Dakota Mayi Johnson was born on October 4, 1989, inAustin, Texas,[2] to actorsDon Johnson andMelanie Griffith. Her father was shooting the filmThe Hot Spot (1990) in Texas when she was born.[3] Her maternal grandparents are advertising executive and former child actor Peter Griffith, and actressTippi Hedren. She is a half-niece of actressTracy Griffith and production designer Clay A. Griffith. ActorAntonio Banderas is her former stepfather.[4] Johnson has a complex family as each of her parents had children by three different people. Her six half-siblings are:Jesse Johnson (b. 1982), from her father's relationship withPatti D'Arbanville; Alexander Bauer (b. 1985), from her mother's marriage toSteven Bauer; Stella Banderas (b. 1996), from her mother's marriage to Banderas; Grace (b. 1999), Jasper (b. 2002), and Deacon Johnson (b. 2006), from her father's marriage to Kelley Phleger.[2]
Owing to her parents' occupations, Johnson spent much of her childhood in their various filming locations and accompanying them to premieres,[5] though she spent time inAspen andWoody Creek, Colorado,[6] where, in her teen years, she worked summers at the local market.[7] In Woody Creek, she was neighbors withHunter S. Thompson.[8] She attended the Aspen Community School for a time.[9] "I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated, I didn't have an anchor anywhere," Johnson recalled.[10] She attended the Santa Catalina School inMonterey, California, for her freshman year of high school before transferring to the private New Roads School inSanta Monica, California.[11]
Johnson became interested in modeling at age 12 after participating in a photo shoot with other celebrities' children forTeen Vogue.[12] She subsequently earned an income modeling while attending high school in Santa Monica.[5] She has struggled withdepression since around age 14[13] and checked into rehabilitation.[14] Even as a child, Johnson was interested in acting, having spent significant time on film sets with her parents, but they discouraged her from pursuing the profession until she graduated from high school.[15] After reaching that milestone, she applied toJuilliard School, performing in her audition monologues byShakespeare andSteve Martin, but was not accepted.[5]
In 1999, Johnson made her film debut inCrazy in Alabama, where she and her half-sister Stella Banderas played daughters to their real-life mother, Griffith. The film was directed by Banderas and was based on the 1993 novel byMark Childress. In 2006, she was chosen asMiss Golden Globe, where she served as the first second-generation Miss Golden Globe in the Globes' history.[16][17]
That same year, Johnson signed withIMG Models.[12] Though acting is her primary work, she has since modeled forMANGO brand's jeans line in 2009 and shot the "Rising Star" campaign for Australian fashion label Wish in 2011.[18][19]
In March 2012, Johnson had a leading role in theFox comedy television seriesBen and Kate.[26] It was canceled on January 25, 2013, after one season.[27] Johnson continued acting in films, with a small role inNeed for Speed (2014).[28] In 2013, she had a role as one of the new hires on theseries finale episode of theNBC comedy seriesThe Office.
Johnson's breakthrough came with her leading role as Anastasia "Ana" Steele in the erotic romantic drama filmFifty Shades of Grey, which was released in February 2015 and brought her international recognition.[29] Johnson won the role overLucy Hale,Felicity Jones,Elizabeth Olsen,Danielle Panabaker, andShailene Woodley. In response to questions regarding her stance on gender rights concerning her character in theFifty Shades film series, Johnson stated: "I'm proud of [the film]. I completely disagree with people who think Ana's weak. I think she's actually stronger thanhe is. Everything she does is her choice. And if I can be an advocate for women to do what they want to do with their bodies and not be ashamed of what they want, then I'm all for that."[30] While the trilogy was widely criticized, Johnson received praise for often being the standout performer.[31] However, her role in the first film won her firstGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress, as well as anAward for Worst Screen Combo, which she shared alongsideJamie Dornan.[32] She received nominations in the same categories forFifty Shades Darker (2017), though she did not win.[33] She reprised her role for the trilogy's final film,Fifty Shades Freed (2018).[34]
Johnson starred inLuca Guadagnino's supernatural horror filmSuspiria (2018), a remake of the1977 film, in which she played an American dancer inBerlin who enrolls in an academy run by acoven of witches.[7]David Ehrlich ofIndieWire described Johnson's performance in the film as "thrillingly unrepentant".[44] Also in 2018, she starred inDrew Goddard's neo-noir thrillerBad Times at the El Royale, withJeff Bridges,Jon Hamm,Cynthia Erivo, andChris Hemsworth. In the film, she played a hippie staying at a resort on the California-Nevada border where the lives of various people with suspicious pasts intersect.[45]Screen Rant ranked Johnson's performance as the fourth-best in the film and stated that "she brings a reserved, under-the-surface power to her role".[46]
In 2019, Johnson starred oppositeArmie Hammer inBabak Anvari's psychological horror filmWounds, which is based onNathan Ballingrud's horror novellaThe Visible Filth.[47] It had its world premiere at theSundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019.[48] Johnson starred in the well-reviewed independent adventure filmThe Peanut Butter Falcon, alongsideShia LaBeouf,Zack Gottsagen, andBruce Dern.[49] The film premiered atSouth by Southwest on March 9, 2019.[50] It became the highest grossing independent film of the year.[51] She starred inGabriela Cowperthwaite's drama filmOur Friend, alongsideCasey Affleck andJason Segel.[52] The film is based upon real life couple Nicole and Matthew Teague, faced with Nicole's impending death, see their best friend move in with them to help them out.[53][54] She sang on three covers of songs for the film's soundtrack,[citation needed] including one of "If I Had the World to Give" byGrateful Dead.[55]Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal wrote that the "intimacy of Ms. Johnson's performance is extraordinary. She is the least assertive of movie stars, yet the courage, despair and fury she finds in Nicole will lift you up and spin you around".[56] While Gary Goldstein from theLos Angeles Times stated that Johnson "impresses with affecting range — from flirty, ebullient and adoring to stalwart, enraged and resigned; it's a lovely performance".[57]
Johnson founded the production company TeaTime Pictures, alongside formerNetflix development executive Ro Donnelly, to develop films and television series.[58] In 2020, Johnson made her directorial debut, co-directing (with Cory Bailey) the music video forColdplay's "Cry Cry Cry", which featured her boyfriendChris Martin.[59] Johnson starred alongsideTracee Ellis Ross in thedramedy filmThe High Note, which was released on May 29, 2020.[60]Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post wrote that "she's lovely to look at and can never be accused of overacting, but in terms of conveying single-minded drive, Johnson is no match for [Tracee Ellis] Ross's carefully calibrated tonal swings between imperiousness, self-awareness, isolation and down-to-earth intimacy."[61] ConverselyRichard Roeper of theChicago Sun Times saw it as "maybe her best and certainly most lovable performance."[62]
In 2021, she co-starred inThe Lost Daughter, directed byMaggie Gyllenhaal and based onElena Ferrante's novel of the same name.[63] In December 2021,Boat Rocker Media acquired a minority interest for TeaTime Pictures.[64] In 2022, she starred in theNetflix film adaptation of authorJane Austen'sPersuasion.[65] Johnson co-produced and starred in several films. She played a lesbian inAm I Ok?, which was directed byStephanie Allynne andTig Notaro.[66] She played a young mother with an autistic child inCha Cha Real Smooth, in which she starred oppositeCooper Raiff.[67] Johnson played a cab passenger who has an emotionally profound interaction with a cabbie in the filmDaddio, in which she starred oppositeSean Penn.[68] Her performances inThe Lost Daughter,Persuasion,Cha Cha Real Smooth, andDaddio were met with positive reception from critics and audiences.[69]
In November 2023, Johnson departedWME and signed a representation deal withCreative Artists Agency.[70] She playedthe title role in the superhero filmMadame Web (2024),[71] set inSony's Spider-Man Universe.[72] It was produced on a budget of $80 million and was critically and commercially unsuccessful,[73][74][75] earning her a secondGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.[76] Speaking about the film's failure, Johnson went on to say "We don't have control over how something turns out. (I) signed on to a movie that, by the end of shooting it, (was) a completely different script than what I attached to, and that is a crazy journey to go on as an artist. Because you're like, 'OK, I'm doing something with my actual body and my actual mind and my heart and my emotions,' and it's just being taken and fucked with, but you can't do anything about it. Like, what am I going to do, fucking cry aboutMadame Web? No. I'm gonna laugh."[77]
In 2025, she took a supporting role in the comedySplitsville which she also served as a producer.[78] That same year, she played a leading role in theCeline Song directed romanceMaterialists (2025), co-starring oppositeChris Evans andPedro Pascal.[79] She will also make her feature directorial debut inA Tree is Blue, written by Vanessa Burghardt who is her co-star inCha Cha Real Smooth.[80]
Johnson was previously involved in long-term relationships with musician Noah Gersh[20][81] and actorJordan Masterson.[82][83] She datedMatthew Hitt, the lead vocalist of Welsh indie rock bandDrowners, intermittently for almost two years until 2016.[5][84][85] She andColdplay's vocalistChris Martin started dating in October 2017.[86][87] They resided together inMalibu, California[88] and were engaged.[89] It was reported in June 2025 that the couple split up after eight years of dating.[90]
Johnson is atattoo enthusiast[91][92] and has been named abrand ambassador for luxury fashion brandGucci.[93][94] In November 2020, it was announced that she had become an investor and co-creative director of Maude, a sexual wellness brand.[95] In 2018, she collaborated with 300 women in Hollywood to set up theTime's Up initiative to protect women from harassment and discrimination.[96]
Johnson is an avid reader. She launched a book club in March 2024.[97]
In October 2025, Johnson became a global brand ambassador for the Italian fashion house Valentino.[98]
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