- Melanie Griffith
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Melanie Griffith 
Melanie Griffith at Cannes in 2000Born Melanie Richards Griffith
August 9, 1957
New York City, New York, United StatesOccupation Actress Years active 1969–present Spouse Don Johnson
(1976; 1989-1996, divorced)
Steven Bauer
(1981-1987, divorced)
Antonio Banderas (1996-present)Children Alexander Bauer
Dakota Johnson
Stella BanderasParents Peter Griffith (deceased)
Tippi HedrenRelatives Tracy Griffith (half-sister)
Clay A. Griffith (half-brother)Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl. She is the daughter of actress Tippi Hedren, and is married to actor Antonio Banderas.
Contents
Early life
Griffith was born in New York City to actress Tippi Hedren and producer, former actor, and advertising executive Peter Griffith.[1][2] Her parents divorced when she was four years old, after which her father married model/actress Nanita Greene and had two more children: actress Tracy Griffith and set designer Clay A. Griffith. Her mother married agent and producer Noel Marshall, and Griffith grew up with three stepbrothers. During her childhood and adolescent years, she divided her time between living in New York with her father and in Antelope Valley, California, where her mother formed the animal preserve Shambala. She also skipped a grade and graduated from Hollywood Professional School when she was 16 years old.[3]
Career
Griffith began work at just nine months old in a commercial[citation needed] and later became an extra on Smith! (1969) and The Harrad Experiment (1973). In 1975, she played her first major roles in Smile, The Drowning Pool, and Night Moves, in which she did racy nude scenes at age 17, and she was typecast in sexy nymphet roles[citation needed] in later movies such as One on One.
Griffith's career gained momentum in 1984 when she played a porn star in the Brian De Palma thriller Body Double. The film won her the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress, and led to her starring role in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild (1986), which became a cult favorite.[citation needed] She achieved mainstream success when Mike Nichols cast her as spunky secretary Tess McGill in the hit 1988 film Working Girl, with Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack. Griffith's performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
Griffith's next role was starring in the thriller Pacific Heights (1990) with Michael Keaton and Matthew Modine. Despite her success, many of Griffith's following films were poorly received,[citation needed] especially The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), which also starred Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks and reunited her with Body Double director Brian de Palma. Other films were Paradise (1991), Born Yesterday (1993) (both of which co-starred Griffith's then husband Don Johnson), Shining Through (1992), A Stranger Among Us (1992), and Now and Then (1995) with Demi Moore. Griffith received good reviews for her role as a desperate housewife in the Oscar-nominated film Nobody's Fool (1994),[citation needed] which reunited her with Bruce Willis and Paul Newman. Griffith met future husband Antonio Banderas on the set of the 1996 comedy Two Much. Griffith received a Golden Globe nomination in the TV miniseries Buffalo Girls.
Griffith appeared in the Woody Allen film Celebrity in 1998 with Winona Ryder, Leonardo DiCaprio and Charlize Theron. Later that same year, she starred as a ditzy heroin user in Another Day in Paradise (1998). Some critics wrote that it was the best performance of her career.[4] She formed Greenmoon Productions with Antonio Banderas in 1997, which produced her starring vehicle Crazy in Alabama (1999), directed by Banderas and featuring Griffith's real-life daughters Dakota Johnson and Stella Banderas playing her daughters. In 1999, Griffith made her stage debut at the Old Vic in London, England, where she acted with Cate Blanchett in the Vagina Monologues.[citation needed] In the HBO film RKO 281 (1999), she played actress Marion Davies. Her portrayal of Davies also earned her an Emmy nomination. Griffith's most recent mainstream film was Stuart Little 2 (2002) in which she voiced the character of Margalo. Since then, she has acted in several independent films.[citation needed]
In 2003, she made her Broadway debut playing Roxie in the musical Chicago. Untrained in song and dance, Griffith still impressed New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley, who wrote: "Ms. Griffith is a sensational Roxie, possibly the most convincing I have seen" and "[the] vultures who were expecting to see Ms. Griffith stumble...will have to look elsewhere".[5] Griffith's celebratory reviews made it a box office success.[6][7][8]
She starred on the short-lived The WB sitcom Twins (2005–2006). Her career took a blow when her 2007 series Viva Laughlin, co-starring Hugh Jackman, was canceled after two episodes.[citation needed] Griffith appeared on television in Nip/Tuck during its sixth and final season in 2010.[9]
Personal life
At the 1990 APLA benefit with Don Johnson
Griffith with Antonio Banderas at the Shrek Forever After premiereAt age 14, Griffith began dating 22-year old actor Don Johnson who co-starred with her mother in The Harrad Experiment, in which Griffith was an extra. The relationship culminated in a six-month marriage in 1976. Tatum O'Neal has alleged in her 2004 autobiography that around that time, she (then 12) and Griffith (then 18) participated in an opium-filled orgy in a Paris hotel room.[10][11]
In September 1981, Griffith married Steven Bauer, her co-star in the TV film She's in the Army Now. They have a son, Alexander, born on August 22, 1985. The couple divorced in 1987. Griffith later admitted to having problems with cocaine and liquor after her divorce from Bauer. "What I did was drink myself to sleep at night," she said. "If I wasn't with someone, I was an unhappy girl."[12]
She checked into rehab in 1988.[12] During this time, she reconciled with Johnson, became sober and pregnant. They remarried in June 1989. Their daughter, Dakota Johnson, was born on October 4, 1989. She left him six years later because of his own substance abuse problems, reconciled with him, then left him again for her leading man Antonio Banderas from the film Two Much.[citation needed] They finalized their divorce in February 1996.[citation needed]
Griffith and Banderas have been married since May 14, 1996. Their daughter, Stella del Carmen Banderas Griffith, was born on September 24, 1996. In 2000, Griffith had her husband's first name "Antonio" inside of a heart tattooed on her right shoulder. In 2002, the couple received the Stella Adler Angel Award for their extensive charity work.[13]
Griffith has struggled with drugs and alcohol through much of her life.[citation needed] In 2000, she sought treatment for addiction to painkillers. She returned to rehab in August 2009 for substance abuse problems.[14] She left three months later and underwent surgery for skin cancer in December 2009.[15]
Discussing Griffith’s treatment in rehab, Banderas said in April 2010, “The whole family took part, Stella included. I was there three times a week at a stretch, and we participated in group therapy with our daughter. It strengthened our relationship in many ways. We participated very directly, all of us." Griffith’s son Alexander and daughter Dakota were there, as was her former stepson, Jesse Johnson, and Griffith's mother, Tippi Hedren.[16]
Honors
- Named "Star of Tomorrow" by the Motion Picture Booker's Club (1984)
- Taormina International Film Festival — Diamond Award (2000)
- Cannes Film Festival — Lifetime Achievement Award (2001)
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes 1969 Smith! Extra Uncredited 1973 The Harrad Experiment Extra Uncredited 1975 Night Moves Delly Grastner The Drowning Pool Schuyler Devereaux Smile Karen Love 1977 The Garden Young Girl One on One The Hitchhiker Joyride Susie 1978 Daddy, I Don't Like it Like This Girl in Hotel Steel Cowboy Johnnie 1981 Roar Melanie Underground Aces Lucy The Star Maker Dawn Barnett Youngblood She's in the Army Now Pvt. Sylvie Knoll Golden Gate Karen 1984 Fear City Loretta Body Double Holly Body National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Girl 1986 Something Wild Audrey Hankel aka Lulu Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy 1987 Cherry 2000 Edith 'E' Johnson 1988 The Milagro Beanfield War Flossie Devine Stormy Monday Kate Working Girl Tess McGill Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role1990 Women and Men: Stories of Seduction Hadley In the Spirit Lureen Pacific Heights Patty Palmer The Bonfire of the Vanities Maria Ruskin 1991 Paradise Lily Reed 1992 Shining Through Linda Voss A Stranger Among Us Emily Eden 1993 Born Yesterday Billie Dawn 1994 Milk Money V Nobody's Fool Toby Roebuck 1995 Buffalo Girls Dora DuFran Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Now and Then Tina 'Teeny' Tercell Two Much Betty Kerner 1996 Mulholland Falls Katherine Hoover 1997 Lolita Charlotte Haze 1998 Another Day in Paradise Sid Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress also for Crazy in Alabama Shadow of Doubt Kitt Devereux Celebrity Nicole Oliver 1999 Crazy in Alabama Lucille Vinson Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress also for Another Day in Paradise RKO 281 Marion Davies Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film2000 Cecil B. Demented Honey Whitlock Forever Lulu Lulu McAfee Released on DVD as Along for the Ride (2000) 2001 Tart Diane Milford 2002 Searching for Debra Winger Herself Stuart Little 2 Margalo the Bird Voice 2003 The Night We Called It a Day Barbara Marx Nominated — Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Shade Eve Tempo Sarah 2005 Heartless Miranda Wells 2007 Viva Laughlin Bunny Baxter Supporting role, TV series 2010 Nip/Tuck Brandie Henry Recurring role, TV series 2011 Hot in Cleveland Herself Episode: "Sisterhood of the Traveling SPANX" References
- ^ Melanie Griffith Biography (1957-) Film Reference.com
- ^ Ancestry of Melanie Griffith Warg.com
- ^ Alumni Hollywood Conservatory of Music and Arts web site
- ^ Bio Yahoo Movies
- ^ The New York Times. http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?id=1077011419481&html_title=&tols_title=CHICAGO+(PLAY)&byline=%20By+BEN+BRANTLEY+&pdate=20030804.[dead link]
- ^ B.O. rises; 'Chi' SRO Broadway Grosses
- ^ Bubbly B.O. perf. (Analysis).(Melanie Griffith stars in "Chicago")(Brief Article)
- ^ Pogrebin, Robin (September 18, 2003). "A Long Shot In 'Chicago' Pays Off; For Melanie Griffith, Last Laugh Is Sweet". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/18/theater/a-long-shot-in-chicago-pays-off-for-melanie-griffith-last-laugh-is-sweet.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
- ^ "Exclusive: Melanie Griffith Cuts into Nip/Tuck Role". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Nip-Tuck-Griffith-1005144.aspx. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ^ O'Neal, Tatum (2004). A Paper Life. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-054097-4.
- ^ "Melanie Griffith - Tatum O'neal Corrupted By Griffith" 13 October 2004, Contactmusic.com
- ^ a b "Not So Magic Johnson" June 20, 1994, Vol. 41, No. 23, People
- ^ Antonio And Melanie Receive Hollywood Charity Award
- ^ "Melanie Griffith: Return to Rehab Was Planned" interview, August 26, 2009, Parade
- ^ "Melanie Griffith has skin cancer surgery". CNN. December 18, 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/18/melanie.griffith.cancer/index.html. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
- ^ "Melanie Griffith’s Marriage Strengthened By Rehab Stay" April 19, 2010, Inquisitr.com
External links
- Melanie Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
- Melanie Griffith at the Internet Broadway Database
- Melanie Griffith at AllRovi
- Melanie Griffith at Yahoo! Movies
- Griffin's weblog
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (1981–2000) Bernadette Peters (1981) · Julie Andrews (1982) · Julie Walters (1983) · Kathleen Turner (1984) · Kathleen Turner (1985) · Sissy Spacek (1986) · Cher (1987) · Melanie Griffith (1988) · Jessica Tandy (1989) · Julia Roberts (1990) · Bette Midler (1991) · Miranda Richardson (1992) · Angela Bassett (1993) · Jamie Lee Curtis (1994) · Nicole Kidman (1995) · Madonna (1996) · Helen Hunt (1997) · Gwyneth Paltrow (1998) · Janet McTeer (1999) · Renée Zellweger (2000)
Complete List · (1950–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) Categories:- 1957 births
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