Don Johnson

Johnson was born on December 15, 1949, in his grandmother's house in Flat Creek, Missouri. His mother, Nell (née Wilson), was a beautician. His father, Fredie Wayne Johnson, was a farmer. At the time of his birth, Johnson's mother and father were 16 and 19 years old, respectively. Johnson was raised in Wichita, Kansas, where his parents relocated when he was five years old and where his father worked for Boeing Aircraft. He has described his childhood as "incredibly dysfunctional and abusive" as his parents were both frequently absent and stressed. His father subjected the children to corporal punishment. Johnson's parents divorced when he was 12. He continued to live with his mother, younger sister and two younger brothers until he was 13, at which time he ended up in juvenile court and was sent to live with his father in Missouri. In his sophomore year, he left to San Francisco after passing an audition for the American Conservatory Theater. == Acting career ==

Early years Johnson's first major role was in the 1969 stage production of ''Fortune and Men's Eyes, in which he played the lead role of Smitty. The play was produced and directed by Sal Mineo at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles. It included a "shockingly realistic prison rape" scene portrayed by Johnson. This exposure led to the quickly forgotten film The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970). Johnson continued to work on stage, film and television without breaking into stardom. His notable films from this period were Zachariah (1971), Lollipop and Roses (1971), The Harrad Experiment (1973) (a film in which Johnson displayed frontal nudity) and A Boy and His Dog'' (1975). In 1976, Johnson was the roommate of Sal Mineo at the time Mineo was murdered. Miami Vice and stardom In 1984, after years of struggling to establish himself as a TV actor, Johnson landed a starring role as undercover police detective Sonny Crockett in the Michael Mann/Universal Television cop series, Miami Vice. The show ran from 1984 to 1990. Miami Vice made Johnson "a major international star". According to Rolling Stone, "No one had more swagger in the Reagan era than Don Johnson. As Miami Vice's Sonny Crockett, the undercover detective and professional stubble-cultivator who lived on a houseboat with his pet alligator Elvis, he embodied masculine cool in the era of coke binges and Lamborghinis". The Sonny Crockett character typically wore thousand-dollar Versace and Armani suits over pastel cotton T-shirts, drove a Ferrari, wore expensive timepieces by Rolex and Ebel, and lived on an Endeavour yacht. Miami Vice was noted for its revolutionary use of music and cinematography, and for its glitzy take on the police drama genre. In the show, Crockett's partner was Ricardo Tubbs, played by Philip Michael Thomas. Johnson's work on Miami Vice earned him a Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, in 1986. He was nominated for the same award in 1987. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1985. Between seasons on Miami Vice, Johnson gained further renown through the TV miniseries The Long Hot Summer (1985), a remake of the 1958 film. During the time he was on Miami Vice, he had set up an hour-long music video/pay cable program with videocassette versions of the programs Johnson had hosted being handled by distributor CBS/Fox Video. The project was a tie-in to his first album Heartbeat, which was released by CBS/Epic Records in 1986. In 1988, he starred in the romantic comedy Sweet Hearts Dance, alongside Susan Sarandon, Jeff Daniels and Elizabeth Perkins. In 1989 he played the sheriff of Los Angeles County Jerry Beck in John Frankenheimer's film Dead Bang. In the early 1990s, Johnson played a variety of roles in well-produced films, including the role of drifter and car salesman Harry Maddox in Dennis Hopper's The Hot Spot (1990) opposite Jennifer Connelly and Virginia Madsen. He worked on two films with his wife Melanie Griffith, Paradise (1991) and Born Yesterday (1993). He appeared alongside Mickey Rourke in Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991), and in Sidney Lumet's thriller Guilty as Sin (1993), opposite Rebecca De Mornay. Nash Bridges Johnson later starred in the 1996–2001 CBS-TV police drama Nash Bridges with Cheech Marin, Jeff Perry, Jaime P. Gomez, Kelly Hu, Wendy Moniz, Annette O'Toole, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as his daughter Cassidy, and James Gammon as his father Nick. Johnson portrayed the title role, an inspector (later promoted to captain) for the San Francisco Police Department. In Nash Bridges, Johnson was again paired with a flashy convertible car, a yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. 2001–2010 and Ashton Kutcher at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 In the fall of 2005, Johnson briefly starred in The WB courtroom television drama show Just Legal as a jaded lawyer with a young and idealistic protégé/partner (Jay Baruchel); the show was canceled in October 2005 after just three of the eight produced episodes aired. In January 2007, Johnson began a run in the West End of London production of Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit. Johnson also had a role in the Norwegian comedy Lange Flate Ballær 2 ("Long Flat Balls II"), directed by Johnson's friend Harald Zwart. Johnson did the movie as a favor to Zwart. The movie was launched on March 14, 2008, in Norway, with Johnson making an appearance at the premiere. He next appeared in When in Rome with Danny DeVito, Anjelica Huston and Kristen Bell. Johnson had a supporting role in Robert Rodriguez's film Machete. Johnson played Von Jackson, "a twisted border vigilante leading a small army". The film was released on September 3, 2010. In October 2010, he began appearing on the HBO series Eastbound & Down, playing Kenny Powers' long-lost father, going by the alias "Eduardo Sanchez". He also reprised his role as Sonny Crockett for a Nike commercial with LeBron James in which the NBA player contemplates acting and appears alongside Johnson on Miami Vice. 2011–present In September 2011, Johnson had a cameo in the comedy A Good Old Fashioned Orgy with Jason Sudeikis. Johnson had a supporting role in the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained, playing a southern plantation owner named Spencer 'Big Daddy' Bennett. In 2014, Johnson starred as the character "Jim Bob" opposite Sam Shepard and Michael C. Hall in Jim Mickle's critically acclaimed crime film, Cold in July. In 2015, Johnson began starring in the ABC prime time soap opera Blood & Oil. In 2018, he starred as the character of Arthur, the love interest of Vivian, played by Jane Fonda in Bill Holderman's romantic-comedy Book Club. In 2019, Johnson played the role of Richard Drysdale in Rian Johnson's murder-mystery Knives Out; and starred as Police Chief Judd Crawford in the HBO series Watchmen. In 2021, Johnson co-starred on Kenan until its cancellation in May 2022. He also appeared in a Nash Bridges television film with co-star Cheech Marin on the USA Network in 2021. In April 2024, it was announced that Johnson would be starring in the Ryan Murphy drama television series, Doctor Odyssey, which premiered on ABC and Hulu on September 26, 2024. On June 27, 2025, the series was canceled by default after one season after the main cast's options expired. == Music career ==

Johnson released two albums of pop music in the 1980s. Heartbeat was released in 1986. Let it Roll was released in 1989. His single "Heartbeat" reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Till I Loved You", a duet with then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand, was a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released on the Columbia Records studio album Till I Loved You on October 25, 1988. The song was re-released on the Streisand album Duets in 2002. == Personal life ==

Reputation Outside his acting career, Johnson developed a reputation for leading a luxurious and hedonistic lifestyle. He was known for his hard-partying and having a large number of romantic relationships. He was also a regular at "super-exclusive" parties in Florida attended by politicians, police, drug dealers, and "the best-looking hookers in the business". Circa 1971, Johnson lived with self-described "groupie" Pamela Des Barres. In 1973, Johnson married his second wife, but the marriage was annulled days later. During the first half of 1972, Johnson met Melanie Griffith, the 14-year-old daughter of his Harrad Experiment co-star Tippi Hedren. The pair moved in together when Griffith was 15 and Johnson was 23. Johnson dated country music singer Tanya Tucker after the two worked together on the 1979 TV movies Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill and The Rebels. In 1980, Johnson dated Sally Adams, mother of actress Nicollette Sheridan. In January 1981, he split from Tucker after meeting Warhol model Patti D'Arbanville at a Los Angeles restaurant. The pair lived together from 1981 to 1985 but never married. In the early 1980s, Johnson dated model Donya Fiorentino after he moved in next door to her family in Florida. Fiorentino broke up with Johnson but reunited with him in 1986 after she broke up with Andrew Ridgeley. Johnson next had a relationship with Barbra Streisand, lasting into at least September 1988. Just days after breaking up with Streisand, Johnson, then 38, was linked to 18-year-old Uma Thurman. In 1995, Johnson was romantically linked to model Kari Whitman. In 1996–1997, Johnson dated Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, who played his daughter on Nash Bridges. On April 29, 1999, Johnson married San Francisco socialite and Montessori nursery school teacher Kelley Phleger, former longtime girlfriend of Governor Gavin Newsom, at the Pacific Heights mansion of Ann and Gordon Getty. Actor Robert Wagner served as best man, and Mayor Willie Brown presided over the civil ceremony. and two sons, Jasper Breckinridge (born June 6, 2002), and Deacon (born April 29, 2006). Johnson was "best friends" with journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who wrote for Nash Bridges, and his daughter Dakota saw Thompson as a "godfather figure." Johnson is also a friend of socialite Denise Hale, the former wife of director Vincente Minnelli. The two were once the subject of reports alleging a romantic relationship, which both denied, stating they were merely friends. Powerboat racing Johnson entered powerboat racing and sometimes raced with Kurt Russell and Chuck Norris. In 1986, Johnson achieved his first motor sport victory. He won a powerboat race up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Louis. Characterized by shipmates as an aggressive, fearless pilot who did not make mistakes, Johnson became American Power Boat Association's World Champion of the Offshore World Cup in 1988. Legal matters In April 1997, Johnson was sued by his former chauffeur and a former production assistant for Nash Bridges, both of whom accused him of sexual harassment. Johnson accused them of defamation and alleged they had conspired to extort $1.5 million from him. In January 1998, Johnson and the two women dropped civil charges against each other in a confidential settlement. In July 2001, a woman sued Johnson, alleging that he grabbed her inappropriately at a sushi bar in San Francisco. The district attorney reviewed the evidence and declined to file criminal charges. Johnson's representatives maintained the accusations were meritless. In November 2002, German customs officers at the SwissGerman border performed a routine search of Johnson's car. Bank statements evidencing US$8 billion in transactions were found in the trunk of his car. Initially it was thought Johnson was involved in money laundering, but he was cleared of wrongdoing. In July 2010, a Los Angeles jury awarded Johnson $23.2 million in a lawsuit against production company Rysher Entertainment, from whom Johnson sought a share of profits commensurate with his ownership of half the copyright of Nash Bridges. Rysher announced it would appeal the verdict. == Filmography ==

Film Television == Discography ==

Studio albums Compilation albums Singles Featured singles == Videography ==

• 1987: Heartbeat - Full Length Video (VHS) - (Release date: May 10, 1987) == Awards and recognition ==