Merle Dandridge husband Christopher Johnston is a singer best known for Jesus Christ Superstar. Merle and Christopher are now separated.
The American actress and singer is well recognized for her roles in the video games The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II and her Broadway performances in shows including Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, Rent, and Once on This Island.
In the drama series Greenleaf on the Oprah Winfrey Network, she portrayed Grace Greenleaf, the series’ main character.
Dandridge started her acting career by performing in plays in Chicago. She has earned more recognition for her roles as Marlene in The Last of Us and Alyx Vance in the critically acclaimed action game Half-Life 2 and its sequels, Episode One and Episode Two.
Merle Dandridge Husband
Merle Dandridge and husband Christopher Johnston got married on May 21, 2011. Merle and Christopher filed for divorce in 2019.
Christopher might be known as the better half of Jesus Christ Superstar fame singer, but he has his own identity in his field. He, however, has chosen to make his personal life extremely private.
They exchanged their vows in an intimate ceremony then and did not let the audience know about it for quite some time.
The marriage was only revealed when Merle gave an interview with Architectural Digest. It was a shocker for the public. Nevertheless, her fans instantly accepted the hidden fact and expressed their good wishes and love for the duo.
In the same interview, the actress says that she was shooting for her show in Atlanta, and it was a task for her to stay away from her then-husband. Hence, she kissed Christopher and her dog as soon as he reached home. The kiss was a relief after a hectic day for the Greenleaf actor.
It was assumed that the two were on a fairytale journey and lived an incredible nine years together. Unfortunately, in 2019 Dandridge filed for divorce with her partner, and the same year the processing ended, and the couple parted ways legally.
Fans had already noticed the drift long before, and the speculations were on the air, which turned out to be true.
Merle Dandridge Family
Merle was born in Okinawa, Japan, in 1975 to her parents Kiyoko Sang Pedersen and Andrew Dandridge.
After her birth in Okinawa, the actress revealed to a reputed media portal in 2016 that her family later lived in Nebraska and Seoul. She claimed that she and her siblings were “the only ones” who identified as mixed-race Asians, which made her feel out of place.
She also has an aunt who is over 100 years old. Dandridge posted a photo with Ms. Alice during the pandemic and wished her.
Merle is exceptionally close with her onscreen brother, Lamman Rucker as well. She calls him her protective big brother and does not forget to appreciate his presence in her life.
Her Parents
Her father, Andrew Dean Dandridge, is a Council Bluffs, Iowa resident. It was he who encouraged Merle to give dancing a try. She has a good, tight relationship with him. He was born on September 28, 1942, and is 80 years old.
Similarly, her mother, Kiyoko Sang Pedersen, is a former nurse. She is particularly close to her and is of Korean and Japanese descent. She arrived in the United States with hope and no language knowledge. Because two of her five children perished, she knows what it means to lose a child.
She put in a lot of effort to support her kids. Additionally, she used several Feng shui techniques to teach her daughter to appreciate and comprehend nature and make her home comfy.
Kiyoko is also an excellent chef. Until recently, Mama Kiyoko’s Asian-inspired ramyun has been Merle’s favorite meal. This dish looks like a cracked egg and a rich beef bouillon.
Her Siblings
Merle has two siblings now, but she lost a few. Her family faced some dark times due to the infant’s demise. Her mother gave birth to five children, but two passed away.
Last year, on June 25, she wished her elder sister, Jen, for her birthday. Even though she did not reveal her identity or tag her, it was a lovely collage that included their childhood and grown-up pictures.