Melanie was born August 9, 1957, to The Birds actress Tippi Hendren and Peter Griffith, an advertising executive. Her parents sadly divorced when she was just two, and Peter went on to have two more children with his second wife.

Melanie’s half-sister, Tracy Griffith, is also an actress and went on to act alongside Melanie in films like Crazy in Alabama. Melanie’s half-brother is set designer Clay Griffith.

 Tippi and Melanie have remained close throughout their lives; she told People in 2000, “Melanie was always such a fun little person to have around; she was a very wise little girl…we just enjoyed having things in common.” Tippi went on to marry Noel Marshall, an agent and producer.

While Melanie went on to work as a model and appear in advertisements, it wasn’t until 1973 that a chance meeting would change her life; she met the 22-year-old Don Johnson when she was an extra on the set of The Harrad Experiment at just 14 years old, and the pair fell in love.

“I thought he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Melanie told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. The couple moved in together at 15 and got engaged when she turned 18 in 1976.

According to People, they eloped to Las Vegas spontaneously: “Melanie called at about 4 or 5 in the morning. We professed undying love and flew to Las Vegas and got married,” said Don. Sadly, the pair divorced just six months later.

Melanie scored her first major role in 1975 at the tender age of 17; she starred opposite Gene Hackman in the film Night Moves, in which she played the runaway daughter of an actress to great acclaim. As her career was on the rise, Tippi and her husband Noel’s film Roar was released in 1981, which Melanie starred in.

The controversial film had been in production for over ten years and was deemed extremely dangerous due to the lack of regulations while working with wild animals like lions. In one traumatic incident, Melanie was even attacked by a lion during filming, causing her to need facial reconstructive surgery.

Despite this experience, Melanie’s love for animals has never wavered; she told People in 2010 that “being around all kinds of animals has greatly enhanced my life.” Her mother has dedicated her life to conservation and animal rights and runs an animal sanctuary in California called Shambala Reserve.

Wedding bells rang a second time when Melanie met Steven Bauer on the set of their film She’s in the Army Now in 1981. The couple quickly fell in love, married that same year, and gave birth to their son, Alexander, in 1985.

 Despite having famous parents, once Alexander grew up, he largely stayed out of the limelight; he worked on two film projects between 2013 and 2015 and dabbled in acting, writing and camera work, but since then, he has kept out of the public eye.

During the 80s, Melanie struggled with substance abuse, which caused tension in her marriage. She revealed in a 1994 interview with Vanity Fair that her addiction began when she was just a child, and she would drink wine “like a soft drink” to escape her pain.

“I was never loved unconditionally,” she said. “Coke, booze give you a feeling, a physical sensation…a buzz inside your body that takes the place of something you should have had when you were a child.” Melanie and Steven sadly divorced in 1989.

Melanie’s starring role in Working Girl alongside Harrison Ford marked a turning point in her life and career. She checked herself into rehab in 1988 after showing up to set intoxicated and losing the film thousands of dollars thanks to pushed-back schedules.

The actress got sober, was nominated for an Oscar for her role, and went on to win a Golden Globe. She became a critical darling for her performance, paving a path for her towards more serious roles.

During this time, Melanie reconnected with her old flame, Don, and they remarried in June 1989. She told People of their love, “There was always this connection. I can’t explain it… It’s almost like soulmates, and it always was.”

“I didn’t want it to be like that sometimes, and sometimes I wanted not to love him,” she continued. “But maybe it was karma, and you have to go through all that to get to where we are now. Now it’s different. It’s like it was in the very beginning, but there is so much more.”

In October, Melanie gave birth to her and Don’s only child together, Dakota Johnson. We know and love her as the star of Fifty Shades of Grey, and the mother-daughter-duo remain close to this day.

Dakota’s parents initially tried to discourage her from entering show business, said Melanie to Vanity Fair: “I knew how tough it was to navigate all of the aspects of filmmaking, and I hope she learned some good tips from me! I think she did. But it’s Dakota’s sense of self and her awareness of life, love and hard work that has gotten her through scary times.”

Dakota also told Vanity Fair that her parent’s rocky marriage deeply affected her until their divorce in 1994. “My life is incredibly lucky and privileged, and the life I led growing up was remarkable – the places I went and how we lived and what we were able to experience,” she said. “But we also struggled with internal family dynamics and situations and events that are so traumatic.”

Despite the divorce, Don and Melanie are on good terms. Don explained to The Daily Telegraph in 2019, “When you love your children and want to share your life with them, it’s foolish to denigrate or have any animosity with their mother. Children model you more than they listen to you.”

Despite her three divorces, Melanie was not ready to give up on love; she met The Mask of Zorro actor Antonio Banderas on the set of their film Two Much in 1995 and quickly fell in love.

Antonio told ABC News of the instant attraction the two felt despite being married to other people at the time. “It was very, very fast and very compulsive, but at the same time, we were tied at the time,” he said.

“We tried as much as we could to be respectful. We just thought this may be one of those, you know, infatuation moments that we have when we shoot movies because we got to play together a couple, so let’s just go home.”

The lovebirds shared more than just infatuation; they married in an intimate ceremony in May 1996, one month after they finalized their respective divorces. Melanie gave birth to their daughter, Stella, in September of that year.

Stella Banderas was born in her father’s native country of Spain and speaks Spanish herself. She is close to her parents and siblings; when Dakota made a speech in honor of Antonio at the Hollywood Film Awards, she made special mention of her sister.

“When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light and a whole new world of creativity and culture – and one remarkably magical little sister into our family,” she gushed.

Stella is no stranger to working with her parents; she has appeared as an extra in films alongside her mom, and Antonio hired her as the second assistant director for his Spanish language production of Company. She now runs the beauty brand Lightbound, which she founded in 2021.

The 27-year-old gushed about Melanie in a Vogue interview, describing her as “fearless, fierce and radiant”. “My mother has always emphasized the importance of having a good, loving relationship with myself. One way of doing this was by encouraging me to have sort of an open dialogue with my higher self, or God, or the universe. She often says, ‘Ask for wisdom.’”

Melanie praised her daughter in turn, saying, “I’ve watched her go from being this, at times, scared little girl afraid to go to a new school, turn into this amazing woman who’s launching her own business, doing so many different things, and just being so brave. And opinionated.”

Melanie and Antonio sadly parted ways in 2014 after almost 20 years together, citing irreconcilable differences. Their statement read, “We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost 20 years [of] marriage.” They disclosed that they separated “in a loving and friendly manner, honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together.”

Despite their shock split, the pair remain close; Antonio gushed about his ex-wife in a 2019 Vulture interview, saying, “I am not married with Melanie anymore, but she is my family. She is probably one of my best friends, if not the best friend that I have. My family is there: Dakota, little Estella and Alexander.”

Melanie continues to co-parent peacefully with her exes; she told People in 2020, “All three of them are my friends. I love them with all my heart.” Even though her three kids are all grown up now, she still sees them as often as possible.

“I consciously spent and still spend a lot of time with my kids. I talk about everything with them,” she said in a 2021 Vogue interview. “With Stella, because she is my youngest, I think she has gotten the best version of me as her mama.”

After four marriages, is romance still in the air for the 67-year-old? “I really don’t think it’s relevant for anyone anymore,” she said in an interview with InStyle, “but especially if you’re 60 and you have four kids and you’re living the life you’ve always wanted.”

“Then why get married? It’s like I would love to fall in love and have a romance or a relationship, but I haven’t. I keep looking. I’ve had a couple of lovers but not a relationship.”

As for her career, she most recently acted alongside Dakota in the 2020 film The High Note and will star in the upcoming project Akil, written and directed by Antonio,