Who is Kelley Phleger?
Kelley Phleger is a former teacher and a socialite, who gained popularity some would say as the better half of the actor, producer and musician Don Johnson. She was born under the Zodiac sign Cancer on 22 June 1969, in San Francisco, California, USA. As of 2022, she’s 52 years old and holds American nationality. Kelley currently lives in Colorado with her husband and children.
Early life, Family, and Career
Not much is known about her early life; her mother is Jean Phleger, while her father’s name remains a mystery, but it’s known that he worked as a lawyer with Wells Fargo.
Regarding her education, she matriculated from Urban High School in San Francisco, then enrolled at the University of California, majoring in Fine Arts. Career-wise she worked as a teacher.
How did she and Don Johnson meet?
Kelley and Don met in 1996 through a mutual friend, at Mayor Willie Brown’s birthday party. At the time, Kelley worked as a Montessori teacher and was in a relationship with the politician and businessman Gavin Christopher Newsom whom she’d dated since 1992. In the spring of 1997, Gavin and Kelley broke up, and a couple of months later, Don and Kelley began their romantic relationship.
Flaunting her big diamond ring, in April 2018 Kelley announced the engagement, however, some sources indicate that this wasn’t the first time Don proposed to Kelley, as she had already declined a proposal, stating that she didn’t want to be in the spotlight, given that Don is a household name in the US. After some convincing, Don succeeded, and they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at the Pacific Heights Mansion on 29 April 1999.
Don’s best man was the famous actor Robert Wagner, while Mayor Willie Brown led the civil ceremony.
Do they have children?
They’ve welcomed three children together – Atherton Grace (born in December 1999), Jasper Breckinridge (June 2002), and Deacon born in April 2006.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzmc_Kluj_/
As Kelley doesn’t use Instagram, Don often posts photos of Kelley to his account with heartwarming captions, including for their anniversary, Don wrote: ‘Love you long time soldier girl, 22 years! Happy Anniversary’.
Their oldest child, Grace, launched a modeling career, signing with the international agency entitled IMG Models, headquartered in New York City. The prestigious agency has also signed internationally recognized models, such as Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Lily Aldridge. A versatile individual, Grace also followed in her father’s footsteps, starting her acting career with minor roles in short movies and films such as “Thy Neighbor”, “Quarantine Party” and “Voices”.
The 19-year old Jasper has yet to launch a career. Reportedly, he’s very interested in sports, and despite hailing from a well-known family, likes to keep his private life away from the public.
Given that the youngest, Deacon, is a teenager, not much is known about him. However, his father Don has posted a couple of photos with Deacon, sharing an insight into his life and relationship with Deacon. Kelley is also a stepmom to Jesse and Dakota Johnson from Don’s previous relationships to model Patti D’Arbanville and Melanie Griffith, respectively. Both of them have followed in their father’s footsteps and launched acting careers; Jesse is best known for his roles in the series and movies, such as “Redline”, “A Man’s World”, and “Con el Culo al Aire”.
His sister, Dakota, is also a well-recognized actress, who took the world by storm portraying Anna Steel in the erotic drama film series “Fifty Shades”.
Is she active on social media?
It appears that Kelley is not a fan of social media, and doesn’t use Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, unlike her husband, who is very popular on his Instagram account, which boasts over 200,000 followers.
Physical stats and Hobbies
Kelley is 6ft tall (180cm), while her weight is unknown. Her hair is brown, further adorned with brown eyes. According to sources, she’s a philanthropist, supporting various charities and causes.
What is her net worth?
Regarding her net worth, Kelley’s and her husband’s combined net worth is estimated at $50 million, mainly acquired through Don’s prolific and long career.
Briefly about Don Johnson
A Missouri native, Don came from a modest family and was raised in Wichita, Kansas. He launched his acting career in the late ’60s, performing in various stage productions of popular plays such as “Fortune and Men’s Eyes”. Soon after, Don made his movie and TV debut, appearing in several films and TV series such as “The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart”, “Zachariah”, and “Serge”.
Struggling to establish himself as an actor, in 1984, he landed his breakthrough role as Detective Sonny Crockett in the crime/drama series “Miami Vice”.
Achieving critical acclaim and international success, Don quickly rose to stardom, portraying the undercover cop who embodied the masculine cool and swagger in the Reagan era, with his high-end and lavish fashion style. Additionally, he received several nominations and awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series. The show, recognized for revolutionary use of music and cinematography, ran from 1984 to 1990.
His next big role came in 1996, when he was cast as the titular character in the police drama series “Nash Bridges”, alongside Cheech Marin, Jeff Perry and Kelly Hu. The series ran for six seasons and became very popular, garnering a wide audience of crime show lovers. Also in 1996, he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Don kicked off the new millennium starring in the legal drama series “Just Legal”, alongside Jay Baruchel. However, this show didn’t live up to his previous show successes, and was canceled after three episodes. He then appeared in a number of popular movies, such as “When in Rome” (2010), “Django Unchained” (2012), and “Cold in July” (2014). In 2015 he had a recurring role in the soap opera “Blood and Oil”, followed by roles in movies such as “Vengeance: A Love Story” and “Brawl in a Cell Block 99”.
In 2019 he portrayed Richard Drysdale in the commercially successful and critically acclaimed mystery film “Knives Out”, sharing the stage with Daniel Craig. Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. His latest role was in the sitcom “Kenan” alongside Kenan Johnson and Chris Redd. The show instantly became a hit, and the second season premiered in December 2021.
