Melanie Griffith’s life has truly been a rollercoaster. The iconic actress, daughter of actress Tippi Hedren, made her screen debut at just 12—and since then, she’s appeared in several major productions.
While Melanie Griffith’s career kept moving forward, her private life was very much in the spotlight. She’s been married three times—including to Antonio Banderas—has been in rehab, and has raised three children.
Melanie Griffith’s children from her first two marriages—Alexander Bauer and Dakota Johnson—had a fairly difficult upbringing, especially considering they had to go through having a mother who was in a very troubled place at the time…
Melanie Griffith really had something in the ’80s. She was erotic and sexual in a way that European actresses sometimes are and American actresses almost never are. And she could act, even though I don’t think she ever fully realized her potential.
I loved her in the movies 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.
Looking back, Griffith’s life has been quite incredible—yet also tragic. The famous actress, known for playing strong but sensual characters, has been in a car accident, battled drinking problems, and gone through three divorces.
From the beginning, she was exposed to the pressures of show business. Her mother, Tippi, was, as mentioned, a superstar, and her childhood was extravagant in a very unique way—even by Hollywood standards.
When Griffith was seven, her mother married agent and producer Noah Marshall. After returning from a trip to Africa, the couple decided to make a film about lions. An animal trainer suggested a unique idea: to better understand the big cat, they could bring one into their home.
So, Melanie Griffith grew up with a pet lion, living with them in the 1970s at their home in Los Angeles, California.
“I grew up with lions, tigers, and two elephants,” Griffith said.
The pet lion, Neil, lived with the family. Life Magazine documented the extraordinary situation, showing photos of Hedren resting on Neil’s back. The lion even slept under blankets in Melanie Griffith’s bed.
“It was stupid beyond belief,” Griffith later admitted.
Although she wasn’t involved in any incidents with Neil, years later, in another encounter, things didn’t end as well.
Melanie Griffith starred in her first commercial before she turned one. She continued doing commercials and modeling for several years, and at 12, she made her debut in Extra!, though she was uncredited.
At 14, she appeared in The Harrad Experiment, where she met her first great love. Griffith met actor Don Johnson on set, and the two quickly fell deeply in love. At the time, their age difference caused controversy. Don Johnson was 22—eight years older—but their feelings for each other didn’t stop them.
“I thought he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Griffith said. Her mother worried about the relationship due to her age but eventually gave in. At 15, Griffith moved in with Don Johnson, and on her 18th birthday, they got engaged.
“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,” her mother, Tippi Hedren, recalled.
Griffith and Johnson married in Las Vegas in 1976 but separated after just six months. However, they later rekindled their relationship and remarried in 1989.
Melanie Griffith began her promising acting career in the 1970s, appearing in films like Night Moves and Joyride.
In 1981, she starred in Roar. Despite her mother and stepfather raising lions for the film, things turned dangerous on set. Being in front of the camera was risky, and Melanie was injured. She was mauled near the eye and feared losing her sight. She required plastic surgery, while her mother, Tippi Hedren, contracted gangrene and needed skin grafts.
As reported, Griffith said the lioness “didn’t mean to hurt me. After growing up with lions for seven years, I forgot you have to be careful. You can never be sure you’re safe—just one blow can pop your head like a ping pong ball.”
Melanie Griffith recovered from the frightening incident and continued acting, though without live wild animals. She later appeared in Body Double, Something Wild, and Working Girl, the last earning her an Academy Award nomination in 1989.
In the 1980s, she also found love again. She married actor Steven Bauer in 1981, and four years later, they welcomed a son, Alexander Bauer.
Their relationship lasted until 1989, when they divorced—after which Griffith reunited with Don Johnson. They divorced again in 1996, after welcoming daughter Dakota Johnson in 1989.
“You have to understand that we have a tie, and I love him,” Griffith said.
“I will always love Don Johnson. But just because you love someone doesn’t necessarily mean you can live with them.”
Dakota Johnson later became a prominent actress, starring in Fifty Shades of Grey and The Social Network. However, her childhood was turbulent. After her parents divorced when she was seven, she moved frequently, attended several schools, and was even homeschooled for a time.
She often spent time on film sets, which inspired her to become an actress.
However, her upbringing also brought challenges. Due to her family situation, she began therapy at just three years old. “The whole shebang,” she told Vogue. “All the help you can get.”
“I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated, I didn’t have an anchor anywhere,” Dakota said. “I never learned how to learn the way you’re supposed to as a kid… I thought something was wrong with my brain. Now I realize it just works differently.”
Dakota’s childhood could have led her down a difficult path, but someone entered her life who changed everything. She needed an anchor—and she found one in her stepfather, Antonio Banderas.
In 1996, the same year Griffith and Don Johnson divorced, Banderas also ended his marriage to Ana Leza. He had long admired Griffith after seeing her on screen and at the Academy Awards.
The two met while filming Two Much in 1995. Both were unhappy in their marriages and connected through their shared experiences. Banderas was immediately drawn to Griffith, describing her as funny, generous, sweet, and beautiful.
They married in May 1996 and welcomed daughter Stella later that year.
Banderas became not only a father to Stella but also a stepfather to Alexander and Dakota. For the children, he became a vital figure—someone who was consistently present.
At first, it was difficult for them to accept him, as they weren’t sure how long he would stay.
“I was totally inexperienced,” Banderas said. “Suddenly I had a 6-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy… But once they realized I was there to stay, they were fine. They needed stability.”
Over time, Dakota and Alexander came to see that Banderas was not temporary. He fully embraced his role and supported them in every way he could.
For Dakota especially, this was life-changing. She gained a stepfather who taught her passion and discipline.
In 2011, Banderas revealed the kids called him “Paponio,” a mix of “Papa” and “Antonio.”
In 2019, when Banderas received the Hollywood Actor Award, Dakota Johnson and Melanie Griffith presented him with the honor.
“I come from a family of many marriages, and I got very lucky,” Dakota said. “I got a bonus dad who became one of the most influential people in my life.”
“He loved my mother and my siblings and me so fiercely and loudly that it changed all our lives,” she added.
Even after Griffith and Banderas divorced in 2014, their bond remained strong.
Though no longer married, they continue to share a close family connection. Banderas is now in a relationship with Nicole Kimpel, but whenever he’s in Los Angeles, he makes time for his stepchildren and ex-wife.
The divorce itself was not dramatic, something the children deeply appreciated. Banderas has said he will always cherish his time with Griffith and will always love her.
He remains especially proud of Dakota, speaking of her like a biological father.
“I remember those years as beautiful,” he said. “I’m not married to Melanie anymore, but she is my family… probably one of my best friends.”
“I met Dakota when she was five. I followed every step of her life. I’m so proud of her… my radiant Dakota.”
Today, at 65, Melanie Griffith is happily single. Her last big-screen appearance was in 2020, when she had a minor role alongside Dakota in The High Note.
She now dedicates her time to family and is reportedly writing her memoir. There is certainly much to tell—including her battle with cancer.
She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010, and eight years later revealed another cancer diagnosis. Doctors removed a cancerous cell from her nose, an experience that deeply affected her.
“It’s scary when you’re an actress and depend on your face,” she said. “But I just put a Band-Aid on it—and it’s fine. I just look like a dork.”
Thankfully, everything turned out well. Today, Griffith is an outspoken cancer advocate and supports Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
You can say what you want about her looks or her turbulent life—but she truly seems to have a very kind soul.
