Melanie Griffith’s life has been quite a rollercoaster. The iconic actress, daughter of actress Tippi Hedren, made her debut on the screen at age 12 – and since then, she’s starred in several big productions.
While Melanie Griffith’s career kept rolling, her private life was very much in focus. She’s been married three times – including to Antonio Banderas – been in rehab, and raised three children.
Melanie Griffith’s children from her first two marriages – Alexander Bauer and Dakota Johnson – had a pretty rough upbringing, especially considering that they had to go through having a mother who was in a terrible 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 always are not. And she could act, even though I don’t think Melanie ever truly 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, most commonly known for her role in the Hitchcock classic, The Birds.
In hindsight, Griffith’s life has been rather incredible. However, it’s been tragic at the same time. The famous actress, who became known for playing strong-but-sexy characters, has been involved in a car accident, battled with drinking problems, and went through three divorces.
From the start of her life, she was exposed to the pressure of a life in show business. Her mother, Tippi, was, as mentioned, a superstar, and her childhood was extravagant in a very special way – even by Hollywood standards.
When Griffith was seven years old, her mother married agent and producer Noah Marshall. After coming back from a trip to Africa, the couple decided to make a film about lions. An animal trainer gave them a unique idea: to get to know the big cat better, they could welcome 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 together with the family. Life Magazine documented the extraordinary event, with pictures showing Hedren resting on Neil’s back. The lion even slept under blankets in Melanie Griffith’s bed.
”It was stupid beyond belief,” Griffith later explained.
Even though she wasn’t involved in any incidents with Neil, years later, in another encounter, things didn’t end that 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 some years, and at 12, she made her debut in Extra!, even though she was uncredited.
At the age of 14, she appeared in The Harrad Experiment, and on set, she met her first big love. Griffith met actor Don Johnson on set, and the two fell madly in love. At the time, however, their age difference was somewhat controversial. Don Johnson was 22 at the time – eight years older than Melanie – but their love for one another didn’t stop them.
”I thought he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen,” Griffith said.
Her mother feared for the two because of her age but eventually gave in. At 15, Melanie Griffith moved in with Don Johnson, and on her 18th birthday, the two got engaged.
”They were two beautiful, wonderful people, and here, my daughter was showing signs that I had never seen before in her, with an older man, and there was just sheer panic,” her mother, Tippi Hedren, recalled.
Griffith and Johnson tied the knot in Las Vegas in 1976. And, after just six months of marriage, the two split. However, they would rekindle their romance later on, exchanging vows a second time in 1989.
Melanie Griffith lion accident
Melanie Griffith started her promising acting career in the 1970s, starring in films such as Night Moves and Joyride.
In 1981, Melanie Griffith starred in the film Roar. Even though her mother and stepfather raised lions to shoot a film, things turned out ugly on the set of Roar. It was very dangerous being in front of the camera, and Melanie got injured.
She was mauled near the eye, and she feared losing her sight. She needed plastic surgery, while her mother Tippi Hedren contracted gangrene and needed skin grafts, according to a piece in the New Yorker.
As reported by The Guardian, Melanie Griffith said that the lioness ”didn’t mean to hurt me. Just, 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.”
Melanie Griffith came through the scary incident. She continued to star in movies, however, without any live wild animals. She appeared in Body Double, Something Wild, and The Working Girl, among others, with the last one earning her an Academy Award nomination in 1989.
In the 1980s, Melanie Griffith also found love for the second time. She married actor Steven Bauer in 1981, and four years later, they welcomed a son, Alexander Bauer.
Melanie Griffith – daughter Dakota Johnson
Their relationship lasted until 1989 when the couple divorced – with Griffith finding love in Don Johnson again. They divorced again in 1996, after welcoming daughter and now actress Dakota Johnson in 1989.
”You have to understand that we have a tie, and I love him,” Melanie Griffith said and added:
”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 become a prominent actress, starring in Fifty Shades of Grey and The Social Network. But because her parents divorced when she was only seven years old, she had a turbulent childhood. She moved around plenty, went to several different schools, and was even homeschooled for a while.
She was often hanging around her parents on film sets from a young age. It made her want to become an actress as well, which she did.
However, the childhood of Dakota Johnson was also filled with much trouble because of her family situation. As a result, she started to go to therapy at age three.
“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 childhood could’ve become the thing that put her on the wrong foot. However, a new person soon entered her life, who changed everything. Just as she mentioned, she needed an anchor. And that was precisely what she got in her stepfather, Antonio Banderas.
In 1996, the same year as Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson split, Banderas also went through a divorce with Ana Leza, whom he’d been married to for nine years. He had long admired Melanie Griffith after seeing her in Gone Girl 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, and I knew her because I saw movies of her, 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 film Two Much in 1995, and they had one actual thing in common. Both were unhappy in their marriages – and Banderas and Griffith recognized each other’s situations.
Antonio Banderas instantly felt an attraction to Melanie Griffith when working together. He thought she was funny, generous, sweet, and beautiful, and after Two Much, the two stayed in touch. In May 1996, the two tied the knot and welcomed daughter Stella later the same year.
Not only did Antonio Banderas become a father to Stella, but the well-respected actor also became a stepfather to Alexander – from her second marriage to Steven Bauer – and Dakota Johnson.
For both Alexander and Dakota, Antonio Banderas became vital, as they finally got a stepfather who was there for her all the time.
In the beginning, however, Banderas explained that it was difficult for the children to accept him because they didn’t know how long he’d stick around.
“I was totally inexperienced. Suddenly I had a 6-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy, and Stella came along almost immediately,” he 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 in 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 realized that Antonio Banderas was not a temporary man. He took on the role of their stepfather and helped them in any way possible.
For Dakota, this was especially important. Her childhood had been more than stressful and uncertain. In Banderas, she got a stepfather that taught her many things, including “true passion and discipline.”
In 2011, he revealed that the kids call him “Paponio, “which is a mix of “Papa” and “Antonio.”
During an award ceremony in 2019, 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 a marriage, and I got very lucky,” Johnson said in her speech.
”I got a bonus dad who I realized that, over time, is actually one of the most influential people in my whole 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, and my siblings and I so big, and so fiercely and so loud, 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 continued to be strong even after he and Melanie Griffith divorced in 2014.
Even though Melanie Griffith and Antonio aren’t married anymore, their family bond will forever be strong. As of today, Banderas is in a relationship with Nicole Kimpel. But as soon as he is in Los Angeles, he makes sure to spend time with his stepchildren and ex-wife.
The divorce between the two in 2014 wasn’t dramatic at all, for which his stepchildren were very grateful, Banderas explained.
He added that he will always cherish the time he and Melanie had together – and that he always will love her. And regarding his stepdaughter, Dakota Johnson, he is like her biological, very proud father.
“I remember those years as very effervescent and really beautiful. I am not married with 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. “I followed every single step of it. I’m so proud of her. I saw her the other day in Toronto, and she looks — as I said in the social networks when I put a picture of her and myself, I put there, ‘My radiant Dakota.’”
Melanie Griffith today
At 65, Melanie Griffith is happily single. Her last appearance on the big screen was in 2020, when she had a minor role and co-starred alongside her daughter Dakota in The High Note.
Today, she devotes her time to her family, and according to BestLife, Melanie is currently writing her memoir. And there will probably be a lot to pen down – including her battle against cancer.
The actress was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2010, and eight years later, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Doctors had to remove a cancerous cell on her nose, the whole event took a toll on Melanie.
“It’s a scary thing when you’re an actress and you depend on your face for work,” the actress told InStyle and continued:
“But I realize I have to put a Band-Aid on it, and it’s fine. I just look like a dork.”
Luckily, everything went fine in the end – Melanie is now a loud advocate of cancer and also supports the efforts of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
You can say what you want about Melanie’s looks and her turbulent life, but she does seem to have a really sweet soul!
I Never Thought That Losing Everything After Divorce, a Simple Twist of Fate Could Restore My Faith in Love — Story of the Day
After my divorce, I was left with nothing but a broken car on a dark road. Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, a stranger appeared. That encounter changed everything in ways I never imagined.
As I drove along the coast, the wind whipping through the open window, I tried to focus on the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore. That old car was all I had left after the brutal divorce, the only thing that hadn’t been taken from me.
The whole thing had been unfair, a cruel twist of fate where I lost everything—my home, my savings, and my trust. That road trip was supposed to clear my mind, but the memories clung to me like a weight I couldn’t shake.
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“I can’t have children, Amanda,” I could still hear David’s voice echoing in my head.
His voice had been soft, even regretful as if he was the victim in all that. And I believed him. I had built our life around that lie and accepted a future without kids, all for him.
“It’s not that simple, honey,” he said whenever I brought it up. “We have each other, isn’t that enough?”
It wasn’t enough, but I convinced myself it was. Until SHE showed up.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, remembering the day David’s mistress came to our door. The smug look on her face, the way she casually placed her hand on her swollen belly.
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“David didn’t tell you, did he?” she sneered, her voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. “He’s going to be a father.”
I felt the shame, the anger, burning in my chest again.
“You lied to me!” I had screamed at David that night, my world crashing down as he stood there, silent, unable to even defend himself. It was all so clear how he had played me.
Suddenly, the car sputtered.
“No, no, no, not now!” I muttered, slamming my foot on the gas, but it was no use.
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The car slowed to a stop. Of course, it died in the middle of nowhere. My phone was dead, too.
“Great,” I said aloud, stepping out of the car. “Just great. Alone on a deserted road. What now?”
Panic started to bubble up, but I tried to push it down.
“You’ve handled worse than this, Amanda,” I told myself, but the growing darkness around me said otherwise.
***
The headlights of a pickup truck pierced the thick darkness, and I felt the first spark of hope I’d had in hours. Finally, somebody could help. But as the truck pulled up, that spark quickly fizzled out.
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The man behind the wheel looked like he hadn’t smiled in years. Mid-forties, gruff, with a stern expression that matched his weathered face. He stepped out, glanced at my car, and, without missing a beat, started shaking his head.
“Driving a piece of junk like that? What were you thinking?” he grumbled. His voice was rough and low like he’d been annoyed with the world for a long time.
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I stood there, speechless for a second. I didn’t know what I had expected. Maybe a simple “Do you need help?” But instead, I got criticism.
My first instinct was to snap back, to tell him I didn’t need his attitude on top of everything else. But the darkness around me reminded me how little choice I had.
“Look, I didn’t plan for this to happen,” I said. “I know it’s a wreck, but it’s all I’ve got. Can you help me or not?”
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“You can’t stay here all night. It’s not safe for someone like you to be stuck out here. No phone, no car… You should’ve known better.”
He gave the car another disapproving look, then turned back to his truck. “Come on, I’ll tow it for you.”
That man wasn’t thrilled about helping me, but what other option did I have?
“Fine,” I muttered. “Thank you.”
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He didn’t respond to my gratitude, he hooked my car up to his truck with quick, practiced movements, like he’d done this a hundred times before. I climbed into his truck, the leather seat cold against my skin.
“The nearest station is closed at this time,” he said as he started driving. “You’re lucky I came along. There’s nowhere else for miles.”
“So, what now?” I asked, already fearing the answer.
“I’ve got a house nearby,” he replied. “You can stay the night. No point in sleeping in your car.”
I frowned, unsure how to feel about staying with a stranger.
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But the nearest motel was too far away, and I didn’t have the money for it, anyway.
“I guess that’s my only option,” I said quietly.
“Pretty much. Name’s Clayton, by the way.”
***
When we pulled into Clayton’s driveway, the lights inside flickered dimly through the windows, casting long shadows across the porch. I hesitated before getting out.
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But then I saw the front door swing open, and a teenage girl appeared in the doorway.
“That’s Lily,” Clayton grumbled as we walked toward the house. “My daughter.”
“Lily, this is Amanda,” Clayton said gruffly, barely looking at his daughter.
“Hi,” I offered, forcing a small smile, hoping to ease some of the tension.
Lily muttered, “Hi,” without any warmth. She barely acknowledged me as her gaze quickly drifted away. The silence was thick, making me feel even more out of place.
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“Let’s eat,” Clayton said, leading us into the dining room.
Dinner wasn’t much better. Clayton sat at the head of the table, grumbling about everything from the weather to the condition of the roads.
“Storm coming tomorrow,” he mumbled. “Road’s gonna get all torn up.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “You’ve been saying that for days, Dad.”
“It’s true. I saw it on the news,” Clayton shot back, his voice a low growl.
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Every time he spoke, it felt like he was barking at the world. I quietly picked at my food. Lily glanced up at me occasionally, shooting me those same disapproving looks.
“You fixed that faucet yet?” Lily suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Her tone was sharp, aimed at her father.
“I’ll get to it,” Clayton replied, clearly irritated.
“You’ve been saying that for weeks.”
“Lily,” he warned.
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She slammed her fork down. “Mom’s barely been gone a few months, and now you’re bringing some stranger into the house?”
The tension was unbearable, and panic started to bubble up inside me. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said quickly, pushing my chair back. “Good night.”
I retreated to the small guest room they had offered me. Sleep didn’t come easily, but eventually, exhaustion won out.
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***
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone moving around. The room was dark, but I could hear the faint rustling.
I fumbled for the light switch. The room lit up, and there was … Lily, standing by my bag. She was holding a piece of jewelry, and her eyes widened in shock when I caught her.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, sitting up in bed.
“I found this,” Lily said, her voice shaking, “in your bag. It’s my mom’s. You stole it!”
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I couldn’t believe what was happening. Was she trying to frame me?
Before I could respond, Clayton burst into the room. “What’s going on in here?”
“It’s a misunderstanding,” I said, glancing at Lily. “She was confused. Maybe sleepwalking, and we thought we’d have a little fun. Right, Lily?”
Lily stared at me. To my surprise, she nodded, still clutching the jewelry. Clayton looked between us, clearly not convinced, but he was too tired to argue.
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“Go to bed, both of you,” he muttered and left the room.
As soon as he was gone, I turned to Lily. “Do you want some milk?”
She blinked as if not sure what to expect, but eventually nodded. In the kitchen, we sat together, the tension easing as the night went on.
“I’m sorry,” Lily finally whispered. “I just miss her so much. My dad’s been different ever since she died.”
“I understand,” I said softly, handing her a warm mug.
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“Your dad wouldn’t have brought me here if he didn’t trust me.”
Lily sighed. “He’s not always like this. He used to be… different. Kinder. He just misses her.”
She paused. “The repair shop? It’s his. He didn’t want to let you go. That’s why he brought you here.”
I stared at her, realizing Clayton wasn’t as simple as I had thought. Suddenly, the kitchen door creaked open, and Clayton stepped inside.
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***
The morning sunlight filtered through the kitchen windows as Lily and I fumbled around, pretending we had just woken up and decided to make breakfast.
Clayton shuffled into the kitchen. He gave us both a quick nod, then turned his attention straight to me.
“The repair shop opened up,” he said gruffly. “I’m ready to work on your car. You got the keys?”
I fished the keys from my pocket and handed them over. Lily let out a small giggle, and I noticed her giving me a playful wink.
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“Hey, Dad,” Lily chimed in. “Why don’t you let Amanda stay a little longer? You know, just until the car’s fixed. I’m bored, and she’s good company. It’s nice having someone else around.”
Clayton looked between us.
“Why would it matter to you?” he grumbled. “Weren’t you headed somewhere important? Don’t want to hold you up if you’re in a hurry.”
I paused. The truth hovered on the edge of my tongue, something I hadn’t explained to anyone yet.
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“I wasn’t really headed anywhere,” I said, looking down at the table. “I was running away from my old life. My ex-husband… he took everything from me. The house, the money. Everything.”
He wasn’t expecting that, I could tell. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.
“Well, I suppose you can stay a bit. Lily doesn’t usually warm up to people, so that’s something.”
Lily grinned at me. “Thanks, Dad.”
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***
A few months passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. My car had been repaired long ago, but I was still there, in that small, quiet house.
Clayton had changed. He spent more time with us, especially with Lily, who had grown closer to me with every passing day. She was like the daughter I’d never had.
We spent long afternoons together while Clayton worked at his shop, laughing, talking, and sharing stories. For the first time in years, I felt like I had a purpose again.
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One evening, as we all sat by the ocean, eating ice cream and watching the waves roll in, Clayton turned to me.
“You could stay, you know,” he said. “You don’t have to go anywhere.”
“I think I’d like that,” I replied with a smile.
What Clayton didn’t know yet was that in eight months, he’d be a father again. Life had a funny way of giving second chances.
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If you enjoyed this story, read this one: I was tired of my family’s endless questions about my love life, so I had a wild plan. I found and brought a homeless man as my pretend fiancé to the holiday dinner. Everything seemed perfect until my mother’s reaction revealed a shocking connection between them. Read the full story here.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life
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