# Jesse Johnson (actor)
**Jesse Wayne Johnson** (born 1982) is an American actor, the son of actors [Don Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-johnson) and [Patti D'Arbanville](https://www.edgepedia.org/patti-darbanville), known for playing [John Wilkes Booth](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wilkes-booth) in the National Geographic drama *Killing Lincoln*, for the Spanish comedy *¿Para qué sirve un oso?*, which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival, for the indie film *Chapman*, and for episodic roles on American network television[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010011776.html) • [2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) • [3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/). The Library of Congress maintains a distinct authority record for him, "Johnson, Jesse, 1982-", which cites his full name and birth date and separates him from other people named Jesse Johnson[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010011776.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth date | Jesse Wayne Johnson, born 1982[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010011776.html) • [2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) |
| Birthplace | Disputed across sources: Los Angeles, California (People, TV Guide, Vanity Fair España) versus "a native of Aspen, Colorado" (IMDb biography, TMDB)[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/) |
| Parents | Only child of Don Johnson and his then-partner Patti D'Arbanville[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) |
| Signature roles | John Wilkes Booth in *Killing Lincoln* (Nat Geo); Vincent in *¿Para qué sirve un oso?* (Berlinale debut); lead in *Chapman* (2013)[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/) |
| Spanish work | One season of the Antena 3 series *Con el culo al aire* and the 2010 comedy *Para qué sirve un oso*, made while living in Madrid[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/) • [5](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/articulos/jesse-johnson-un-guiri-en-madrid/16769) |
| Training | BA in Theater (Acting), Occidental College, 2004; Meisner technique with Lori Ravensborg[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) • [6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/) |
| Listed credits | 16 acting credits per TMDB, spanning US network TV, Spanish television, indie film and digital series, active through at least 2025[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson) |
## Early life and background
Jesse Wayne Johnson was born in 1982, the only child of Don Johnson and his then-partner, the actress Patti D'Arbanville[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/). People, [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide), and Vanity Fair España place his birth in Los Angeles[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-johnson/bio/3000808373/) • [5](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/articulos/jesse-johnson-un-guiri-en-madrid/16769), while his IMDb biography and TMDB describe him as a native of [Aspen, Colorado](https://www.edgepedia.org/aspen-colorado)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/) • [7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson). The discrepancy is unresolved among sources of similar standing.
He studied theater at [Occidental College](https://www.edgepedia.org/occidental-college) in Los Angeles, graduating in 2004, and made his acting debut as a teenager with a small role in his father's series *Nash Bridges*[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/). His agency profile adds a BA in Theater (Acting) at Occidental, coaching with John Maryland, study with Tom Todoroff, Greta Saeta, and Anne Burke, and [Meisner technique](https://www.edgepedia.org/meisner-technique) with Lori Ravensborg; it also lists guitar, piano, and singing among his skills[6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/).
## Career
**The move to Spain.** In a Vanity Fair España profile, Johnson explained that he deliberately built a career in Madrid, away from his parents' industry contacts, because he spoke Spanish and wanted to trace his own path[5](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/articulos/jesse-johnson-un-guiri-en-madrid/16769). He told the magazine he had not decided to act until 2007, when his father warned him, "You're crazy if you think you'll dedicate yourself to this. You'll need to work a lot, but we will always support you"[5](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/articulos/jesse-johnson-un-guiri-en-madrid/16769). There he shot the comedy *Para qué sirve un oso* (2010) and then, about nine months later, was offered a season of the Antena 3 series *Con el culo al aire*[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/).
**Return to American television and film.** Johnson left *Con el culo al aire* because of scheduling conflicts with *Killing Lincoln*, the [National Geographic](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-geographic) scripted drama adapted from Bill O'Reilly's book, narrated by [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks) and executive produced by Tony and [Ridley Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/ridley-scott), in which he played John Wilkes Booth[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/). In spring 2011 he had played real estate agent Adam Mann in the NBC pilot *A Mann's World*, written and directed by Michael Patrick King[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/). His other credits include *Circle of 8*, a Paramount Digital Entertainment production that ran exclusively on Myspace.com; *Dreamtime's Over* (2010), shot in Melbourne; *My Life: Untitled* (2011); *Redline*; the 2003 TNT original drama *Word of Honor*; and episodic appearances on *Law & Order: LA*, *Dollhouse*, *Hawaii Five-0*, *Twin Peaks*, *Grey's Anatomy*, *NCIS*, and *From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series*[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/) • [2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/) • [6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/). His agency list also includes the film *Gun Shy*, directed by Simon West[6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/).
**Behind the camera and music.** In a 2013 interview Johnson said he intended to work as a producer, writer, and director, with scripts set up at production companies, and described himself as a musician, adding that music "was my original plan of action"[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/). TV Guide lists his profession as actor and producer, without project detail[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-johnson/bio/3000808373/). In October 2020 his band Blame Baby released its debut EP, *Honest Answers To Your Most Private Questions*, and in 2021 he released a collection of songs called *Trésjeté* with two friends[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/).
## Notable roles and reception
Three performances anchor his filmography. As John Wilkes Booth in *Killing Lincoln*, he carried the antagonist role in a historical drama with high-profile narration and production backing[3](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/). As Vincent, the naive assistant to a reclusive zoologist in *¿Para qué sirve un oso?*, he co-starred with Javier Cámara and [Geraldine Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/geraldine-chaplin) in a film that debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and was released theatrically in spring 2011, showcasing his fluency in Spanish[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/). In *Chapman* (2013), an indie filmed on location in and around Aspen, he starred alongside Christopher Masterson and Christine Woods[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/).
His work spans indie film, network television, Spanish broadcast TV, and digital-only productions such as the Myspace-exclusive *Circle of 8*[6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/).
## By the numbers
TMDB lists 16 acting credits for Johnson, with activity running from his teenage *Nash Bridges* appearance through at least 2025[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson) • [2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/). The credits distribute across at least four production contexts: US network television (NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC), Spanish broadcast television (Antena 3), cable and streaming (*Twin Peaks* on Showtime, *Killing Lincoln* as a Nat Geo movie of the week), and independent or digital film[6](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/). His documented output between 2020 and 2023 is musical rather than acting work: the Blame Baby EP in 2020 and *Trésjeté* in 2021[2](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/).
## What has changed since 2023
TMDB lists a 2025 television credit as Young Robert Massey in one episode of *Doctor Odyssey* and a 2025 credit as Todd in *Rhythm Is a Dancer*[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson). Because TMDB is user-editable, these listings should be treated as provisional. The same database gives his place of birth as Aspen, Colorado, the disputed value noted above[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson).
## Identity and sources
Johnson is distinguished from namesakes primarily by the Library of Congress authority record "Johnson, Jesse, 1982-" (no2010011776), which cites the 2009 video *Circle of Eight* (container credit: Jesse Johnson, cast) and a January 19, 2010 IMDb lookup giving his full name as Jesse Wayne Johnson, born 1982[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010011776.html).
Database fragmentation is a live risk for this name. IMDb's principal entry (nm1423882) carries the biography and credits described in this article[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/), but a separate IMDb entry (nm2835136) for a Jesse Johnson born on the same date, 1982, in Los Angeles, lists different credits: *John Tucker Must Die* (2006), *[Bad News Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-news-bears)* (2005), and *One Last Thing...* (2005)[9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2835136/). Readers verifying his filmography should treat the two entries as unmerged.
## References
1. [Johnson, Jesse, 1982- (Library of Congress Name Authority Record)](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010011776.html)
2. [Don Johnson's 5 Kids: All About Jesse, Dakota, Atherton, Jasper and Deacon, People](https://people.com/parents/all-about-don-johnson-kids/)
3. [Jesse Johnson KILLING LINCOLN Interview, Collider](https://collider.com/jesse-johnson-killing-lincoln-interview/)
4. [Jesse Johnson — Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423882/bio/)
5. [Jesse Johnson: Un Guiri en Madrid, Vanity Fair España](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/articulos/jesse-johnson-un-guiri-en-madrid/16769)
6. [Jesse Johnson — Reacting Talent agency profile](https://reactingtalent.com/product-detail/jesse-johnson/)
7. [Jesse Johnson — The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/82577-jesse-johnson)
8. [Jesse Johnson Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-johnson/bio/3000808373/)
9. [Jesse Johnson — IMDb (separate entry nm2835136)](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2835136/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Jo to Kl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license