Dakota Mayi Johnson was born on October 4, 1989.

She has embraced the Hollywood lifestyle since her movie debut in 1999’s Crazy in Alabama, which starred her mother and was directed by her then-stepfather Antonio Banderas. She gained recognition under her own name through the Fifty Shades saga, A Bigger Splash, How to Be Single, Suspiria, and Madam Web.

Johnson has expressed that she finds the “nepo baby” discussion “incredibly annoying,” primarily because it is quite common to discuss family backgrounds.

“I started auditioning,” she recounted in 2025 to her Materialists co-star Pedro Pascal for Elle. There were periods of inactivity, and yes, “I’d have to ask my parents for help,” she admitted. “I’m very grateful that I had parents who could help me and did help me. But it certainly was not fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f–king worst.”

Melanie and Don divorced in 1996, but she remains close to them, her stepmother, her ex-stepfather, and all of her half-siblings—who are simply brothers and sisters to her.

“I was raised by lots of people: my mom, my dad, stepparents, nannies, tutors, friends, teachers, friends’ parents, and boyfriends’ parents,” Dakota shared with The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “I wanted to learn from everybody. And I still am like that. I’m grateful to my parents and my crazy life because the only reason I am the way I am is because of how I grew up.”