Don Johnson

Biography

Donald Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer, director, singer, and songwriter. He's best known for his role as Det. James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, winning a Golden Globe for his work in the role. In 1984, after more then a decade of acting on television, Johnson landed a starring role as undercover police detective Sonny Crockett in the Michael Mann/Universal Television cop series, Miami Vice (1984-1990). Miami Vice made him "a major international star." According to Rolling Stone, "No one had more swagger in the Reagan era than Don Johnson." His work on Miami Vice earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama, in 1986, and he was nominated for the same award in 1987. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1985. Between seasons on Miami Vice, he gained further renown through TV miniseries such as the 1985 remake of The Long, Hot Summer. In 1996, he had a supporting role in Tin Cup, along with Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, and Cheech Marin. Johnson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996. He later starred in the 1996–2001 CBS-TV police drama Nash Bridges with Cheech Marin, Jeff Perry, Jaime P. Gomez, Kelly Hu, Wendy Moniz, Annette O'Toole, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as his daughter Cassidy, and James Gammon as his father Nick. In October 2010, he began appearing on the HBO series Eastbound & Down, playing Kenny Powers' long-lost father, going by the alias "Eduardo Sanchez." He also reprised his role as Sonny Crockett for a Nike commercial with LeBron James in which the NBA player contemplates acting and appears alongside Johnson on Miami Vice. He had a supporting role in the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film Django Unchained, playing a southern plantation owner named Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett. In 2014, Johnson starred as the character "Jim Bob" opposite Sam Shepard and Michael C. Hall in Jim Mickle's critically acclaimed crime film, Cold in July. In 2014, he had a supporting role in the film The Other Woman as Cameron Diaz's character's father. In 2015, Johnson began starring in the ABC prime time soap opera Blood & Oil. In 2018, he starred as the character of Arthur, the love interest of Vivian, played by Jane Fonda in Bill Holderman's romantic-comedy Book Club. In 2019, Johnson played the role of Richard Drysdale in Rian Johnson's murder-mystery Knives Out; and starred as Police Chief Judd Crawford in the HBO series Watchmen. In 2021, he co-starred on Kenan, until its cancellation in May 2022. He also appeared in a Nash Bridges television film, with co-star Cheech Marin, on the USA Network in 2021.

Known For

Robert Lee Anderson / The Marlboro Man

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

David Simms

Tin Cup

Stanley Cole

The Harrad Experiment

Self

Bob Hope's Jolly Christmas Show

Vic

A Boy and His Dog

David Greenhill

Guilty as Sin

Jerry Beck

Dead Bang

Admiral Burnett

Lange flate ballær II

Von Jackson

Machete

Dante

Moondance Alexander

Harley McKay

Return to Macon County

Nash Bridges

Nash Bridges

Harry Madox

The Hot Spot

Self

Larry presents: Best of The 80s

Paul Verrall

Born Yesterday

Miles Deep

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star

Ben Reed

Paradise

Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett

Django Unchained

Ben Dunmore

Goodbye Lover

Wiley Boon

Sweet Hearts Dance

Self (archive footage)

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

Self (archive footage)

WWE: DX: One Last Stand

Carl

Melanie

Jacob Gorch

Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.

Nico

Torno a vivere da solo

Judson Fletcher

The Rebels

Officer Andy Brady

Revenge of the Stepford Wives

Sgt. John Libbey

In Pursuit of Honor

Self

Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes

Jules

Unit 234

Frank

The Other Woman

Sgt. Brian Scott

The City

Tim Murphy

Cease Fire

Gunther

Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold

Arthur

Book Club: The Next Chapter

Jim Bob

Cold in July

Roger

Alex of Venice

Daniel Easton

First, You Cry

Det. James “Sonny” Crockett

Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper

Johnny Wilson

Cover Girls

Elvis Presley

Elvis and the Beauty Queen

Self

NBC 75th Anniversary Special

Stanley Sweetheart

The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart

Ray

High Heat

Charlie Morgan

The Two-Five

Documentary Filmmaker

Heartbeat

Bob Howard

The Two Lives of Carol Letner

Matthew

Zachariah

Self

Prachtig 80: Volume 2

Liam

The Collective

Self

Seriously... Phil Collins

Quirt

Law of the Land

Encore

Mike Sloan

Ski Lift to Death

Benjamin Tyson

Word of Honor

Self (archive footage)

Blood of 1000 Virgins

Warden Tuggs

Brawl in Cell Block 99

Jay Kirkpatrick

Vengeance: A Love Story

Cowboy

Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill

Chief Lt. Calvert

Dragged Across Concrete

Arthur

Book Club

Self

Live Aid

Frank

Lollipops and Roses

Richard Drysdale

Knives Out

Sante Patene

Bastardi

Gerry

Vault

Lt. Falcon (voice)

G.I. Joe: The Movie

Beth's Dad

When in Rome

Jerry Keppler (uncredited)

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

Self

Pennis from Heaven

Chief Sandy Burnne

Rebel Ridge

T. Wasserman

A Little White Lie

Detective James Crockett

Miami Vice: Freefall

Detective James Crockett

Miami Vice: The Prodigal Son

Self - Host (US)

The Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland