Dakota Mayi Johnson is an American actress and fashion model. She is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Born October 4, 1989.

On her mother’s side, she is a granddaughter of advertising executive and former child actor Peter Griffith and Golden Globe-winning actress Tippi Hedren. Dakota attended Aspen Community School in Aspen, Colorado. She later attended Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California for her freshman year of high school before transferring to the New Roads School in Santa Monica, California. She was an avid dancer as a child. She became interested in modeling at age 12 after a photoshoot with other children of celebrities for Teen Vogue.

In 1999, she made her film debut in Crazy in Alabama (1999), where she and her half-sister, Stella Banderas, played the daughters to their real-life mother, Melanie Griffith. The film was directed by her stepfather, Antonio Banderas.

In 2006 she was voted Miss Golden Globe, where she served as the first second-generation Miss Golden Globe in the Globes’ history. Later in 2006, she signed with IMG Models. It was reported that Dakota went to rehab at the age of 17. In September 2007 she completed a 30-day inpatient rehab program at the Visions Teen Treatment Center in Malibu for drug and alcohol addiction. She also participated in an outpatient program in Brentwood. Dakota also has an older half-brother, Alexander Bauer, 28, from her mom’s previous marriage to Steven Bauer. She also has four half-siblings on her dad’s side.

In 2009, she modeled for Mango brand’s jeans line. Once she graduated from high school, she signed with the William Morris Agency and started her acting career. She had her first box office hit in 2010 with David Fincher’s film, The Social Network (2010), Fincher said that Dakota was “wonderful” in a “pretty thankless role,” since she has only one scene as Justin Timberlake’s one-night stand. The film received eight Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture.

She also has small parts in Beastly (2011), alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen; Ezna Sands’ film, Theo (2013), So Yong Kim’s film, For Ellen (2012); and Larry Clark’s film, Savage Innocent. Christopher Neil’s film, Goats (2012), with David Duchovny; Nicholas Stoller’s film, The Five-Year Engagement (2012), for producer Judd Apatow, and the feature film version of the 1987 hit television show, 21 Jump Street (1987), that made Johnny Depp a star.

In 2010, Dakota traveled to Sydney, Australia, where she shot the “Rising Star” campaign for fashion label, Wish.

Dakota was in a long-term relationship with Jordan Masterson from 2011-2014, who hails from a high-profile Scientology family. Jordan is also an actor and is best known for his role as Mark in the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin and his recurring role as Dumptruck in ABC Family comedy-drama series Greek.

Dakota’s first television show, titled Ben and Kate (2012), where she plays “Kate”, started airing on Fox during the Fall 2012 season. Sadly in it was cancelled due to low ratings,with two episodes left to shoot of the sitcom’s 18-episode order.

2013 was a huge year for Dakota, she worked on two successful films Need for Speed (2014) and Cymbeline (2015) and most famously landed the lead role of Anastasia in the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey.  Originally British hunk and Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam was cast Christian Grey but later dropped from the movie. Sadly the casting of Dakota was also not well received, producers were forced to defend their casting choices the decision to pick both actors.

‘There is a lot that goes into casting that isnt just looks. Talent, availability, their desire to do it, chemistry with other actor, etc,‘ he said: ’So if your favourite wasn’t cast, then it is most likely due to something on that list. Keep that in mind while hating and keep perspective.’ A few weeks later Charlie Hunnam was replaced by Jamie Dornan.

The film was shot in the Gastown District of Vancouver, British Columbia from December 1, 2013 to February 21, 2014. Alternate locations were filmed at North Shore Studios. Notable locations, such as the Bentall 5 and the University of British Columbia, make appearances as Grey Enterprises and the Washington State University – Vancouver.

After its trailer premiere on July 24, 2014 the film become the most viewed trailer of 2014 after it gained over 100 million views in just over a week. Universal and Focus Features cited online marketing and social media for the overwhelming amount of views.

Dakota landed her first mainstream cover for Elle magazine’s March 2014 issue. Dakota died her hair brown (like Ana) and posed in thigh-highs and flashing her bra for the photoshoot with Carter Smith.

In 2014, she reunited with her 21 Jump Street cast member Johnny Depp playing the mother of his child in the feature film Black Mass. Filming begain in June 2014. The film follows the true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Dakota initially set up to star in and executive produce the film Forever, Interrupted the debut novel by author Taylor Jenkins Reid about Elsie, a young woman who elopes after a whirlwind romance and forges an unlikely relationship with her mother-in-law after her husband suddenly dies but this has been shelved for now as of October 2014.

In July 2014 Dakota landed a role in I Am Love director Luca Guadagnino’s next project, A Bigger Splash. She joined Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton in the remake of Jacques Deray’s 1969 sexual drama, La Piscine (The Swimming Pool). La Piscine, in turn based on the novel by Jean-Emmanuel Conil (the nom de plume of Alain Page), it follows a triangle that develops between a vacationing couple and a younger woman.

Also in July 2004 Dakota was snapped holding hands with Drowners frontman Matthew Hitt on the streets of NYC.

Last Updated October 25th 2014.