Don Johnson, Miami Vice And Nash Bridges Star, Celebrates His Birthday

His most popular characters always had a reason to celebrate, and it was generally caused by the imprisonment of a career criminal. And now, performer Don Johnson has a reason all his own to fete.

Happy Birthday, Don Johnson!

And that’s because he was born on December 15, 1949, in Flat Creek, Missouri, which means that this fan-favorite is turning 71 years old today! Johnson’s first major acting role was Smitty in the stage production Fortune and Men’s Eyes (1969).

This led to Johnson’s appearance in the film The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970) and subsequent parts in pictures like Zachariah (1971), The Harrad Experiment (1973), Lollipop and Roses (1974), and A Boy and His Dog (1975).

Johnson also guest-starred on a number of primetime TV programs including Serge (1971), Young Dr. Kildare (1972), Kung Fu (1973), The Rookies (1974), The Streets of San Franciso (1976), and Nashville 99 (1977).

In 1984, Johnson nabbed a starring part in the NBC cop series Miami Vice. For the next six years, he would play undercover detective Sonny Crockett and for his work, Johnson received a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama (1986), in addition to a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

During his tenure at Miami Vice, Johnson continued to work on other projects, including an episode of Tales of the Unexpected (1985), and the miniseries The Long Hot Summer (1985).

In 1996, Johnson landed the title role in the CBS police procedural Nash Bridges. That program would air for six seasons.

His other acting credits include features like G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987), Dead Bang (1989), Born Yesterday (1993), and Machete (2010), as well as episodes of Eastbound & Down (2010-2012), From Dusk till Dawn (2014-2015), and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Johnson also had main roles in Just Legal (2005-2006) and the serial Blood & Oil  (2015).

The popular star has released two albums of pop music: Heartbeat (1986) and Let it Roll (1989). The former’s same-titled single reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Johnson also scored a Top 40 hit, alongside Barbra Streisand, with the duet Till I Loved You, which the two recorded during their brief romance.

Johnson has been married to Kelley Phleger since April 29, 1999. Together the couple has welcomed three children: a daughter, Atherton Grace (born December 28, 1999), and two sons, Jasper Breckinridge (born June 6, 2002), and Deacon (born April 29, 2006). Johnson also has two other children from previous relationships: a son, Jesse Wayne (born December 7, 1982), with former love Patti D’Arbanville (ex-Selena, Guiding Light), and a daughter, Dakota Johnson (born October 4, 1989), with ex-wife (twice) Melanie Griffith. Both are actors.

Entertainment Hub would like to wish Don Johnson a very happy birthday, and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below.