What The Cast Of Miami Vice Looks Like Now

"Miami Vice" was one of the decade-defining aspects of 1980s popular culture. The show's neon hues helped to create a signature '80s aesthetic, as did its bold use of the pop and rock music of the time. The show also transformed the noir genre into something more contemporary. In addition, "Miami Vice" raised the profile of its executive producer, Michael Mann, who went on to direct classic movies such as "Manhunter," the film that introduced Hannibal Lecter to moviegoers; "The Last of the Mohicans," the most famous adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel; and "Heat," the first film where Al Pacino and Robert De Niro appeared on-screen together.

"Miami Vice" lasted from 1984 to 1989. In the decades since, cast members have gone on to many interesting projects, voicing characters in the "Grand Theft Auto" series and working with Quentin Tarantino, among others. One cast member had a notorious death scene in "Jurassic Park." With that in mind, let's take a look at what the "Miami Vice" actors have accomplished — and what they look like today.

Don Johnson's first major role was the lead character in the controversial cult classic "A Boy and His Dog." He later became a household name for playing Sonny Crockett, one of the two lead characters in "Miami Vice." Through the role, Johnson defined cool for a generation. He also had a tremendous influence on subsequent television portrayals of police officers.

Notably, Johnson said the fame the show brought him wasn't always easy. "One day, I reflected on Elvis [Presley] and thought, 'Isn't this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?'" Johnson told the Miami Herald in 2024. "Not that I'm comparing myself to Elvis, but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life. So I learned to manage it and vowed not to let it imprison me."

Johnson did not want to be typecast. "I had seen the peril of the actors who were too identifiable with their character," he added. "I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so people could eventually see me as other characters." Johnson went on to have roles in "Machete," "Django Unchained," and "Knives Out," all of which have major cult followings. In addition, he had two top-40 hits. The first was a "Heartbeat," which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The other was "Till I Loved You," a duet with Barbara Streisand that reached No. 25 on the chart.

Philip Michael Thomas was pivotal to the success of "Miami Vice." The detective's charisma brought Rico Tubbs to life. Thomas felt that the friction between himself and Don Johnson was the heart of the show. "I'm out there, fighting for things, going for things, and Don's ego is out there," he told Rolling Stone in 1985. "And I say, 'Fine! I can deal with that. I love that!' Because it forms a connection that makes people whisper, 'What's that, what are they doing?' You know, 'Who's gonna explode next?'" Thomas said there were two sides to Johnson's personality. "Sure, he does have a serious ego, but there's a part of Don I know that's real sensitive, that's very spiritual, that is, you know, like a pussycat."

Following the end of "Miami Vice," Thomas had a role in "The Wizard of Speed and Time," an independent film about the movie industry. He also had a huge part in extending "Miami Vice's" influence because the show inspired the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series. Fittingly, Thomas voiced Lance Vance in the games "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories." His presence gave the games an extra level of authenticity because both games are set in the 1980s in a city reminiscent of Miami.

On "Miami Vice," Saundra Santiago played Gina Calabrese. In a 2024 interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Santiago praised her character. "She was a real human being who wanted to catch bad guys," she said. "As undercover cops, Olivia Brown's character and mine had to dress scantily as hookers and roam the streets. We always had to pull out our guns and say, 'Miami Vice! Freeze!' So, we got trained in how to use them. Cops on the set would guide us through."

Santiago said she and Brown were put in the same situation when they worked on "Miami Vice." "Olivia and I had to stick together, because we had to fight for time on the show," she recalled. "I went to [series producer] Michael [Mann] every so often, saying, 'I'm the third lead, but I'm not getting my fair share of storytelling.' He would make excuses."

Outside of "Miami Vice," Santiago's most famous roles were in soap operas. She was part of the casts of "Guiding Light" and "One Life to Live." Interestingly, both of these shows were among the longest-running programs in television history. "Guiding Light" was on the air for 57 seasons, while "One Life to Live" was on the air for 45 seasons. While some fans mostly know Santiago from her role in a police procedural, she's also a soap opera queen.

On "Miami Vice," Olivia Brown played Trudy Joplin. During a 2024 interview with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Brown said her character was similar to Saundra Santiago's character, Gina Calabrese. "Our characters were working undercover on Biscayne Boulevard, where there were real prostitutes," she recalled. "I was dressed in this pink dress and coming out of the top, like I should be in a Madonna video."

One of the show's guest stars reacted to Brown's clothing in a way that was less than ideal. "In the episode Miles Davis was in, I was working undercover as a hooker," she recalled. "Don said, 'You should go in and meet Miles Davis.' I liked to greet the guest stars, so I went into his dressing room. He started to undress, and I ran out of there. I was like, 'Don, he thought the show had sent him a complimentary prostitute!'"

The success of "Miami Vice" allowed Brown to purchase a Porsche and a waterfront home. Outside of her role in the show, Brown might be most famous for her role in the action-comedy "48 Hrs.," starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. "48 Hrs." is considered one of the best action films ever made. Brown also made appearances in "Streets of Fire," "Throw Momma From the Train," "Identity Crisis," "Memories of Murder," and "Man's Best Friend."

Michael Talbott played Stanley "Stan" Switek on "Miami Vice." The show made him a local celebrity in his hometown of Waverly, Iowa. The residents of the town would regularly watch the show because of Talbott's appearances. In a 1986 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Talbott said his fame had changed his experience in Waverly. "I'll be digging out the sewer pipe or mowing the lawn in front of our farm and people will stop and ask me for autographs," he said. "I don't consider myself famous, but I can understand where they're coming from."

Outside of "Miami Vice," Talbott is most known for his roles in films. Before "Miami Vice," he appeared in the original film adaptation of "Carrie." Between the incredible acting in that film, its pathos, and its mesmerizing score, "Carrie" is sometimes cited as one of the greatest movies ever made. Talbott also played a character in "Mommie Dearest," a film about Joan Crawford's relationships with her children. Largely because of Faye Dunaway's over-the-top performance, "Mommie Dearest" is considered one of the worst movies ever made, though it has a following among fans of so-bad-it's-good cinema. Talbott's career has certainly taken him in interesting directions.

John Diehl played Detective Larry Zito on "Miami Vice." He earned the part because NBC head Brandon Tartikoff was impressed with his acting in the short film "Leon's Case." Diehl appeared on the show for three seasons before deciding to leave.

While Diehl was proud of his work on "Miami Vice,' he left because he couldn't stand the process of filming it. "I think it was just really depression that got the best of me," he told Media Mikes in 2011. "After the first season we were told that they were going to include more of us in the show, but I would show up to work and spend, at times, 12 hours in my 5-by-5 honeywagon just waiting to be called for my scene. There were times where I would show up and the scene would never end up even being shot. There was just a lot of stuff like that going on."

Ever since then, Diehl has been working regularly in film and television. He's been in Hollywood movies such as "Gettysburg," "Stargate," "Nixon," "Con Air," and "Pearl Harbor." One of his most prominent roles was Cooper in "Jurassic Park III." That film was the final installment in the series before it took a hiatus for 14 years.

Edward James Olmos portrayed Lt. Martin "Marty" Castillo in "Miami Vice." He earned the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for the role. In Olmos' opinion, the show changed Florida forever. "We created South Beach the way you see it today," he told the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2024. "Everything was freshly painted. Before, it was trashy, with ... buildings shut down. You could buy a hotel for a dollar. 'Miami Vice' was a glamorized and romanticized production. It created a style that went around the world, something that resonated throughout the entire planet."

In film, Olmos might be most known for playing Detective Gaff in "Blade Runner" and its sequel, "Blade Runner 2049." Both films are critically acclaimed cult classics. Olmos also appeared in the reboot of "Battlestar Galactica" as Adm. William Adama. He has also lent his voice to many animated films, such as "The Road to El Dorado" and Pixar's "Coco."

Sheena Easton was in five episodes of "Miami Vice." She portrayed Caitlin Davies-Crockett, a pop singer who needed protection from Sonny Crockett. The two fell in love, leading to one of the series' most poignant twists.

Easton was the perfect actor to play a pop star because she was one in real life. Her hits include "Modern Girl," "Morning Train (9 to 5)," and the hugely controversial "Sugar Walls," which was written by Prince in his signature '80s style. But she is perhaps most remembered for "For Your Eyes Only," the theme song for the James Bond movie of the same title. To date, Easton is the only singer to appear in the opening credits of a Bond film.

During a 2015 interview with 100% Rock Magazine, Easton revealed she was surprised by the show's importance. "When I went in and did it, I would get all these letters and all this stuff from his fans and from the show's fan base," she recalled. "It blew me away and yeah, I think when we did our wedding scene when our characters got married, they treated it like it was a real couple getting married. We had helicopters flying overhead and we had to keep cutting the cameras because of the noise and ended up on People magazine's cover."

In "Miami Vice," Martin Ferrero played Isidore "Izzy" Moreno, a small-time crook. He showed an aptitude for playing schemers that served him throughout his career. He had a knack for playing characters who were despicable but fun to watch.

Ferrero's role in "Miami Vice" has been overshadowed by his death in an infamous scene from Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park." "Steven called me in to me and told me, 'I'm thinking about casting you as Donald Gennaro, and I do want to let you know how you're going to die,'" Ferrero recalled in a 2013 interview with USA Today. "I said, 'Wait a minute; Donald Gennaro survives. In fact he saves the children in the book.' And (Spielberg) said, 'No, he's going to die on a toilet. A Tyrannosaurus rex is going to eat you.'" Ferrero admitted he sometimes gets recognized in public as "the guy who got eaten on the toilet in 'Jurassic Park.'" In his opinion, his most famous scene as an actor looks even better in 3D.

Pam Grier is perhaps the first female action star to make it big in Hollywood. With exploitation movies such as "Coffy" and "Foxy Brown," she showed off incredible magnetism that elevated the material. To many, the title characters of those films remain enduring feminist icons.

On "Miami Vice," Grier played Valerie Gordon, Rico Tubbs' occasional love interest. During a 2024 interview on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen," Grier revealed that a kiss she shared with Philip Michael Thomas on the show was the greatest on-screen kiss of her career. In a 2023 Entertainment Weekly interview, Grier said she accepted the role of Valerie because "I wanted to work with a very aggressive, radical director and producer, Michael Mann. He was cutting-edge." Grier would later get to work with another cutting-edge director: Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino introduced Grier to a new generation when he cast her as the title character in "Jackie Brown."

Belinda Montgomery had the honor of portraying Cinderella in the Muppets' take on the fairy tale, titled "Hey, Cinderella!" This project started a trend of film adaptations of classic stories in which the Muppets appeared as the side characters. Later entries in this subgenre include "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island," and "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz."

Subsequently, Montgomery portrayed Caroline Ballard, the ex-wife of Don Johnson's "Miami Vice" character, Sonny Crockett. During a 2017 interview with Hill Place, Montgomery said she was dissatisfied with her casting. "I wanted to play a vice cop on that show, any vice cop," she remembered. "I kept saying, 'Just pick me!' and they wouldn't. Anthony Yerkovich, who created 'Miami Vice' was just great but he said to me, 'You can't play that!' and I said, 'Why not? I do not want to play Don's wife, soon to be an ex! Don has many exes, they're all exes!' and so he laughed and said, 'Well, we think you should play his wife.' And I said, 'Well, that's going to be the end of my character! I want to be a vice cop!'" Regardless, Montgomery was happy that "Miami Vice" raised her public profile. Since "Miami Vice" ended, she has appeared in "Tron: Legacy" and "Snowed-Inn Christmas," one of the best Lifetime Christmas movies.

One of the most memorable aspects of "Miami Vice" is its use of popular music. The show is packed with 1980s hits, which help add to its atmosphere. In the show's two-part premiere episode, there is a dramatic scene in which Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs drive to the sounds of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." It's a stylish sequence that packs an emotional punch. "Miami Vice" also features other songs by Collins, such as "Take Me Home" and "Long Long Way to Go." It was only natural that Collins appeared in an episode of the series. He played a game show host named Phil Mayhew.

During a 2016 interview with Consequence of Sound, Collins revealed he was surprised he was given such a large role in the episode. "I called them and was like, 'Listen, I can't do this. I haven't acted for ages, and I'm in most of the script. I thought it was a cameo!' And they were like, 'Don't worry about it. Just come over. We'll have a lot of fun.' And it was. It was fantastic fun. I found that I was pretty good at it, and people were coming up to me and being like, 'You're pretty good at this. Have you done this before?' And I was like, 'Only as a kid.'" The "Sussudio" singer said his part in "Miami Vice" helped him land roles in movies.