Banderas Praises Griffith After Cozy Beverly Hills Dinner

posted a very rare photo to Instagram with his ex-wife on Monday morning after they enjoyed a cozy dinner over the weekend.

The 65-year-old Spanish actor was married to the Hollywood actress from 1996 to 2015.

In his caption, The Mask Of Zorro actor raved about Griffith, the daughter of The Birds star .

He called the 68-year-old Oscar-nominated actress his 'lifelong friend' as they were seen on a sofa together while laughing.

Together they share 29-year-old daughter who was also in the frame with her husband Alex Gruszynski.

'A lovely and fun moment yesterday in  with my son-in-law Alex, my daughter Stella, and my ex-wife and lifelong friend, Melanie,' wrote the actor in his Instagram caption. 

This comes soon after the pair were seen leaving Japanese restaurant Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills on Saturday.

The two were dressed casually as they laughed together while walking arm in arm with daughter Stella following close behind.

The exes appear to have remained close pals after they settled their divorce. 

In 2019, Banderas

'I am not married with Melanie anymore, but she is my family,' he declared. 'She is probably one of my best friends, if not the best friend that I have. My family is there, Dakota, Little Estella and Alexander.'

The exes fell in love while shooting the 1995 romantic comedy Two Much, married in May 1996, and welcomed Stella that September. 

The Puss In Boots star admitted he was smitten by the Hollywood veteran the first time he saw her, at the 1989 Oscars.

He recalled: 'The first time I went to the Academy Awards after we got a nomination for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, we got on the red carpet and I saw this blonde woman and I knew her because I saw movies of her, but I didn't remember [her name] at the time.

'So, I said to Pedro Almodóvar, "Who is she? Who is she? What is her name?" Pedro said, "That's Melanie Griffith!" I said, "That's it. Oh my God." Six years later, I was married to her.' 

The blonde beauty tattooed her husband's name inside a heart on her arm during their marriage.

But the love story came to an end in 2015. 

In a statement announcing their split, they said, 'We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20-year marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together - Melanie & Antonio.'

Banderas has been  

Griffith was previously married to Don Johnson, with whom she . 

The marriage also made her a stepmother to Johnson's son Jesse Johnson, 43.

And she shares son Alexander Griffith Bauer, 40, with her second husband, Steven Bauer.