Grace Johnson, whose full name is Atherton Grace Johnson, is an American fashion model with additional work in photography and acting. Born on December 28, 1999, in San Francisco, she grew up in Santa Barbara as the daughter of Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger, and as the half-sister of Dakota Johnson and Jesse Johnson.
Her career began with runway work in 2019 and later expanded to Gucci, Uma Wang, international editorials, and the short film Tacenda. Current industry records show that she remains active in fashion in 2026, with recent runway and magazine credits across major European and American markets.
Grace Johnson at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Atherton Grace Johnson |
| Known as | Grace Johnson |
| Born | December 28, 1999 |
| Age | 26 in October 2026 |
| Birthplace | San Francisco, California |
| Raised in | Santa Barbara, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Model, with acting and photography interests |
| Education | University of Southern California, photography |
| Father | Don Johnson |
| Mother | Kelley Phleger |
| Siblings | Jesse Johnson, Dakota Johnson, Jasper Johnson, Deacon Johnson |
| Current representation | Lulu Management, New Madison, Why Not Model Management, Next LA |
Early Life and Education
Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger welcomed their first child together on December 28, 1999, in San Francisco. Grace then spent much of her childhood in Santa Barbara, where the family maintained a lower public profile than many Hollywood households. She made occasional appearances at family events, including film premieres, but she did not become a constant fixture in entertainment coverage.
Grace later attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and studied photography. Her interest in the medium began early, and she has connected that interest with her grandmother’s influence. The photography background adds useful context to her later modeling career because her creative experience developed both behind and in front of the camera.
The name Atherton also links Grace to her maternal family. Her maternal grandfather, Atherton Macondray Phleger, served on the Wells Fargo board, while her great-grandfather Herman Phleger built a prominent legal career that included work at the Nuremberg trials and service as a United States representative to the United Nations.
Grace Johnson’s Parents and Family Background
Don Johnson
Grace’s father, Don Johnson, built a long entertainment career before Grace entered the fashion industry. He became an international television star as Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice, won a Golden Globe for the role, and later led Nash Bridges. His later credits include Django Unchained, Knives Out, and Watchmen.
Don also worked beyond acting as a producer, director, singer, and songwriter. His career included music releases during the 1980s and production work in television, giving Grace a childhood connection to several parts of the entertainment business rather than acting alone.
Kelley Phleger
Grace’s mother, Kelley Phleger, followed a different professional path. She studied at the University of California, Berkeley, worked as a Montessori teacher, and came from a prominent San Francisco family. Her father, Atherton Phleger, held a Wells Fargo board position, while her grandfather Herman Phleger became a noted attorney and diplomat.
Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger married on April 29, 1999, in San Francisco. They later raised Grace and her two younger brothers, Jasper Breckenridge Johnson and Deacon James Johnson, while Don remained the father of two older children from earlier relationships.
A Blended Family With Several Creative Careers
Grace’s older half-brother Jesse Wayne Johnson came from Don Johnson’s relationship with actress Patti D’Arbanville. Jesse pursued acting and music, with credits including Hawaii Five-0, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Twin Peaks, and his band Blame Baby connects directly to one of Grace’s early screen appearances.
Dakota Johnson, Grace’s other older half-sibling, came from Don Johnson’s marriage to actress Melanie Griffith. Dakota built a major acting career through films including The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, and the Fifty Shades series, giving Grace another close connection to both Hollywood and fashion.
Grace also has younger brothers Jasper and Deacon. Both have kept much lower public profiles than Grace, Jesse, and Dakota, so reliable information about their current careers remains limited. Grace’s wider blended-family circle also includes Stella Banderas, Dakota’s maternal half-sister, with whom Grace has appeared at family and fashion events.
Grace Johnson’s Modeling Career
Grace entered professional runway modeling in 2019. She made her runway debut at the Christian Cowan x The Powerpuff Girls show in Los Angeles, and that same year she attended the Met Gala with Dakota Johnson.
Her early work also included commercial and editorial appearances. She appeared in the Blame Baby music video for “Headcase,” connected to her brother Jesse’s band, and worked on the Goop and Banana Republic collaboration. These projects placed her between fashion imagery, music, and family-linked creative work.
Gucci became one of the clearest milestones in Grace’s runway career. She walked in Gucci’s Love Parade show in Los Angeles in 2021, then returned to the house’s runway for its Spring/Summer 2025 womenswear collection in Milan on September 20, 2024.
The 2024 Gucci appearance carried particular industry significance because Models.com included Atherton Grace Johnson in its Top Newcomers S/S 2025 feature. The selection placed her among emerging runway models that the fashion industry was watching during that season.
Grace continued that momentum through 2025. Her documented work included runway appearances for Vautrait and Uma Wang, a Haute Couture editorial for Vogue Portugal, a Merlette Pre-Fall campaign, an Encens Magazine cover, and another Uma Wang runway appearance for the Spring/Summer 2026 season.
Her career remained active in 2026. Current industry records list Co and Uma Wang runway work from March, Duel Magazine editorial and cover work from April, and an Uma Wang Spring/Summer 2027 show dated October 1, 2026. The same professional profile records 15 shows, two editorials, two magazine covers, and one lookbook among its listed work.
Grace Johnson’s Current Model Representation
Older biographies connect Grace with IMG Models, which played a role during her earlier career. Current industry listings show broader international representation, with Lulu Management in New York, New Madison in Paris, Why Not Model Management in Milan, and Next LA in Los Angeles.
Next LA serves as her listed mother agency. This international representation matches the geographic spread of her recent work, which includes fashion projects in the United States, Italy, France, and other major markets.
Grace Johnson and Dakota Johnson
Grace and Dakota share the same father but have different mothers, making them paternal half-sisters. Grace has described Dakota as both her sister and a close friend, and she has said that she turns to Dakota and Stella Banderas for advice.
Their relationship has also appeared publicly through fashion. The sisters attended the 2019 Met Gala together, and Dakota later supported Grace during her Gucci runway work in Milan.
Grace’s relationship with Dakota explains part of the search interest around her name, but it does not define her entire career. Grace has developed her own record of runway, editorial, campaign, and screen work while Dakota has built a separate film career.
Grace Johnson’s Acting and Creative Work
Modeling remains Grace’s strongest professional field, but she has also accumulated documented screen credits. Her listed work includes the 2019 music video Blame Baby: Headcase and the 2020 video Hard2Care: Can’t Sleep Interlude.
Her most substantial acting credit so far comes from Tacenda, a short film in which she plays Dillion. The film’s official production page identifies Grace as an American model and actress and describes the role as her acting debut, while the Cleveland International Film Festival archives list her among the principal cast.
Photography remains part of the same creative picture. Grace studied the subject at USC and developed an interest in image-making before her modeling career became more visible, so her public work now connects visual art, fashion, and limited screen acting.
Grace Johnson’s Personal Life
Grace keeps much of her personal life outside the public record. Her public profile focuses mainly on work, family appearances, fashion projects, and creative interests rather than romantic relationships or private domestic details.
No current spouse or romantic partner has been publicly confirmed through reliable recent information. No reliable public information establishes that Grace has children, so claims about a husband, boyfriend, or children should not be presented as facts.
Grace Johnson’s Net Worth
Grace Johnson does not have a verified public net worth. Celebrity websites circulate estimates, but those figures lack a dependable public financial basis and should not be treated as confirmed income or wealth.
Her documented professional work provides a clearer picture of her career than online wealth estimates. Modeling, campaigns, editorials, magazine work, and acting can generate income, but Grace’s individual contracts and earnings remain private.
Conclusion
Grace Johnson, or Atherton Grace Johnson, has built a recognizable identity within fashion while remaining connected to one of Hollywood’s best-known families. Her early life in Santa Barbara, photography studies at USC, runway debut in 2019, Gucci appearances, and later international work form a career that extends beyond her relationship to Don and Dakota Johnson.
Her recent record is especially useful when assessing where Grace stands today. Current industry listings document continued runway and editorial work in 2026, while Tacenda adds an acting credit and her photography background keeps a broader visual-arts thread in her story.
More Celebrity Profiles: Jasper Breckenridge Johnson: Family, Education & Basketball
FAQs
Who is Grace Johnson?
Grace Johnson, whose full name is Atherton Grace Johnson, is an American fashion model and occasional actress who also studied photography at the University of Southern California.
How old is Grace Johnson?
Grace Johnson has a December 28, 1999 birth date, making her 26 years old in October 2026 and scheduled to turn 27 on December 28, 2026.
Who are Grace Johnson’s parents?
Grace Johnson’s parents are actor Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger, who married in San Francisco in April 1999 before welcoming Grace later that same year.
Is Grace Johnson Dakota Johnson’s sister?
Yes. Grace Johnson and Dakota Johnson are paternal half-sisters because they share Don Johnson as their father while having different mothers.
What does Grace Johnson do for a living?
Grace Johnson works primarily as a professional fashion model and has also developed documented experience in editorial work, campaigns, music videos, and short-film acting.
Did Grace Johnson study photography?
Yes. Grace Johnson studied photography at the University of Southern California, an interest she developed before her modeling career became her main public professional focus.
Has Grace Johnson worked for Gucci?
Yes. Grace Johnson walked in Gucci’s Love Parade in 2021 and later appeared in Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2025 womenswear runway show in Milan.
Does Grace Johnson have a boyfriend?
No current romantic partner has been publicly confirmed through reliable recent information, so claims about her current relationship status should not be stated as fact.
