Melanie Griffith turns 67 today
Throughout her career she landed some iconic movie roles that remain memorable
Melanie Griffith turns 67 today
Melanie Griffith was born on August 9, 1957, in New York City. She was born into a Hollywood family, the daughter of actress Tippi Hedren, best known for her work in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963), and advertising executive Peter Griffith. Growing up in the entertainment industry, Griffith was exposed to acting from a young age and made her on-screen debut as a child in commercials and small film roles.
Griffith’s parents divorced when she was young, and she spent much of her childhood between New York and Los Angeles. She attended the Hollywood Professional School, where she began to seriously pursue a career in acting.
Griffith’s acting career began in earnest in the mid-1970s when she landed roles in films such as Night Moves (1975) and The Drowning Pool (1975), both of which showcased her talent at a young age. However, it was her role in Body Double (1984), directed by Brian De Palma, that brought her significant attention. Her performance as a pornographic actress in the film was both provocative and critically acclaimed, establishing her as a rising star in Hollywood.
During that period she also starred in “Something Wild” (1986) with Jeff Daniels and the science fiction film “Cherry 2000”, which went straight to video in 1988 but has also become a cult favorite
Melanie Griffith’s breakthrough role came with the 1988 film Working Girl, directed by Mike Nichols. In the film, she played Tess McGill, a secretary who dreams of making it big in the corporate world. Her performance, which balanced charm, vulnerability, and determination, earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and won her a Golden Globe Award. The film’s success solidified Griffith’s status as a leading lady in Hollywood.
Following Working Girl, Griffith starred in several high-profile films throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including Pacific Heights (1990), Paradise (1991), and Shining Through (1992). She also received praise for her roles in Milk Money (1994) and Nobody’s Fool (1994), where she starred alongside Paul Newman.
However, her career in the late 1990s and early 2000s was marked by a mix of successes and challenges. While she continued to work steadily in films and television, many of her projects during this period did not achieve the same level of acclaim as her earlier work. Despite this, Griffith remained a respected figure in the industry.
Melanie Griffith has been married four times, including two marriages to actor Don Johnson. Griffith began dating Don Johnson at age 14, after she met him as her mother’s 22-year-old co-star in “The Harrad Experiment”
she first married Johnson in 1976, but they divorced six months later. They reunited and married again in 1989, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Dakota Johnson, who would later become a successful actress herself. The couple divorced again in 1996.She also dated the actors Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Ryan O’Neal.
Another one of Griffith’s most well-known marriages was to Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, whom she met while filming Two Much (1995). The couple married in 1996 and had a daughter, Stella Banderas. Their marriage was one of Hollywood’s most high-profile relationships throughout the 1990s and 2000s, but they divorced amicably in 2015 after nearly 20 years together.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Melanie Griffith continued to work in film and television, often taking on smaller roles or guest appearances. She appeared in films like Crazy in Alabama (1999), directed by Banderas, and the 2012 TV series Hawaii Five-0. In 2003, she made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago, where she played the role of Roxie Hart to critical acclaim. Some of the latest movies she worked as an actress were James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist” and “The Pirates of Somalia”.
Throughout her life, Griffith has been open about her struggles with substance abuse and her efforts to maintain sobriety. She has sought treatment several times and has been an advocate for recovery and mental health awareness. Griffith is also politically active and is a registered member of the Democratic Party. Today she turns 67.
Watch Melanie Griffith in action as Tess McGill in the 1988 movie “Working Girl”
Watch Melanie Griffith and her daughter Dakota Johnson at the Oscars Red Carpet in 2015
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