Actor Don Johnson is marking his 76th birthday today, December 15, 2025, and the Hollywood icon is proving that time has done little to dull his trademark swagger – or his famously youthful looks. The actor first became a global star in the 1980s as undercover detective Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice, a role that didn’t just define his career but reshaped television style itself.
With pastel suits, stubble and a brooding cool that felt utterly new at the time, Don became one of the most recognisable faces on TV and a bona fide sex symbol of the era. The show ran from 1984 to 1989 and turned him into an overnight icon.
Rather than being trapped by that success, Don went on to build a long and varied career across film and television. He starred in cult favourites including Dead Bang, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and Tin Cup, before winning a new generation of fans with his role as hard-nosed police chief Arthur Fenton in Nash Bridges from 1996 to 2001. More recently, he has earned praise for scene-stealing turns in films such as Django Unchained, Knives Out and Book Club, proving his charisma only sharpens with age.
Don is a proud father of five, including actress Dakota Johnson, whom he shares with ex-partner Melanie Griffith. He spoke about his parenting philosophy in an interview with The Guardian, saying: "You start off wanting better for [your children] than what you had for yourself, but the more you do for them, the more you cripple them. Struggle is the fuel that drives creativity, discovery and curiosity."
When asked if he still expected he would be acting in his later years, he candidly said:
"I didn’t expect to live to 30, OK? So it’s all been gravy. I think I speak for all actors: [when] you finish a job, you almost always think, ‘Well, that was it. I’ll never work again.’ So every day is Christmas for actors. Either Santa was good to you that day or not."
Now married to socialite Kelley Phleger, Don has enjoyed a more settled chapter in recent years, splitting his time between acting projects and family life. "Luckily, I’m at a place where I can pick and choose roles," he told People in 2024. "Sometimes I often prefer the supporting role because I still get joy out of what I do, but I don’t want to work those long hours and be away from my family."
As he celebrates another milestone birthday, Don Johnson remains the rare star who has not only endured, but evolved – still stylish, still working, and still radiating the effortless cool that made him famous more than four decades ago.