Johnson Don

American actor appearing on-screen since 1970. After playing small roles in films and made-for-TV movies, he struck a chord with the public in the 1980s hit cop show, "Miami Vice." His character of Sonny Crocket with his unshaven nonchalant appearance sporting casual clothes started a fashion trend in mens clothing. His personal life became the subject for the tabloids after he married and divorced actress, Melanie Griffith, twice. Johnsons mother gave birth to him at the age of 16. His father was a farmer and his mother a beautician. When Johnson was 11, his parents divorced, leaving the child feeling devastated and unwanted. He acted out his anger by rebelling at home and in school. At 12, he was sent to Lake Aston Home for Boys reform school after hot-wiring cars. A delinquent kid, he was into theft, moving into alcohol and drugs with a non-stop party for years. Johnson went to live with his father in East Wichita, KS in 1961. Adored by women from the time he was a kid, when Johnson went to high school at 16, he lived in town with a stripper. He graduated and received a scholarship to study drama at the University of Kansas. He was the first in his family to go off to college. In 1968, he left Kansas and joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA. After appearing in a couple of plays, he was invited by Sal Mineo to play a gay young man in "Fortune and Mens Eyes." The play opened to excellent reviews on 12 January 1969 at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles. He was signed to a multi-picture contract with MGM, but Johnson soon discovered that income from his film work was irregular. He made the film, "A Boy And His Dog" in 1976 which has become a cult film. Throughout the 70s, he appeared in television assignments in "Police Story," "Kung Fu" and in TV movies such as John Jakes "The Rebels," 1979. Johnson had his big break in the TV cop drama set in Florida. "Miami Vice" debuted on 16 September 1984 with a color scheme in clothes and sets that concentrated on pastels, tropical pinks and blues. He earned an Emmy nomination for Best Actor in 1985 and by the fall of that year his face graced the cover of all the newsstands. In 1986, during the height of his fame, he recorded an album "Heartbeat" for Epic Records. He received good reviews for his semisweet tenor voice. "Miami Vice" closed shop in 1989 and Johnson landed a string of unforgettable films. In 1996, Johnson received good reviews as Kevin Costners rival in Ron Sheltons "Tin Cup." He returned to the TV screen with his CBS show, "Nash Bridges" in 1997. Johnson became a motor boating enthusiast through a series he played in and captured the title of Worlds Offshore Powerboat Championship in 1988. His friends joked that it would take a computer to tally his sexual conquests. He married actress Melanie Griffith in 1976 for nine months. They had first met when she was 14 and he, 22. He also has a son by actress Patti DArbanville, Jesse, born in 1982. In 1987, he was named People Magazines "Sexist Man Alive." Johnson had a brief relationship with Barbra Streisand in 1988 and at the end of the year, began to romance his former wife Melanie Griffith after she appeared on his TV show. They married a second time in 1989 and Griffith gave birth to their daughter, Dakota in 1990. The couple moved to Aspen, Colorado to raised their family. In 1994, they separated and then divorced. In the 70s, Johnsons reputation for alcohol, drugs and al Read less