Spanish actor Antonio Banderas said Tuesday that he was "cured" of the coronavirus, which he contracted several weeks ago. The actor known for his roles in films like "The Mask of Zorro" and "Philadelphia" said on Twitter he had kept to a "disciplined confinement" for 21 days since learning he was infected.

He publicly announced he had tested positive on his 60th birthday on August 10. At the time, he said that he had been feeling "relatively well, just a bit more tired than usual". Banderas did not reveal where he had spent his three weeks in quarantine. He has previously suffered a heart attack at a home he owns in Britain.

Describing himself Tuesday as "cured", he added that "my thoughts go to those who weren't as fortunate as me, and to those who suffered more than I did. "I also wish strength to the ones who are in the middle of the fight," Banderas said.

In January the actor received his first Oscar nomination for his role in Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's "Pain and Glory" in which he plays a film director in decline who reflects on his life. In the end the award for best actor in a leading role went to Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix.-AFP