Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989 in Austin, Texas) is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. She is the maternal granddaughter of advertising executive and former child actor Peter Griffith and actress Tippi Hedren, and half-niece of actress Tracy Griffith and production designer Clay A. Griffin. Her former stepfather is actor Antonio Banderas. She had her screen debut alongside her mother in the comedy-drama Crazy in Alabama (1999) and was named Miss Golden Globe in 2006. Following high school graduation, she returned to acting with roles in The Social Network (2010), Beastly (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Need for Speed (2014) and the short-lived comedy Ben and Kate (2012–2013). In answer to the questions regarding her stance on gender rights with respect to her role in Fifty Shades, Johnson stated: "I'm proud of [the movie]. I completely disagree with people who think Ana's weak. I think she's actually stronger than he is.
She received international recognition in 2015 after landing the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey, which catapulted her to fame and earned her the People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress and a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination. The same year, she took part in Black Mass and A Bigger Splash. She also starred in the romantic comedy How to Be Single (2016), and reprised her role as Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and the upcoming Fifty Shades Freed (2018). Johnson won the role over Lucy Hale, Felicity Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, Danielle Panabaker and Shailene Woodley. On February 15, 2015, Johnson appeared on Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary special and hosted SNL on February 28, 2015, making her the second daughter of a former SNL host (after Gwyneth Paltrow, whose mother Blythe Danner hosted during the show's seventh season in 1982) to host herself. Once Johnson graduated from high school, she signed with the William Morris Agency and started her acting career.