Who Is Don Johnson's Wife? All About Kelley Phleger

Don Johnson has been with his wife Kelley Phleger for over two decades.

The Literary club the actor married Phleger in 1999. The two have since had three children together: Atherton Grace, Jasper and Deacon Johnson.

“Obviously, she’s a saint,” Johnson said Parade Phleger in May 2023. “One time I was with Bob Dylan and I was having relationship problems, and Bob looked at me and said, ‘Well, you see, love is kindness and trust and respect, right? ’ And that is the epitome of Kelley.”

He added: “We’re lovers and friends and it’s fun. She’s an amazing woman.”

Johnson echoed those thoughts of kindness and trust in September 2024 when the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

“Oh, we’re so in tune with each other that there’s an unspoken trust and kindness and respect between us. And those are the keys,” he told PEOPLE.

The Miami Vice the star was married to actress Melanie Griffith for the first time in 1976 before they separated the same year, and then again from 1989 to 1996. During their second marriage, they welcomed their only child together, actress Dakota Johnson.

Don Johnson’s Five Children: All About Jesse, Dakota, Atherton, Jasper and Deacon

In addition to his children with Phleger and Griffith, he also has a son, Jesse Johnson, from his relationship with Patti D’Arbanville.

So who is Don Johnson’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Kelley Phleger and her relationship with the actor.

She graduated from Berkeley

Kelley Phleger and Don Johnson at the ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ premiere in Los Angeles on July 22, 2019. Eric Charbonneau/Sony Pictures/Shutterstock

Phleger graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing her college career, she worked as a teacher in a Montessori kindergarten in California.

He comes from a famous family

Kelley Phleger and Don Johnson.

Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media/Getty

A former debutante, Phleger is the daughter of Jean Phleger and the late attorney Atherton Macondray Phleger, who also served on the board of Wells Fargo until his death in 1988. Phleger’s grandfather, Herman Phleger, was a US delegate to the United Nations and founder of the law firm Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison.

The Phleger name is also associated with the Phleger Estate, a public park in San Mateo County, California. After Herman’s death in 1984, his wife, Mary Elena Phleger, initiated plans to turn their estate into public land, according to the National Park Service. The park includes redwoods and hiking trails.

Johnson and Phleger met at a party

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger.

Don Johnson’s Instagram

Phleger and Johnson first met in the mid-90s. They reportedly met producer Jo Schuman Silver at a birthday party for then-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, but didn’t start dating until the fall of 1997.

“Don came to me at Willie’s birthday party and said that the minute he saw Kelley he knew he was going to marry her,” Schuman Silver recalled to PEOPLE in 1999. “I don’t know what she meant, but I’m sure she found him very attractive.”

In April 1998, Phleger was spotted wearing a 5 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring. They got engaged in Aspen, Colorado, by San Francisco Examiner.

They got married in 1999

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger on their wedding day.

Don Johnson’s Instagram

Johnson and Phleger were married on April 29, 1999, at the home of Ann and Gordon Getty in San Francisco, where Phleger is from. However, the couple kept their wedding plans under wraps from their 85 guests, as the invitation for the evening hinted at nothing more than a dinner and dance in honor of the actor and his fiancée.

They hosted the ceremony in the courtyard, and the bride wore an off-white princess Chanel dress with embroidered butterflies. Brown officiated the ceremony, while actor Robert Wagner served as Johnson’s best man. Johnson’s daughter Dakota and son Jesse were also at the wedding.

“Don exuded happiness,” a friend of the newlyweds told PEOPLE after the wedding. “The look on his face will stay in my memory forever.”

Phleger previously dated Gavin Newsom

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger at the “Foxcatcher” party during the 67th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2014.

David M. Bennett/Getty

Before marrying Johnson, Phleger was in a relationship with current California governor Gavin Newsom, though they broke up around 1997.

At the time, Newsom was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He became the mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011, before becoming the lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019. He was elected governor in 2019 and has held the position ever since.

Phleger and Johnson have three children

Don Johnson, Kelley Phleger and children Jasper and Atherton attend the premiere of Warner Bros.’ “Shorts” on August 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Phleger and Johnson have three children, whom they raised in Santa Barbara, California. Their eldest, Atherton Grace Johnson, whose name is Grace, was born on December 28, 1999. Grace studied photography at the University of Southern California and worked as a model, walking the runway at Gucci’s 2021 show.

The couple’s second child, Jasper Breckenridge Johnson, was born on June 6, 2002. Although he was less in the limelight than his older sibling, he was known to be interested in sports and played basketball in high school before graduating in 2021. .

Their youngest child, Deacon James Johnson, was born on April 29, 2006, which happened to be the same day as Phleger and Johnson’s seventh wedding anniversary. Like his siblings, Deacon grew up in Santa Barbara and has a passion for music and sports.

They share sweet moments on social networks

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger.

Don Johnson’s Instagram

Both Johnson and Phleger give followers a glimpse into their family life on their Instagram accounts. On Father’s Day 2023, Phleger posted a memorial photo of Johnson with their children from 2006.

“Happy Father’s Day DJ!” she wrote in the description. “Thank you for everything you have done for our beautiful family.”

Last year, for Mother’s Day, Johnson shared a picture of Phleger and wrote, “THE BEST!!! Mother of all mothers! And funny as they all come out! I love you so much… 🌹.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education