Johansen was born in the New York City borough of Staten Island to a librarian mother, Helen, and an insurance sales representative father, who had previously sung opera. His mother was Irish American and his fath… See more

Johansen began his career in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the Vagabond Missionaries, a local Staten Island band and later in the early 1970s as the singer/songwriter in the proto-punk band the New Yo… See more

Johansen married the actress Cyrinda Foxe in 1977, but divorced within a year in 1978. From 1983 to 2011, Johansen was married to photographer Kate Simon.
In 2013, Johansen married artist Mara Hennessey. … See more