Her life has been quite a rollercoaster. The iconic actress made her screen debut at the age of 12 and has since starred in numerous major productions.
While her career thrived, her private life often took center stage. She’s been married three times, including to Antonio Banderas, been to rehab, and raised three children.
Have you guessed who she is?
Melanie Griffith’s children from her first two marriages, Alexander Bauer and Dakota Johnson, faced a challenging upbringing, especially given their mother’s struggles during that period.
In the ’80s, Melanie Griffith had a unique allure. She possessed an erotic and sensual presence reminiscent of European actresses, a rarity among American stars. She was a talented actress, although she may never have fully realized her potential.
I loved her in the movie Working Girl and Paradise!
She was born on August 9, 1957, in New York City to parents Peter Griffith and superstar actress Tippi Hedren, best known for her role in the Hitchcock classic, “The Birds.”
Reflecting on Griffith’s life reveals an incredible yet tragic journey. Known for her portrayals of strong-but-sexy characters, the famous actress has endured a car accident, battled drinking problems, and experienced three divorces.
From the start, she was exposed to the pressures of show business. Her mother, Tippi, was a superstar, and her childhood was extravagant even by Hollywood standards.
When Griffith was seven, her mother married agent and producer Noel Marshall. After a trip to Africa, the couple decided to make a film about lions. An animal trainer suggested they get to know a lion by bringing one into their home.
Thus, Melanie Griffith grew up with a pet lion in their Los Angeles home during the 1970s.
“I grew up with lions, tigers, and two elephants,” Griffith recalled.
The pet lion, Neil, lived with the family, as documented by Life Magazine. Photos showed Hedren resting on Neil’s back, and the lion even slept under blankets in Melanie’s bed.
“It was stupid beyond belief,” Griffith later admitted.
Although she wasn’t harmed by Neil, years later, another encounter with a different big cat didn’t end as well.
Met Don Johnson at 14
Melanie Griffith starred in her first commercial before she turned one. She continued to do commercials and modeling work for several years, and at 12, she made her debut in “Extra!”, albeit uncredited.
At 14, she appeared in “The Harrad Experiment,” where she met her first great love, actor Don Johnson. Despite their controversial age difference—Johnson was 22, eight years older than Griffith—the two fell madly in love.
“I thought he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Griffith said.
Her mother, Tippi Hedren, was initially concerned due to Melanie’s young age but eventually gave in. At 15, Griffith moved in with Johnson, and they got engaged on her 18th birthday.
“They were two beautiful, wonderful people, and my daughter was showing signs I had never seen before with an older man. There was just sheer panic,” Hedren recalled.
Griffith and Johnson married in Las Vegas in 1976 but split after just six months. However, they rekindled their romance and exchanged vows a second time in 1989.
Melanie Griffith lion accident
Melanie Griffith began her promising acting career in the 1970s, starring in films such as “Night Moves” and “Joyride.”
In 1981, she starred in the film “Roar.” Although her mother and stepfather raised lions for the film, the set proved to be perilous. Griffith suffered a serious injury when she was mauled near the eye by a lion, fearing she might lose her sight. She required plastic surgery, while her mother, Tippi Hedren, contracted gangrene and needed skin grafts, as reported by the New Yorker.
According to The Guardian, Griffith reflected on the incident, saying the lioness “didn’t mean to hurt me. After seven years growing up with the lions, I forgot you have to be careful. You can never be sure you’re safe, and just a blow can pop your head like a ping pong ball.”
Despite the terrifying incident, Griffith continued her acting career, avoiding live wild animals in future roles. She starred in “Body Double,” “Something Wild,” and “Working Girl,” the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination in 1989.
In the 1980s, Griffith also found love again. She married actor Steven Bauer in 1981, and four years later, they welcomed their son, Alexander Bauer.
Melanie Griffith – daughter Dakota Johnson
Their relationship lasted until 1989 when the couple divorced. Griffith then rekindled her romance with Don Johnson, and they remarried. However, they divorced again in 1996, after welcoming their daughter, Dakota Johnson, in 1989.
“You have to understand that we have a tie, and I love him,” Melanie Griffith said. “I will always love [Don Johnson]. But just because you love someone doesn’t necessarily mean that you can live with them.”
Dakota Johnson has since become a prominent actress, known for her roles in “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “The Social Network.” However, her parents’ divorce when she was seven led to a turbulent childhood. She moved frequently, attended several different schools, and was even homeschooled for a time.
Spending time on film sets with her parents from a young age inspired her to pursue acting. Despite this, Dakota’s childhood was troubled due to her family’s situation, leading her to start therapy at age three.
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“The whole shebang,” Dakota Johnson told Vogue. “All the help you can get.”
Melanie Griffith – marriage to Antonio Banderas
“I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated, I didn’t have an anchor anywhere. I never learned how to learn the way you’re supposed to as a kid. I thought, ‘Why do I have to go to school on time? What’s the point when you’re living in Budapest for six months while your stepdad films Evita and you go to school in your hotel room?’ I was a disaster, and I thought for so long that there was something wrong with my brain. Now I realize that it just works in a different way.”
Dakota Johnson’s tumultuous childhood could have easily derailed her, but a new person soon entered her life and changed everything. She needed an anchor, and she found one in her stepfather, Antonio Banderas.
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In 1996, the same year Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson split, Banderas divorced Ana Leza, his wife of nine years. He had long admired Melanie Griffith after seeing her in “Something Wild” and on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
“The first time I went to the Academy Awards after we got a nomination for ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,’ we got on the red carpet, and I saw this blonde woman. I knew her because I had seen her movies, but I didn’t remember her name at the time,” Banderas told Vulture.
“So, I said to [director Pedro Almodóvar] ‘Who is she? Who is she? What is her name?’ Pedro said, ‘That’s Melanie Griffith!’ I said, ‘That’s it. Oh my God.’ Six years later, I was married to her.”
Dakota Johnson’s relationship with stepfather Antonio Banderas
The two met while filming the comedy “Two Much” in 1995, and they had one significant thing in common: both were unhappy in their marriages. Banderas and Griffith quickly recognized each other’s situations.
Antonio Banderas was immediately attracted to Melanie Griffith during their time on set. He found her funny, generous, sweet, and beautiful. After filming “Two Much,” they stayed in touch, and in May 1996, they tied the knot. Later that same year, they welcomed their daughter, Stella.
Banderas not only became a father to Stella but also a stepfather to Griffith’s children from her previous marriages: Alexander, from her marriage to Steven Bauer, and Dakota Johnson. For both Alexander and Dakota, Banderas became a crucial figure, finally providing a consistent and supportive presence.
Initially, it was challenging for the children to accept him, as they were unsure how long he would stay. “I was totally inexperienced. Suddenly I had a 6-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, and Stella came along almost immediately,” Banderas told AARP. “I was, ‘Oh, my God!’ But as soon as the kids knew that I was there to stay, they were fine. They needed solid ground on which they could grow. As soon as I realized that, I started establishing my relationship, giving them security, little by little doing the father thing.”
Changed Dakota Johnson’s life
Dakota and Alexander came to realize that Antonio Banderas was not a temporary presence in their lives. He embraced his role as their stepfather and supported them in every way possible.
For Dakota, this was particularly significant. Her childhood had been stressful and uncertain, but in Banderas, she found a stepfather who taught her “true passion and discipline.”
In 2011, Banderas revealed that the kids affectionately call him “Paponio,” a blend of “Papa” and “Antonio.”
At the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards, when Antonio Banderas received the Hollywood Actor Award, Dakota Johnson and Melanie Griffith presented him with the trophy.
“I come from a family of many marriages, and I got very lucky,” Johnson said in her speech.
“I got a bonus dad who, over time, I realized is actually one of the most influential people in my life. When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light, a whole new world of creativity and culture, and one remarkably magical little sister into our family.”
“He loved my mother, my siblings, and me so big, and so fiercely, and so loudly that it would change all of our lives together,” Dakota added in her speech.
Strong bond to this day
The relationship between Antonio Banderas and his stepchildren has remained strong even after his divorce from Melanie Griffith in 2014.
Although Banderas and Griffith are no longer married, their family bond endures. Currently, Banderas is in a relationship with Nicole Kimpel, but whenever he is in Los Angeles, he ensures he spends time with his stepchildren and ex-wife.
Banderas explained that the 2014 divorce was amicable, which his stepchildren greatly appreciated. He cherishes the time he had with Griffith and will always love her. Regarding his stepdaughter Dakota Johnson, he feels like a proud biological father.
“I remember those years as very effervescent and really beautiful. I am not married to 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 [Johnson], Little Estella, and Alexander,” Antonio Banderas told Vulture in 2019.
“I met her when she was five years old,” he added about Dakota. “I followed every single step of her journey. I’m so proud of her. I saw her the other day in Toronto, and she looks— as I said on social media when I posted a picture of us together—‘My radiant Dakota.’”
Melanie Griffith today
At 65, Melanie Griffith is happily embracing single life. Her most recent appearance on the big screen was in 2020, where she had a minor role alongside her daughter Dakota in “The High Note.”
Currently, she dedicates her time to her family and is actively working on her memoir, as reported by BestLife. Her life story promises to be rich with experiences, including her courageous battle against cancer.
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Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010, Melanie faced another health scare eight years later when doctors discovered a cancerous cell on her nose. The ordeal was understandably daunting for an actress who relies on her appearance for her career.
“It’s a scary thing when you’re an actress and your face is your livelihood,” Melanie shared with InStyle. “But I just had to put a Band-Aid on it, and it’s fine. I just look like a dork.”
Fortunately, Melanie recovered well, becoming a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and supporting initiatives at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
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Despite the ups and downs of her public life, Melanie Griffith’s compassion and resilience shine through, showcasing her genuinely kind-hearted nature.
