Don Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 2019 | |
| Born | Don Wayne Johnson (1949-12-15)December 15, 1949 (age 75) Flat Creek, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Patti D'Arbanville (1981–1985) |
| Children | 5, includingJesse andDakota |
Don Wayne Johnson[1][2][3] (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role ofJames "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television seriesMiami Vice, for which he won aGolden Globe, and received aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination. He also played the titular character in the 1990s seriesNash Bridges. Johnson received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.[4]
Johnson has appeared in films such asA Boy and His Dog (1975),Tin Cup (1996),Machete (2010),Django Unchained (2012) andKnives Out (2019). He released the albumsHeartbeat (1986) andLet It Roll (1989) as a singer. His cover version of "Heartbeat" peaked at number 5 on theBillboard Hot 100.
Johnson was born on December 15, 1949, in his grandmother's house[5] inFlat Creek, Missouri.[6] His mother, Nell (née Wilson), was a beautician. His father, Fredie Wayne Johnson, was a farmer.[2][3] At the time of his birth, Johnson's mother and father were 16 and 19 years old, respectively.[7] Johnson was raised inWichita, Kansas, where his parents relocated when he was five years old and where his father worked forBoeing Aircraft.[8][9] He has described his childhood as "incredibly dysfunctional and abusive" as his parents were both frequently absent and stressed. His father subjected the children tocorporal punishment.[7] According to Johnson, he was 12 years old when he lost his virginity to his 16-year-old babysitter.[10] 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 injuvenile court and was sent to live with his father in Missouri.[11][7]
He moved back home to Wichita for his senior year of high school, working part-time as a butcher's apprentice and ladies' shoe salesman. He attendedWichita South High School, from which he graduated in 1967.[11] When he was kicked off the school's football team, Johnson enrolled in a drama class to earn enough credits to graduate. Encouraged by his teacher, he played the lead role of Tony inWest Side Story. He was also exposed to the plays ofMolière,Tennessee Williams andShakespeare. During his last semester, he auditioned for the summer repertory program at theUniversity of Kansas and won a partial scholarship. He was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to attend as a drama major.[7] There, Johnson, 18, dated his 29-year-old acting teacher.[12] In his sophomore year, he left to San Francisco after passing an audition for theAmerican Conservatory Theater.[7]
Johnson's first major role was in the 1969 Los Angeles stage production ofFortune and Men's Eyes, in which he played the lead role of Smitty.[13][14][15] The play included a "shockingly realistic prison rape" scene portrayed by Johnson.[16] This exposure led to the quickly forgotten filmThe 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 wereZachariah (1971),The Harrad Experiment (1973) (a film in which Johnson displayed frontal nudity),[17][18]Lollipop and Roses (1974) andA Boy and His Dog (1975). In 1976, Johnson was the roommate of actorSal Mineo at the time Mineo was murdered.[19]
In 1984, after years of struggling to establish himself as a TV actor, Johnson landed a starring role as undercover police detectiveSonny Crockett in theMichael Mann/Universal Television cop series,Miami Vice.[20] The show ran from 1984 to 1990.[21]Miami Vice made Johnson "a major international star".[22] According toRolling 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".[23] The Sonny Crockett character typically wore thousand-dollarVersace andArmani suits over pastel cotton T-shirts, drove a Ferrari, wore expensive timepieces byRolex andEbel, and lived on anEndeavour yacht.[24][25][26][27]Miami Vice was noted for its revolutionary use of music andcinematography,[28] and for its glitzy take on the police drama genre.[29] In the show, Crockett's partner was Ricardo Tubbs, played byPhilip Michael Thomas.[30]
Johnson's work onMiami Vice earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama, in 1986.[31] Johnson was nominated for the same award in 1987.[32] He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1985.[33][34]
Between seasons onMiami Vice, Johnson gained further renown through the TV miniseriesThe Long Hot Summer (1985), a remake ofthe 1958 film.[35] During the time he was onMiami 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 distributorCBS/Fox Video. The project was a tie-in to his first albumHeartbeat, which was released byCBS/Epic Records in 1986.[36]
In 1988, he starred in the romantic comedySweet Hearts Dance, alongsideSusan Sarandon,Jeff Daniels andElizabeth Perkins.[37] In 1989 he played the sheriff of Los Angeles County Jerry Beck inJohn Frankenheimer's filmDead Bang.[38]
In the early 1990s, Johnson played a variety of roles in well-produced films, including the role of drifter and car salesman Harry Maddox inDennis Hopper'sThe Hot Spot (1990) oppositeJennifer Connelly andVirginia Madsen.[39] He worked on two films with his wife Melanie Griffith,Paradise (1991) andBorn Yesterday (1993).[40][41] He appeared alongsideMickey Rourke inHarley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991),[42] and inSidney Lumet's thrillerGuilty as Sin (1993), oppositeRebecca De Mornay.[43]
Johnson later starred in the 1996–2001 CBS-TV police dramaNash Bridges withCheech Marin,Jeff Perry,Jaime P. Gomez,Kelly Hu, Wendy Moniz,Annette O'Toole,Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as his daughter Cassidy, andJames Gammon as his father Nick. Johnson portrayed the title role, an inspector (later promoted to captain) for theSan Francisco Police Department. InNash Bridges, Johnson was again paired with a flashy convertible car, a yellow 1971Plymouth Barracuda.[44]
In the fall of 2005, Johnson briefly starred inThe WB courtroom television drama showJust 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 theWest End of London production ofGuys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit.[45]
Johnson also had a role in the Norwegian comedyLange Flate Ballær 2 ("Long Flat Balls II"), directed by Johnson's friendHarald 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 inWhen in Rome withDanny DeVito,Anjelica Huston andKristen Bell.[46]
Johnson had a supporting role inRobert Rodriguez's filmMachete. 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 theHBO seriesEastbound & Down, playingKenny Powers' long-lost father, going by the alias "Eduardo Sanchez". He also reprised his role as Sonny Crockett for aNike commercial withLeBron James in which the NBA player contemplates acting and appears alongside Johnson onMiami Vice.[47]
In September 2011, Johnson had a cameo in the comedyA Good Old Fashioned Orgy withJason Sudeikis.[48] Johnson had a supporting role in the 2012 Quentin Tarantino filmDjango Unchained, playing a southern plantation owner named Spencer 'Big Daddy' Bennett.[49] 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.[50] In 2015, Johnson began starring in the ABC prime time soap operaBlood & Oil.[51]
In 2018, he starred as the character of Arthur, the love interest of Vivian, played byJane Fonda in Bill Holderman's romantic-comedyBook Club.[52] In 2019, Johnson played the role of Richard Drysdale inRian Johnson's murder-mysteryKnives Out;[53] and starred as Police Chief Judd Crawford in the HBO seriesWatchmen.[54]
In 2021, Johnson co-starred onKenan until its cancellation in May 2022.[55] He also appeared in aNash Bridges television film with co-starCheech Marin on theUSA Network in 2021.[56]
In April 2024, it was revealed that Johnson would be starring in theRyan Murphy drama television series,Doctor Odyssey, which premiered onABC andHulu on September 26, 2024.[57][58]
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 theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart.[59]
"Till I Loved You", a duet with then-girlfriendBarbra Streisand, was a top 40 hit on theBillboard Hot 100. It was released on theColumbia Records studio albumTill I Loved You on October 25, 1988. The song was re-released on the Streisand albumDuets in 2002.
Johnson has been married five times to four women, and has four children with two of them (one daughter with Melanie Griffith, three children with Kelley Phleger) plus one son with Patti D'Arbanville.
Three of his marriages were brief; the first two wereannulled within a matter of days.[6][60] The names of Johnson's first two wives have not been made public, though he has said that one of them was a dancer and the other a "rich bimbo".[61]
Circa 1971, Johnson lived with self-described "groupie"Pamela Des Barres.[62]
During the first half of 1972, Johnson metMelanie Griffith, the 14-year-old daughter of hisHarrad Experiment co-starTippi Hedren.[60] The pair moved in together when Griffith was 15 and Johnson was 23.[60] On her 18th birthday they became engaged, and were married in January 1976; they separated that July and divorced in November.[63][64]
In 1980, Johnson dated Sally Adams, mother of actressNicollette Sheridan.[65]
In January of the following year, he met formerWarhol modelPatti D'Arbanville at a Los Angeles restaurant.[66] The pair lived together from 1981 to 1985 but never married.[64] Johnson and D'Arbanville have a son,Jesse Wayne Johnson (born December 7, 1982).[67]
In her 2000 autobiographyCybill Disobedience,Cybill Shepherd wrote of a liaison with Johnson during the making of the television miniseriesThe Long Hot Summer (1985).[68]
Johnson next had a relationship withBarbra Streisand, lasting into at least September 1988.[60]
Just days after breaking up with Streisand, Johnson, then 38, was linked to 18-year-oldUma Thurman.[69]
Johnson was then briefly involved withDead Bang co-starPenelope Ann Miller before reuniting with Melanie Griffith.[69] They conceived a child close to the start of 1989,[60]Dakota Johnson (born October 4, 1989), and were married again from June of that year until 1996.[70]
In 1996–1997, Johnson datedJodi Lyn O'Keefe, who played his daughter onNash Bridges.[71] Johnson was 47 at the time while O'Keefe was 18.
On April 29, 1999, Johnson married San Francisco socialite andMontessori nursery school teacher Kelley Phleger, former longtime girlfriend of GovernorGavin Newsom,[72] at thePacific Heights mansion of Ann andGordon Getty.[73] ActorRobert Wagner served as best man, and MayorWillie Brown presided over the civil ceremony.[73] Johnson and Phleger have three children together: a daughter, Atherton Grace (born December 28, 1999),[74] and two sons, Jasper Breckinridge (born June 6, 2002),[75] and Deacon (born April 29, 2006).[76][77]
Johnson was "best friends" with journalistHunter S. Thompson, who wrote forNash Bridges,[78] and his daughter Dakota saw Thompson as a "godfather figure."[79]
Johnson entered powerboat racing and sometimes raced withKurt Russell andChuck Norris.[80] In 1986, Johnson achieved his first motor sport victory. He won a 1,100-mile (1,800 km) powerboat race up the Mississippi River fromNew Orleans toSt. Louis. Characterized by shipmates as an aggressive, fearless pilot who did not make mistakes, Johnson becameAmerican Power Boat Association's World Champion of the Offshore World Cup in 1988.[81]
In November 2002, German customs officers at theSwiss–German border performed a routine search of Johnson's car.[82] Bank statements evidencing US$8 billion in transactions were found in the trunk of his car.[82][83][84] He was accompanied in his blackMercedes-Benz by three men: an investment adviser, a personal assistant, and a third unknown individual who could not be identified.[83] Initially it was thought Johnson was involved inmoney laundering,[84] but he was cleared of wrongdoing.[85]
In May 2008, within hours of losing hisWoody Creek, Colorado, home to foreclosure, Johnson paid off his $14.5 million debt.[86]
In July 2010, a Los Angeles jury awarded Johnson $23.2 million in a lawsuit against production companyRysher Entertainment, from whom Johnson sought a share of profits commensurate with his ownership of half the copyright ofNash Bridges.[87] Rysher announced it would appeal the verdict.[87] In January 2013, Rysher settled the suit with a $19 million payment.[88]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Sarge | Deloy Coopersmith | Episode: "The Combatants" |
| 1972 | Young Dr. Kildare | Ted Thatcher | Episode: "House Call" |
| The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Ev Howard | Episode: "Endtheme" | |
| 1973 | Kung Fu | Nashebo | Episode: "The Spirit-Helper" |
| 1974 | The Rookies | Al Devering | Episode: "The Teacher" |
| 1976 | The Streets of San Francisco | Officer Larry Wilson | Episode: "Hot Dog" |
| Barnaby Jones | Wayne Lockwood | Episode: "Renegade's Child" | |
| Law of the Land | Quirt | Television film | |
| 1977 | The City | Sergeant Brian Scott | Pilot |
| Cover Girls | Johnny Wilson | Television film | |
| Nashville 99 | Mike Watling | Episode: "Sing Me a Song to Die By" | |
| Eight Is Enough | Doug | Episode: "Trial Marriage" | |
| Big Hawaii | Gandy | Episode: "Gandy" | |
| Police Story | Lee Morgan | Episode: "Trigger Point" | |
| 1978 | What Really Happened to the Class of '65? | Edgar | Episode: "Class Crusader" |
| The American Girls | Everett Simms | Episode: "A Crash Course in Survival" | |
| Pressure Point | Unknown | Television film | |
| Ski Lift to Death | Mike Sloan | ||
| The Two-Five | Charlie Morgan | ||
| Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold | Gunther | ||
| First, You Cry | Daniel Easton | ||
| 1979 | Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill | Cowboy | |
| The Rebels | Judson Fletcher | 2 episodes | |
| 1980 | Beulah Land | Bonard Davis | Episode: "Part I" |
| Revenge of the Stepford Wives | Officer Andy Brady | Television film | |
| From Here to Eternity | Private Jefferson 'Jeff' Davis Prewitt | 13 episodes | |
| 1981 | Elvis and the Beauty Queen | Elvis Presley | Television film |
| The Two Lives of Carol Letner | Bob Howard | ||
| 1982 | Matt Houston | Terry Spence | Episode: "The Woman in White" |
| 1983 | Six Pack | Brewster Baker | Pilot |
| 1984–1989 | Miami Vice | Detective James 'Sonny' Crockett | Main role, 111 episodes |
| 1985 | Tales of the Unexpected | Reeve Baker | Episode: "People Don't Do Such Things" |
| The Long Hot Summer | Ben Quick | Television film | |
| 1988; 2015 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Seriously...Phil Collins | Himself | Television film |
| 1995 | In Pursuit of Honor | Sergeant John Libbey | |
| 1996–2001 | Nash Bridges | Inspector / Captain Nash Bridges | Main role, 122 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2003 | Word of Honor | Lieutenant Benjamin Tyson | Television film; also co-executive producer |
| 2005–2006 | Just Legal | Grant H. Cooper | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2010 | American Dad! | Mr. McCormick (voice) | Episode: "Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth" |
| Southern Discomfort | Unknown | Pilot | |
| 2010–2011 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Grandpa Whitey (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | Eastbound & Down | Eduardo Sanchez Powers | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | A Mann's World | Allan Mann | Pilot |
| 2014–2015 | From Dusk till Dawn: The Series | Sheriff Earl McGraw | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Blood & Oil | 'Hap' Briggs | 10 episodes |
| 2016 | TripTank | Johnny Bahama (voice) | Episode: "The Director" |
| 2017 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | Sir | 2 episodes |
| Sick Note | Kenny West | 6 episodes | |
| 2018 | LA to Vegas | Jack Silver | Episode: "Jack Silver"[90] |
| Daddy Issues | Roman | Pilot | |
| 2019 | Watchmen | Chief Judd Crawford | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride[91] | Humperdinck | Episode: "Chapter Seven: The Pit of Despair" |
| 2021–2022 | Kenan | Rick Noble | Main role, 20 episodes |
| 2021 | Nash Bridges | Nash Bridges | Television film |
| 2024–present | Doctor Odyssey | Captain Robert Massey | Main role |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [92] | AUS[93] | AUT [94] | FIN [95] | FRA [96] | GER [97] | NL [98] | NOR [99] | SWE [100] | SWI [101] | |||||
| Heartbeat |
| 17 | 44 | 3 | 5 | — | 3 | 20 | 7 | 34 | 7 | |||
| Let It Roll |
| — | — | 23 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 19 | — | 35 | 6 | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Essential |
|
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [59] | AUS [93] | AUT [94] | FIN [95] | FRA [102] | GER [103] | NL [98] | NOR [99] | SWE [100] | SWI [104] | UK [105] | ||||
| 1986 | "Heartbeat" | 5 | 26 | 3 | 4 | — | 6 | 10 | 5 | 16 | 6 | 46 | Heartbeat | |
| "Heartache Away" | 56 | — | 22 | — | — | 31 | 25 | — | — | — | 126 | |||
| 1987 | "Voice on a Hotline" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 59 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "Tell It Like It Is" | — | — | 13 | — | 6 | 2 | 6 | — | — | 6 | 84 | Let It Roll | |
| "Other People's Lives" | — | — | — | — | 46 | 57 | 53 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "A Better Place"(withYuri) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [106] | AUS [107] | FRA [102] | GER [103] | NL [98] | UK [108] | ||||
| 1988 | "Till I Loved You" | Don Johnson andBarbra Streisand | 25 | 34 | 22 | 26 | 4 | 16 | Till I Loved You |
| Year | Result | Award | Category | TV/Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Won | Saturn Award | Best Actor[109] | A Boy and His Dog |
| 1985 | Nominated | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series[110] | Miami Vice |
| 1986 | Won | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama[111] | |
| 1987 | Nominated | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama[111] | ||
| 1988 | Won | APBA Offshore World Cup | Superboat class[112] | |
| 1996 | Included | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star on theHollywood Walk of Fame[4] |
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Accessories | |
| Music | |
| Seasons | |
| Video games | |
| See also | |
