Dakota Johnson Biography

Dakota was born on October 4, 1989, in Austin, Texas, US to Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, both actors. Her parents married in January 1976 and filed for divorced in July that year. They again reunited in early 1989 and got married again which lasted till 1996. She has six half-siblings among them two are from her mother’s side and four from her father's side.

Her maternal grandmother Tippi Hedren is an award-winning American actress and former model who has also garnered attention as animal rights activist. Many of her extended family members are into acting, including her maternal half-aunt Tracy Griffith, former stepfather Antonio Banderas and paternal half-sibling Jesse Johnson.

Dakota Johnson made her debut in films as child artist in the American comedy-drama ‘Crazy in Alabama’ directed by her step-father Antonio Banderas. The film that released on October 22, 1999, featured her and her half-sister, Stella Banderas, as daughters of their real-life mother, Melanie Griffith, who played a starring role in the film. The film however turned a box-office bomb.

In 2009, Dakota Johnson modelled for jeans line of MANGO brand and  in 2011, she travelled to Sydney in Australia and filmed the ‘Rising Star’ campaign for ‘Wish’ fashion label.

She played Amelia Ritter in the critically and commercially successful 2010, American biographical drama film ‘The Social Network’. This David Fincher directed film that had Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake among others in starring roles won several awards, including three Oscars.

While featuring in films she forayed into television making her debut in the Fox comedy series ‘Ben and Kate’. She played one of the two titular characters of Kate Fox in the series opposite Nat Faxon who played the other titular role of Ben Fox. The series that was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Chernin Entertainment aired from September 25, 2012, to January 22, 2013.

Dakota Johnson garnered a lead role of Em in the February 14, 2014, released American comedy film ‘Date and Switch’. The film also had Nicholas Braun, Zach Cregger and Hunter Cope in starring roles. She also starred as Imogen in the 2014 American film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play ‘Cymbeline’.

She thrived in winning the starring role of Anastasia Steele in the Sam Taylor-Johnson directed American erotic-romantic-drama film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ over actresses Shailene Woodley, Danielle Panabaker, Lucy Hale, Elizabeth Olsen and Felicity Jones. She starred opposite Jamie Dornan in the film that was based on British author E. L. James’ 2011 novel bearing same title.

‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ made its premiere on February 11, 2015 at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and had its theatrical release on February 13, 2015. The film garnered generally negative reviews however became a huge commercial success breaking several box-office records grossing a whopping $571.1 million worldwide. It raised Dakota to prominence giving her international recognition and popularity as a star.

Dakota Johnson appeared on the 40th anniversary special of American late-night live television variety show Saturday Night Live on February 15, 2015, and also hosted as episode of the show that aired on February 28 that year.

She was part of the ensemble cast of the American biographical crime-drama film ‘Black Mass’ that also included Johnny Depp, Kevin Bacon and Benedict Cumberbatch among others. The film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2015, and released theatrically worldwide on September 18 that year. It became both a critical and commercial success.

Few of her notable roles also include the drama thriller ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’, the horror flick ‘Suspiria’ and the adventure film ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’.