Araldo Di Crollalanza/Shutterstock
What Happened to Don Johnson? Find Out Where the Award-Winning ‘Miami Vice’ Actor Is Now
From 1984 to 1989, Don Johnson portrayed Detective James “Sonny” Crockett in the crime drama Miami Vice. After landing the role of a lifetime, the actor’s resume continued to grow as he cemented his status as a Hollywood heartthrob. To find out what happened to Don and see where he is now, scroll below.
What Happened to Don Johnson?
Don, born in 1949, in Flat Creek Township, Missouri, was involved in theater in high school, something he hoped to pursue after graduation. Though he had made minor appearances in other films and television series like Law of the Land and The Rookies before 1984, his Miami Vice role was what put him on the map as an international phenomenon.
After five seasons on the hit NBC series, Don looked toward the next chapter of his career.
“When we got to the end of the fifth season, obviously Universal wanted me to make more episodes. They basically said, ‘You can do it any way you want. You can do two-hour movies if you want. You can do all this,’” the Book Club actor told Yahoo! Entertainment in December 2022.
He was ready to let the show go, despite persistence from network executives to sign on for another season.
“And I just said, ‘You know what? This is done. This character’s been done. We’ve told every possible story that you can imagine,’” Don admitted. “‘I have fatigue [from] playing the character. And I imagine that we’re messing with fire if we continue to throw this out there.’ It would’ve still sold soap. But I’m not so sure that there would’ve been much for me beyond that.”
Where Is Don Johnson Now?
After Miami Vice, Don joined the cast of Nash Bridges as the eponymous Nash Bridges in 1996. Alongside Cheech Marin, the Golden Globe winner starred in the police procedural series until 2001. In the years that followed, he appeared in Just Legal, Machete, Eastbound & Down, Blood & Oil and more.
In 2019, Don appeared in the mystery film Knives Out and several episodes of the Watchmen TV series. From 2021 to 2022, he starred in multiple episodes of Kenan.
Is Don Johnson Married?
Don has been married five times to four different women. Perhaps his most famous relationship was with Melanie Griffith, whom he was married to in 1976 before they divorced that same year. They were married a second time from 1989 to 1996.
Currently, Don is married to kindergarten teacher Kelley Phleger. The couple tied the knot in 1999 and have been inseparable ever since.
How Many Children Does He Have?
The Sick Note alum is a dad of five kids. Don welcomed his eldest son, Jesse Johnson, with ex-girlfriend Patti D’Arbanville in 1982. His second child, Dakota Johnson, arrived in 1989 during his second marriage to Melanie. Don shares his three younger children, Grace, Jasper and Deacon, with his current wife, Kelley.
