nomination, after Evita (1996), The Mask of Zorro (1998) and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003).

Other Best Actor rivals in the 2019 Golden Globes are Darren Criss as Gianni Versace alongside Penélope Cruz, Brit Benedict Cumberbatch for Patrick Melrose, and Hugh Grant for A Very English Scandal.

Penélope was also nominated for Golden Globe for Best Actress for her lead role in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver in 2007 and for Best Supporting Actress in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2009 and Nine in 2010.

Once again up for Best Actress, Penélope, 44, will be against Alex Bornstein for The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, Thandie Newton for Westworld, Yvonne Strahovski for The Handmaid's Tale, and Patricia Clarkson for Sharp Objects.

Penélope Cruz, wife of Skyfall 'Bond villain' Javier Bardem, is pictured here at the Primetime Emmy Awards in September this year for her part as Donatella Versace.

Antonio Banderas is shown on his birthday this year.