Don Johnson, the award-winning actor probably best known as Det. Sonny
Crockett on the hugely successful iconic TV series “Miami Vice,”
is one of the stars who defined the 1980s. The iconic series was
executive produced by the four-time Oscar®-nominated director Michael
Mann. Johnson earned an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor
in a Drama Series in 1985 and won a Golden Globe® for Best
Performance by an Actor in a TV Series in 1986 and 1987.

Born in Flat Creek, Missouri, he began acting in the early ‘70s. He
studied at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco where he
made his professional debut in “Your Own Thing” a rock musical
modeled after William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” He went on
to make five pilots for NBC, which were all rejected. It is not common
knowledge that the young actor got his big break by starring in the
controversial off-Broadway play “Fortune and Men’s Eyes,” which
was directed by and starred Sal Mineo. Also in the ‘70s he cowrote
songs with Dickey Betts from the Allman Brothers Band, several of
which are on their album.

While shooting “The Harrad Experiment,” he met a very young
Melanie Griffith, with whom he has a daughter, actress Dakota Johnson.

During the run of “Miami Vice,” Johnson starred in the critically
acclaimed TV film “The Long Hot Summer” in 1985 as well as
starring opposite Susan Sarandon in the feature film “Sweet Hearts
Dance” in 1988. When “Vice” ended, Johnson focused on his film
career with “Dead Band,” “The Hot Spot” and “Harley Davidson
and the Marlboro Man.” His film work has given Johnson the
opportunity to work with legendary filmmakers like John Frankenheimer,
Sidney Lumet and Dennis Hopper.

Other film credits include “Cold in July,” “The Other Woman,”
“Brawl in Cell Block 99” and “The Book Club.”

In 1995 Johnson cowrote a two-hour movie with his neighbor, Hunter S.
Thompson. While the movie was not picked up, CBS bought the story and
he returned to television in 1996 with the cop show “Nash Bridges”
as creator and producer.

In 2016, Johnson appeared in several episodes of the Netflix series
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” as well as appearing in the Sky
Television series “Sick Note.”

Other projects include “Watchmen,” the Damon Lindelof series for
HBO, the highly successful film “Knives Out,” as well as reprising
his role in the film “Book Club 2: The Next Chapter.”

Johnson has a starring role in the upcoming Jeremy Saulnier film
“Rebel Ridge” due on Netflix in 2024.

Johnson is married to Kelley Phleger since 1999, and they have three
children in addition to son Jesse Johnson and daughter Dakota.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN: Flat Creek, Missouri
BIRTHDATE: December 15
