Does Don Johnson Have Kids? 5 Children & Family

The Short Answer: Five Children

Yes, Don Johnson has five children, spanning 24 years from eldest to youngest. His kids are: Jesse Johnson, born December 7, 1982, with actress Patti D'Arbanville; Dakota Johnson, born October 4, 1989, with actress Melanie Griffith; and Grace Johnson (born December 28, 1999), Jasper Johnson (born June 6, 2002), and Deacon Johnson (born April 29, 2006), all three with his current wife, Kelley Phleger.

It's a family with a 24-year age spread: Jesse is 43, Dakota is 37, Grace is 26, Jasper is 24, and Deacon is 20. Johnson became a father at 33 and again at 56, meaning he's simultaneously the father of middle-aged adults and young adults, a dynamic he's joked about in interviews.

As of October 2026, the family orbit centers on Johnson and Kelley Phleger's long marriage (27 years and counting), with the three younger kids now adults and the two elder kids established in their own lives and careers.

Dakota Johnson: The Famous Daughter Born in 1989

Dakota Mayi Johnson, born October 4, 1989, is Johnson's most famous child and one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Her mother is Melanie Griffith, Johnson's co-star in the 1980s and his wife during two separate marriages (1976 and 1989-1996). Dakota is also the granddaughter of Tippi Hedren, making her third-generation Hollywood royalty.

Dakota's breakout as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades trilogy (2015-2018) made her a global star, and she's since built a respected indie career with films like Suspiria, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Madame Web. Now 37, she's also a producer through her company TeaTime Pictures.

She's been in a long-term relationship with Chris Martin of Coldplay since 2017. Her relationship with her father is warm and public; they've appeared together at events, and Johnson has spoken proudly about her talent while insisting he never pulled strings for her career.

Jesse Johnson: The Eldest Son Born in 1982

Jesse Wayne Johnson, born December 7, 1982, is Johnson's eldest child, with actress Patti D'Arbanville, Johnson's partner in the early 1980s. Now 43, Jesse followed his parents into acting, appearing in films like Redline and the TV series Twin Peaks: The Return.

Jesse has kept a lower profile than his half-sister Dakota, working steadily as an actor and musician. He's the quiet elder of the Johnson clan, the one who was already a teenager when Miami Vice mania peaked and who watched his father's fame from the inside.

His mother, Patti D'Arbanville, was a Warhol superstar turned actress, giving Jesse an art-world pedigree to match the Hollywood one. The 24-year gap between Jesse and youngest brother Deacon means Jesse was an adult before Deacon was born, a family dynamic more like uncle and nephew than brothers.

Grace, Jasper, and Deacon: The Three With Kelley Phleger

Johnson's three youngest children are all with his wife Kelley Phleger, a former schoolteacher he married on April 29, 1999. Grace Johnson, born December 28, 1999, is now 26. Jasper Johnson, born June 6, 2002, is 24. Deacon Johnson, born April 29, 2006 (on his parents' seventh wedding anniversary), is 20.

The three grew up in the stable, long-married household that Johnson's earlier decades never provided: mom and dad together for 27 years, a home base in Montecito, California, and a father who'd already lived through every version of fame. Johnson has said that raising the younger three in his fifties and sixties was a completely different experience from his distracted young fatherhood, and a better one.

All three have stayed largely out of the spotlight, though Grace has done some modeling. They're now young adults, and Johnson, at 76, is enjoying the rare position of being both an empty-nester and, through Dakota's generation, a contemporary of his own children's peers.

Marriages: Melanie Griffith (Twice) and Kelley Phleger

Johnson's romantic history is tabloid legend. He married Melanie Griffith twice: first briefly in 1976 (annulled after six months), then again in 1989, the year Dakota was born. That second marriage lasted until 1996 and produced his most famous child.

Between and around the Griffith marriages came high-profile relationships, including a long partnership with Patti D'Arbanville (Jesse's mother) and a famous engagement to Barbra Streisand. The 1980s Johnson was as famous for his love life as for Sonny Crockett's suits.

Then came Kelley Phleger. Married in 1999, their 27-year union has been the stabilizing force of Johnson's adult life and the foundation for his three youngest children. Friends credit Kelley with the late-career renaissance: the grounded family man who could take character roles in Knives Out, Watchmen, and Django Unchained without needing to be the star.

Who Is Don Johnson? A Quick Biography

Don Wayne Johnson was born December 15, 1949, in Flat Creek, Missouri, and raised in Wichita, Kansas. After struggling early roles, he exploded in 1984 as James Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice, the pastel-suited detective who defined 1980s cool. He won a Golden Globe and earned an Emmy nomination for the role.

He headlined Nash Bridges (1996-2001), then spent the 2000s in the wilderness before a remarkable late-career renaissance: scene-stealing turns in Django Unchained (2012), Knives Out (2019), HBO's Watchmen (2019), and Kenan. At 76, he's one of the few 1980s TV icons still working at a high level.

He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996, and his influence on fashion, television style, and the very idea of the TV antihero remains enormous.

Don Johnson in 2026

As of October 2026, Johnson is 76, married 27 years to Kelley Phleger, and the father of five kids aged 20 to 43. Dakota, 37, remains one of Hollywood's most in-demand actresses; Jesse, 43, works steadily; and Grace (26), Jasper (24), and Deacon (20) are young adults finding their paths.

He continues to act selectively, choosing character work over leading-man duties, and he's spoken about the particular joy of being a grandfather-aged father to young adults: old enough to have perspective, young enough to still show up.

Five kids, four mothers, two marriages to the same woman, one marriage that's lasted 27 years. It's a family tree only Don Johnson could have grown.

Don Johnson's Kids: Quick Facts

Does Don Johnson have kids? Yes, five. What are their names and ages? Jesse (born 1982, age 43, with Patti D'Arbanville), Dakota (born 1989, age 37, with Melanie Griffith), Grace (born 1999, age 26), Jasper (born 2002, age 24), Deacon (born 2006, age 20), the last three with wife Kelley Phleger. Who is he married to? Kelley Phleger since April 29, 1999. How old is Don Johnson? 76, born December 15, 1949. What is he famous for? Sonny Crockett on Miami Vice (1984-1990), Nash Bridges, Knives Out, Watchmen.

The Five Children

Don Johnson's five children span four decades and three relationships. With his first wife, Melanie Griffith (married 1976, divorced 1976, remarried 1989, divorced 1996), he had Dakota Johnson (born October 4, 1989), now 37 and a star in her own right (Fifty Shades of Grey, The Lost Daughter). With Patti D'Arbanville, he had Jesse Wayne Johnson (born December 7, 1982), now 43, an actor and musician.

With his current wife, Kelley Phleger (married April 29, 1999), he had three more: Atherton Grace (born December 28, 1999), Jasper Breckenridge (born June 6, 2002), and Deacon (born April 29, 2006). The 26-year marriage to Phleger, a former schoolteacher, is his longest and most stable.

Now 76, Johnson is the patriarch of a sprawling Hollywood family. From Miami Vice (1984-1989, Golden Globe) to Nash Bridges (1996-2001) to Knives Out (2019), he's worked for six decades, and his kids have watched every minute.

Miami Vice and Six Decades of Stardom

James Sonny Crockett made Don Johnson a superstar. Miami Vice (1984-1989) was a cultural phenomenon: the pastel suits, the Ferrari, the Phil Collins soundtrack, and Johnson's Golden Globe-winning performance at its center. He was the coolest man on television for five years.

He followed it with Nash Bridges (1996-2001), another hit, plus a music career (Heartbeat, 1986, went Top 5) and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star (1996). Recent years brought acclaimed turns in Knives Out (2019), Watchmen (2019), and Rebel Ridge (2024).

Born December 15, 1949, in Flat Creek, Missouri, Johnson is now 76, married 26 years to Kelley Phleger, with five children: Jesse (43), Dakota (37), Atherton Grace (26), Jasper (24), and Deacon (20). Six decades in, the Vice never really ended.

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