Deacon Johnson is the youngest son of actor Don Johnson and his wife, Kelley Phleger. He is also the younger half brother of actress Dakota Johnson. While several members of his family work in entertainment, the public updates about Deacon have mainly focused on his education, musical interests, and time with his parents.
Born in 2006, Deacon grew up in Santa Barbara, California, alongside his older brother and sister. More recent reporting has followed his move to the University of Southern California and his parents’ visits. His background brings together a well known Hollywood family and a young adult’s developing life beyond it.
Who Is Deacon Johnson?
Deacon James Johnson is the youngest of Don Johnson’s five children. He is also the youngest of the three children Don shares with Kelley Phleger. His family includes actors, a model, and siblings whose public activities have followed different paths.
Readers may first hear his name through Dakota Johnson, whose film career has brought attention to the wider family. Others recognize him from photographs shared by Don or Kelley. These appearances usually involve birthdays, holidays, school milestones, or visits rather than professional entertainment projects.
The supplied PEOPLE profile describes his upbringing, interests, and school years. HELLO!’s September 2026 report adds a more recent college update. Together, these accounts provide a useful picture of his background without establishing an acting career or a settled future profession.
His Birthday and Childhood in Santa Barbara
Deacon was born on April 29, 2006. His arrival had an extra meaning for his parents because it fell on their seventh wedding anniversary. Don and Kelley had married on the same date in 1999.
Following the birth, Don spoke about the happiness of welcoming another child. In remarks reported by PEOPLE, he explained that becoming a father again remained exciting, even though he felt more relaxed with his younger children. His comments describe his own experience of fatherhood rather than Deacon’s later childhood.
Deacon grew up in Santa Barbara, California. His older full siblings, Grace and Jasper, also spent their childhood there. Santa Barbara is his reported childhood home, but that should not be confused with a confirmed birthplace, which the supplied articles do not identify.
Much of the published information about these years comes from family posts marking particular occasions. Those posts document milestones, but they do not provide a complete account of his daily routines, friendships, or experiences at home.
His Parents, Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger
Don Johnson is an actor widely known for the television series Miami Vice and Nash Bridges. His long entertainment career explains much of the media interest in his children, including those who have not pursued acting themselves.
Kelley Phleger is Deacon’s mother and Don’s wife. The couple married on April 29, 1999, before welcoming Grace later that year. Jasper followed in 2002, and Deacon arrived in 2006.
Kelley has shared several of the school and family updates mentioned in coverage of Deacon. PEOPLE refers to her posts about his middle school graduation and the beginning of his senior year of high school. HELLO! also credits her with sharing the photograph from the September 2026 college visit.
Don has appeared with his son at sporting events and in family photographs. These are specific examples of time spent together. They offer a clearer basis for describing their public appearances than broad claims about their private conversations or parenting arrangements.
Deacon Johnson and Dakota Johnson
Deacon and Dakota Johnson share the same father, Don Johnson, but have different mothers. Dakota’s mother is actress Melanie Griffith. Deacon’s mother is Kelley Phleger, making Dakota his paternal half sister.
Dakota was born on October 4, 1989, more than 16 years before Deacon. She had already begun appearing in films before he was born and later became widely known for playing Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey.
Her other films include The Peanut Butter Falcon, Suspiria, and Bad Times at the El Royale. A short introduction to her work helps explain why readers search for her younger brother, but her career should not take over an article about him.
Family photographs have included both Dakota and Deacon at shared gatherings. However, the supplied articles do not contain a detailed account from either sibling about their relationship. Their family connection is clear, while the details of their private bond remain their own.
His Other Brothers and Sister
Atherton Grace Johnson, usually called Grace, is Deacon’s older full sister. She was born on December 28, 1999. PEOPLE reports that she studied photography at the University of Southern California and has also worked as a model, including appearing in runway shows.
His older full brother, Jasper Breckenridge Johnson, was born on June 6, 2002. Jasper’s public profile has included his interest in basketball and his participation on his high school varsity team. Those sporting achievements belong to Jasper and should not be mistakenly attributed to Deacon.
Jesse Wayne Johnson is Deacon’s oldest paternal half brother. Born on December 7, 1982, Jesse is Don’s son with actress Patti D’Arbanville. He has worked as an actor and musician, with television appearances including Grey’s Anatomy and Twin Peaks.
The five siblings therefore share Don as their father, while coming from three maternal family backgrounds. Grace and Jasper share both parents with Deacon. Jesse and Dakota share his father, with each having a different mother.
His School Years and Astronaut Ambition
PEOPLE reports that Deacon completed middle school in 2020, citing a post from Kelley. This is one of the dated education milestones available in the supplied research.
He began his senior year of high school in 2023. To mark the occasion, his mother shared a photograph of him holding a chalkboard with information about his plans and interests.
The board said that he wanted to become an astronaut when he grew up. It is a personal detail that gives some context to his interests at that time. It does not establish that he later chose a related degree or began astronaut training.
The supplied articles do not identify his high school, academic results, or college major. His education timeline can be described without adding those details or treating a school photograph as a confirmed career announcement.
Deacon Johnson’s College Life at USC
According to HELLO!, Deacon began attending the University of Southern California in 2024. Don and Kelley helped him settle into university, marking the transition from his school years to college life.
The report also describes Don discussing the adjustment to his youngest child leaving home. He noted that the university’s location would make regular visits possible. Those remarks explain the parents’ experience of the move without suggesting how Deacon himself felt about it.
In September 2026, HELLO! reported another visit, this time to Deacon’s fraternity house. Kelley shared a photograph showing Don seated beside his son on a sofa, with Deacon’s arm around his father.
The photograph provides a dated update about his college experience. The report does not name his fraternity, identify his course of study, or confirm a graduation date. Its useful detail is the family visit and its connection to his university life.
His Interest in Music and Sports
Music appears in the family material shared about Deacon. PEOPLE reports that his parents have posted images or footage of him playing both piano and guitar.
These posts support describing music as an interest. They do not establish that he is a professional performer, recording artist, or music student. There is no need to turn an activity shown in a family post into a career claim.
Deacon has also attended football and baseball games with Don. These outings are part of the public record of their time together and show an interest in watching sports.
Attending games is different from playing on a school or college team. The supplied research describes Jasper’s competitive basketball background, but it does not document the same kind of sporting record for Deacon.
Family Photos and Public Appearances
Many updates about Deacon have come through photographs shared by his parents. These include school occasions, family celebrations, and college visits. They explain how readers have followed parts of his life without a long series of personal interviews.
HELLO! describes a family photograph shared for Don’s 75th birthday in December 2024. The gathering included Deacon, his siblings, Kelley, and members of the extended family. The image records a shared celebration rather than a formal professional appearance.
The same report mentions Don sharing footage of his sons playing guitar during Thanksgiving. Alongside the school and sporting updates, this adds another example of music appearing in family occasions.
As of the supplied September 2026 coverage, college remains the clearest recent focus of Deacon’s public profile. There is no established professional career described in these articles, and his family’s entertainment success does not provide a basis for predicting what he will choose next.
Final Thoughts
Deacon Johnson is Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger’s youngest child and Dakota Johnson’s younger half brother. His reported background includes a Santa Barbara upbringing, an interest in piano and guitar, and a move to USC in 2024.
The available updates tell a straightforward story of education and family milestones. His future work remains open, and it should be described through his own decisions and confirmed developments as they become public.
(FAQs)
How old is Deacon Johnson?
Deacon is 20 as of October 2026. He was born on April 29, 2006.
Do Deacon and Dakota Johnson have the same mother?
No. They share their father, Don Johnson. Deacon’s mother is Kelley Phleger, while Dakota’s mother is Melanie Griffith.
Does Deacon share a birthday with his parents’ anniversary?
Yes. He was born on April 29, 2006, exactly seven years after Don and Kelley’s wedding.
What is he studying at USC?
The supplied reporting identifies USC as his university but does not name his major. His earlier astronaut ambition does not establish his college subject.
Has Deacon followed his father into acting?
The supplied articles do not document an acting career. Their coverage focuses on his family, education, musical interests, and sporting outings.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Read Next: Michael Levonchuk: All About Amber Rose’s