In the crazy world of Hollywood, it’s rare to find a marriage that is actually able to stand the test of time. That’s what makes the 25-year marriage of the former Miami Vice star Don Johnson and his wife Kelley Phleger so special!
Johnson’s ‘Keys’ To A Long-Lasting Marriage
Johnson, 74, opened up about his marriage while attending the Los Angeles premiere of ABC’s Doctor Odyssey on Wednesday. He began by recalling their wedding, which took place in April of 1999.
“Oh my gosh. We had a big dinner and a big party… and I bought her bling, man,” Johnson told People Magazine. “Several different blings.”
Johnson went on to reveal the three “keys” to his lengthy marriage.
“Oh, we are just so in tune with each other that there’s an unspoken like trust and kindness and respect with us,” he explained. “And those are the keys.”
Johnson Praises Phleger As Being ‘A Saint’
Johnson and Phleger, 55, are the parents to three children: Atherton Grace, 24, Jasper, 22, and Deacon Johnson, 18. While Johnson and Phleger have kept much of their marriage private, he told Parade in May of last year that “she’s an amazing woman.”
But where did Don Johnson first discover the secret to a long-lasting marriage? In the last place you’d expect, where else?
“Obviously, she’s a saint. I was with Bob Dylan one time, and I was having relationship issues, and Bob looks up at me and goes, ‘Well, see, love is about kindness, trust and respect, isn’t it?’ And that’s the embodiment of Kelley,” Johnson explained.
“It’s kindness, trust and respect, and we have that with each other,” he continued. “We’re lovers and friends and it’s fun. She’s an amazing woman.”
Johnson and Phleger were reportedly introduced to each other by producer Jo Schuman Silver at a birthday party for then-San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown in the mid-90s, though they didn’t begin officially dating until 1997.
“Don came up to me at Willie’s birthday party and said that the minute he laid eyes on Kelley, he knew he was going to marry her,” Schuman Silver later said. “I don’t know what she thought, but I’m sure she found him very attractive.”
Related: Mark Wahlberg Reveals Keys To A Successful Marriage
Johnson’s History
Prior to his marriage to Phleger, Johnson was famously married to the Oscar-nominated actress Melanie Griffith not once, but twice! They were first married for a short time in 1976. They then married one another again in 1989 before divorcing for a second time in 1996. During their second run at marriage, Johnson and Griffith welcomed daughter Dakota, a successful actress in her own right who is now 34.
On top of that, Johnson shares son Jesse, 41, with his actress ex-girlfriend Patti D’Arbanville, 73.
While Johnson has settled down into family life these days, he had some wild times in his youth. In his latest interview, he recalled the attention he got from women after shooting to fame playing Detective James “Sonny” Crockett on Miami Vice in the 1980s.
“I had to isolate. The [women] know where you are. We had security 24/7,” he admitted. “One day, I reflected on Elvis and thought, ‘Isn’t this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?’”
“Not that I’m comparing myself to Elvis, but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life,” he added. “So I learned to manage it and vowed not to let it imprison me.”
Thankfully, Johnson managed to overcome all of that to find the love of his life in Phleger. We wish them both many years of love and happiness to come!
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