Philip Michael Thomas
Encyclopedia
Philip Michael Thomas is an American
actor
. Thomas's most famous role is that of detective Ricardo Tubbs
on the hit 1980s TV
series Miami Vice
. His first notable roles were in Coonskin
and opposite Irene Cara
in the 1976
film Sparkle
. After his success in Miami Vice
, Thomas appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies
and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He served as a spokesperson for cell phone entertainment company Nextones, and supplied the voice for the character Lance Vance on the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
.
Thomas is of mixed race, with German
, Native American
, African American
and Irish
ancestry.
seeking revenge on the person who killed his brother Rafael Tubbs. In Miami he encounters another undercover cop, Sonny Crockett
, who is coincidentally looking for the same person.
Thomas also invented the acronym "EGOT", meaning "Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony", in reference to his plans for winning all four. He was never nominated for any of these awards, but has received a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
alter ego, even opening the ads with the phrase, "From Miami Vice to world advice!"
Traffix replaced Thomas with Miss Cleo
. Thomas sued, alleging breach of contract, and won. In 2002 a New York arbitrator awarded Thomas $1.48 million for improper use of his name and likeness and an additional $780,000 in interest.
He was romantically involved with singer Dionne Warwick
, who was affiliated with Psychic Friends Network.
in the police drama Nash Bridges
. He played Cedrick "Rick" Hawks, a U.S. Postal Inspector from Miami
visiting Bridges (Johnson) in San Francisco
. His first appearance was in the episode "Wild Card", and his second and final appearance was in the episode "Out of Miami", aired in 2001 during the program's final season.
(2002) (VG) as Lance Vance, a main character who is trying to avenge his brother, Victor Vance's death. He reprised the voice-over role in the prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
(2006) (VG) which details Lance's arrival in Vice City, his business with drugs, and his relationship with his brother.
"The Maze." The episode "Trust Fund Pirates" featured another of his songs, "La Mirada." Thomas's Miami Vice
costar Don Johnson
recorded an album shortly afterward titled Heartbeat. Although Johnson's album was more successful (producing a top 5 single), both albums are considered prime examples of the hubris of successful performers.
Thomas followed up in 1988 with a second album, Somebody. It also failed to produce a hit and sold poorly. In 1993, Thomas teamed with Kathy Rahill to compose My, My, Miam...i, which was chosen as the city of Miami
's theme song. That same year, Thomas teamed with Jamaican fitness instructor Sandi Morais to compose songs for a family-friendly musical titled Sacha, which enjoyed runs in south Florida and New York. The two formed the Magic Cookie Production Company. Thomas produced the music for Morais's fitness videos in 2001 and 2006.
Thomas also created a music video called "Just the Way I Planned It". He was in the original San Francisco cast of Hair
, and played the alto saxophone in several episodes of Miami Vice
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Thomas's most famous role is that of detective Ricardo Tubbs
Ricardo Tubbs
Detective Ricardo Tubbs is a fictional character and protagonist from the American television series Miami Vice and the 2006 film of the same name. He is portrayed in all his appearances in the television series by Philip Michael Thomas, and in the film by Jamie Foxx...
on the hit 1980s TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. His first notable roles were in Coonskin
Coonskin (film)
Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
and opposite Irene Cara
Irene Cara
Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman...
in the 1976
1976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
film Sparkle
Sparkle (1976 film)
Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...
. After his success in Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, Thomas appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He served as a spokesperson for cell phone entertainment company Nextones, and supplied the voice for the character Lance Vance on the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
.
Thomas is of mixed race, with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry.
Miami Vice
Thomas played the role of Ricardo Tubbs, an ex-NYPD police officer from the Bronx who came to MiamiMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
seeking revenge on the person who killed his brother Rafael Tubbs. In Miami he encounters another undercover cop, Sonny Crockett
James "Sonny" Crockett
James "Sonny" Crockett is a fictional character from the Miami Vice television series and film of the same name. The character is portrayed by Don Johnson in the television series, and Colin Farrell in the movie version of the show. He was introduced in the Miami Vice pilot in 1984 and appeared in...
, who is coincidentally looking for the same person.
Thomas also invented the acronym "EGOT", meaning "Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony", in reference to his plans for winning all four. He was never nominated for any of these awards, but has received a People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Psychic Reader's Network
In 1994 Thomas signed an agreement with Florida-based Psychic Reader's Network (later known as Traffix, Inc.) to become the spokesman for the Philip Michael Thomas Psychic Connection. He appeared in television ads and claimed to have met the planet's premier psychics through his "world travels". He dressed similarly to his Miami ViceMiami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
alter ego, even opening the ads with the phrase, "From Miami Vice to world advice!"
Traffix replaced Thomas with Miss Cleo
Miss Cleo
Youree Dell Harris better known as Miss Cleo, is an American psychic and shaman who achieved fame as a spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call service from 1997 - 2003....
. Thomas sued, alleging breach of contract, and won. In 2002 a New York arbitrator awarded Thomas $1.48 million for improper use of his name and likeness and an additional $780,000 in interest.
He was romantically involved with singer Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, who was affiliated with Psychic Friends Network.
Nash Bridges
In 1997, Thomas was reunited with Don JohnsonDon Johnson
Donnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...
in the police drama Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
. He played Cedrick "Rick" Hawks, a U.S. Postal Inspector from Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
visiting Bridges (Johnson) in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. His first appearance was in the episode "Wild Card", and his second and final appearance was in the episode "Out of Miami", aired in 2001 during the program's final season.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
He performed a voice-over in Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
(2002) (VG) as Lance Vance, a main character who is trying to avenge his brother, Victor Vance's death. He reprised the voice-over role in the prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
(2006) (VG) which details Lance's arrival in Vice City, his business with drugs, and his relationship with his brother.
Music career
In 1985, Thomas recorded a music album titled Living the Book of My Life. It sold poorly and failed to produce a hit single. Thomas performed the title song of his album during the 1985 episode of Miami ViceMiami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
"The Maze." The episode "Trust Fund Pirates" featured another of his songs, "La Mirada." Thomas's Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
costar Don Johnson
Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne "Don" Johnson is an American actor known for his work in television and film. He played the lead role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice, which led him to huge success. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, Nash Bridges...
recorded an album shortly afterward titled Heartbeat. Although Johnson's album was more successful (producing a top 5 single), both albums are considered prime examples of the hubris of successful performers.
Thomas followed up in 1988 with a second album, Somebody. It also failed to produce a hit and sold poorly. In 1993, Thomas teamed with Kathy Rahill to compose My, My, Miam...i, which was chosen as the city of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
's theme song. That same year, Thomas teamed with Jamaican fitness instructor Sandi Morais to compose songs for a family-friendly musical titled Sacha, which enjoyed runs in south Florida and New York. The two formed the Magic Cookie Production Company. Thomas produced the music for Morais's fitness videos in 2001 and 2006.
Thomas also created a music video called "Just the Way I Planned It". He was in the original San Francisco cast of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
, and played the alto saxophone in several episodes of Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
.
Filmography
- Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972)
- StigmaStigma (film)Stigma is a 1972 American drama film. It was produced by Charles Moss, while David E. Durston was both the writer and the director. Prominent themes in the film include racism and sexually transmitted disease....
(1972) - Book of Numbers (1973)
- Mr. Ricco (1975)
- Black FistBlack FistBlack Fist is an obscure 1974 blaxploitation film about a streetfighter who goes to work for a white gangster and a corrupt cop. The film is in public domain....
(1975) - CoonskinCoonskin (film)Coonskin is a 1975 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, about an African American rabbit, fox, and bear who rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists and the Mafia...
(1975) - SparkleSparkle (1976 film)Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...
(1976) - The Wizard of Speed and TimeThe Wizard of Speed and TimeThe Wizard of Speed and Time is a 1989 low-budget feature film written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov, as well as a 1979 16 mm short film, also by Jittlov.-1979 Short film:...
(1977) short - Death Drug (1978)
- The Dark (1979)
- The Mushroom Eater (1980)
- Of Stigma (1982)
- Hey Good Lookin' (1982) (voice)
- The Wizard of Speed and TimeThe Wizard of Speed and TimeThe Wizard of Speed and Time is a 1989 low-budget feature film written, directed, and starring animator Mike Jittlov, as well as a 1979 16 mm short film, also by Jittlov.-1979 Short film:...
(1989) feature - Miami Shakedown (1993) (also executive producer)
- River of Stone (1994)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
as Lance Vance (2002) - Fate (2003)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
as Lance Vance (2006)
Television Work
- TomaToma-Places:In Burkina Faso*Toma, Burkina Faso, town in Nayala province*Toma Department, department in Nayala province, Burkina Faso*Toma, Banwa, town in Burkina Faso*Toma Koura, village in Tansila Department of Banwa Province, Burkina FasoIn Japan...
(1973) (pilot for series) - Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
(1974) - The Beasts Are On the Streets (1978)
- Roots: The Next GenerationsRoots: The Next GenerationsRoots: The Next Generations is a 1979 television miniseries that continues the story of the family of Alex Haley from the 1880s, and their life in Henning, Tennessee, to the 1960s, with Haley researching his family history and his travels to Africa to learn of his ancestor, Kunta Kinte...
(1979) (miniseries) - Lawman Without a Gun (1979)
- Valentine (1979)
- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(1984–1990) - A Fight for Jenny (1986)
- False Witness (1989)
- ZorroZorro (1990 TV series)Zorro, also known as The New Zorro, New World Zorro, and Zorro 1990, is an American action-adventure drama series featuring Duncan Regehr as the character of Zorro. Regehr portrayed the fearless Latino hero and fencer on The Family Channel from 1990 to 1993...
: Pride of the Pueblo (1990) - A Little Piece of Sunshine (1990)
- Detective Extralarge: Moving Target (1990)
- Detective Extralarge: Miami Killer (1991)
- Detective Extralarge: Magic Power (1991)
- Detective Extralarge: Jo-Jo (1991)
- Detective Extralarge: Cannonball (1991)
- Detective Extralarge: Black Magic (1991)
- Detective Extralarge: Black and White (1991)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless ReporterPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
(1991) - We Are Angels (1997) (miniseries)