Actor Don Johnson has shared insights into the financial hardship he faced before landing his breakthrough role as Detective James “Sonny” Crockett in the ‘80s NBC crime drama series “Miami Vice.”
“I moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and was cast in a lot of forgettable roles, including five unsuccessful TV pilots,” Johnson, 74, told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview published on Sept. 3.
“For 15 years, I lived below the national poverty level,” he said.
The actor’s “forgettable roles” included playing the title character in the 1970 drama “The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart” as well as parts in various television shows, such as “Sarge,” “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors,” “Kung Fu,” “The Rookies,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Barnaby Jones,” and “Big Hawaii.”
However, in 1983, Johnson’s friend, actor Joe Cortese, told him about a script he had come across for a promising television show.
“Joe thought I'd be perfect for the lead role,” Johnson said.
“I read the ‘Miami Vice’ pilot script as soon as I received it. I couldn’t believe somebody had seemingly been jotting down my thoughts, feelings and emotions. The part was meant for me.”
After auditioning for the role, Johnson was informed that the project had been delayed. The actor was later cast in the indie war drama “Cease Fire,” which was eventually released in October 1985.
“Just as I finished the movie, Tony Yerkovich, the creator of ‘Miami Vice,’ called from L.A. to offer me the part. I was annoyed with the process but slipped right into the role,” Johnson said.
The seminal police procedural’s pilot episode, “Brother’s Keeper,” debuted on Sept. 16, 1984, to critical acclaim. The series took home four Emmy Awards in 1985, including “Outstanding Cinematography for a Series.” The following year, Johnson won his first Golden Globe, garnering the award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Drama.”
Life and Career
Johnson starred in “Miami Vice” opposite actor Philip Michael Thomas, who played Detective Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, for five seasons until the show’s conclusion in 1989.In June of that year, the actor remarried actress Melanie Griffith, whom he had wed and divorced over a decade earlier. Nearly four months later, they welcomed their first child, actress Dakota Johnson.
Johnson and Griffith divorced for the second time in 1996, and the actor went on to tie the knot with his current wife, Kelley Phleger, three years later. The couple share three children: model Atherton Grace, 24; Jasper Breckenridge, 22; and Deacon James, 18. Johnson also shares a son, actor Jesse Wayne, with his former partner, actress Patti D'Arbanville.
Following his breakout role, Johnson has since become a household name, going on to star in over half a dozen films throughout the ‘90s, including “Paradise” (1991), “Guilty as Sin” (1993), “In Pursuit of Honor” (1995), “Tin Cup” (1996), and “Goodbye Lover” (1998).
Johnson later starred in the hit police procedural television show “Nash Bridges” and the series “Just Legal,” appearing in films “Machete” (2010), “Django Unchained” (2012), “Knives Out” (2019), “Vault” (2019), and “High Heat” (2022), among many others.
More recent roles include the 2023 action film “The Collective,” starring Ruby Rose and Tyrese Gibson, and the 2024 thriller “Rebel Ridge,” which debuted on Netflix on Sept. 6. Johnson is also set to star in the ABC medical drama “Doctor Odyssey,” premiering on Sept. 26.
Reflecting on his remarkable journey in Hollywood in an interview with The Guardian, published in November 2019, Johnson expressed pride in the trajectory his career has taken since appearing in “Miami Vice.”
“I’m really proud of the fact that I was able to overcome what has trapped so many other actors when they’ve played an iconic role like that,” he said.
“I was able to separate Don Johnson from Sonny Crockett and take Don Johnson on a journey where others were willing to say: ‘Oh, OK, let me check him out in this,’” he continued. “And that’s not a small accomplishment.”
