Melanie Griffith Offers Exclusive Look at Mom Tippi Hedren on Her 95th Birthday
Melanie Griffith is honoring her mother Tippi Hedren on her 95th birthday!
On January 20, Griffith, 67, posted on Instagram to show a rare moment with her retired actress mother, who celebrated her 95th birthday on January 19.
The video uploaded by Griffith captures Hedren as she blows out her birthday candles and waves cheerfully to the camera. The iconic actress showcased her sleek bob hairstyle, accentuated by bright red lipstick for the occasion.
“My beautiful Mama turned 95 yesterday! 🥰♥️🥰♥️🥰 She’s happy, healthy, and as spirited as ever!” Griffith wrote alongside the video.
Hedren gained fame in the 1960s after being discovered by renowned horror director Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in the classic film The Birds. She also appeared in Hitchcock’s thriller Marnie (1964) and, more recently, in the comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004).
Hedren shares Griffith with her late first husband, Peter Griffith, and is also the proud grandmother of actress Dakota Johnson.
Beyond her film career, Hedren is also a dedicated animal rights advocate. In the 1970s, she owned a 400-pound pet lion named Neil, with whom she and a young Griffith were featured in a Life magazine photo shoot. Hedren has since expressed regret over allowing Neil to roam freely in her home, calling it “incredibly foolish.”
In a 2020 interview, Johnson, 35, disclosed that her grandmother was still caring for big cats at her Shambala Preserve in California, even at 90 years old.
“She has 13 or 14,” Johnson explained on The Graham Norton Show. “There used to be around 60 cats, but now there are just a couple.”
When asked if she also grew up with lions and tigers, Johnson replied, “By the time I was born, they were all in large enclosures, and it was much safer. It wasn’t nearly as chaotic as it was in the beginning.”
In 1983, Hedren established her own animal charity, the Roar Foundation, following her work on the film Roar, in which she starred alongside several African lions. The foundation aims to support her wildlife reserve and, according to Hedren, its “mission is to educate the public about the risks of private ownership of exotic animals.”
