Melanie Griffith’s Kids: Learn About Her 3 Children, Including Daughter Dakota Johnson
Actress Melanie Griffith has three adult children from each of her high-profile marriages. Here’s everything to know about her two daughters and one son.
Melanie Griffith, 64, is the matriarch of her beautiful, blended family. The iconic actress is the proud mother of three children: son Alexander Bauer, 36, and daughters Dakota Johnson, 32, and Stella Banderas, 25. Melanie welcomed each of her children during her three past marriages. All of Melanie’s kids have gone on to be successful in their own rights. Dakota, for example, has flourished in Hollywood as a well-known actress — just like her mother! Here’s everything to know about Melanie’s three children.
Alexander Bauer
Alexander was born on August 22, 1985. His father is Cuban actor Steven Bauer, who was married to Melanie from 1981 to 1989. Although his family is in the spotlight, Alexander has remained pretty under the radar in life. He’s had a few brief jobs in the film industry, according to his IMDb page. He worked as a writer and cinematographer on the 2013 short film Kazoo’s on First? He was also a second assistant cameraman on the 2015 independent film This Loneliness and was a gaffer on the shirt film Holding.
Alexander has a close relationship with his mother. In Sept. 2021, Melanie posted a sweet tribute to Alexander in honor of National Son’s Day on Instagram. She also shared a throwback photo of the mother-son duo rollerblading in July 2020 and posted a snapshot of Alexander wearing a mask while sitting with Melanie’s dog, Lady, during the COVID-19 quarantine in May 2020. On Alexander’s 34th birthday in 2019, Melanie reposted an image of her son blowing out candles on his birthday cake.
Dakota Johnson
Dakota is definitely Melanie’s most famous child. She was born on October 4, 1989 to Melanie and actor Don Johnson. Melanie and Don were married for six months in 1976. After her marriage to Steven ended, Melanie rekindled things with Don and they tied the knot for the second time in 1989, around when Dakota was born. They got divorced once again seven years later.
Dakota has followed in her parents’ footsteps in Hollywood. She made her film debut at age 10 in 1999’s Crazy in Alabama, which also starred her mother. Her breakthrough roles were in 21 Jump Street and the Fifty Shades movies. Dakota’s gone on to star in How to Be Single, Bad Times at the El Royale, The Peanut Butter Falcon, and most recently, The Lost Daughter. Both Melanie and Don have supported Dakota in her acting career over the years. Dakota is currently dating Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, 44.
Stella Banderas
Stella is the daughter of Melanie and actor Antonio Banderas, 61. She’s the only child from the former Hollywood power couple’s nearly 10 year marriage that lasted from 1996 to 2015. Stella was born on September 24, 1996 in her father’s native Spain. She’s a dual-citizen of Spain and the U.S. thanks to her parents’ lineage, and is bilingual in both Spanish and English. Stella has done some acting and modeling. She appeared in Crazy in Alabama alongside her parents and half-sister Dakota, and also graced the cover of Glamour Spain for their Sept. 2020 issue. Stella is also the founder of the health/beauty company Lightbound.
Stella appears to be close with both her parents, though she seems to have a tighter bond with her father. In September 2021, Stella — whose birth name is Stella Del Carmen Banderas Griffith — filed a petition to drop “Griffith” from her name. The model said she wanted to “shorten my name by removing the extra last name” in the filing, which was obtained by The Blast. Stella added that she does not use her mom’s surname, “Griffith”, when referring to herself in general and in documents.