Name
Don Johnson
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1949-12-15 (77 years old)
Place of Birth
Flat Creek, Missouri, USA
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
8.193
With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a ...
7.844
When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85...
6.607
Two policemen, one an old-timer, the other his volatile younger partner, find themselves s...
6.288
Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorit...
6.421
After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he's been cheating o...
6.264
Four best friends take their book club to Italy for the fun girls' trip they never had. Wh...
6.3
It's the lawless future, and renegade biker Harley Davidson and his surly cowboy buddy, Ma...
5.911
Disillusioned with romance, Beth, an ambitious New Yorker, travels to Rome for her sister'...
6.961
After working as a drug courier and getting into a brutal shootout with police, a former b...
- 1991 Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man as Robert Lee Anderson / The Marlboro Man
- 1996 Tin Cup as David Simms
- 1973 The Harrad Experiment as Stanley Cole
- 1988 Bob Hope's Jolly Christmas Show as Self
- 1975 A Boy and His Dog as Vic
- 1989 Dead Bang as Jerry Beck
- 1993 Guilty as Sin as David Greenhill
- 2008 Long Flat Balls II as Admiral Burnett
- 2010 Machete as Von Jackson
- 2007 Moondance Alexander as Dante
- 1975 Return to Macon County as Harley McKay
- 2021 Nash Bridges as Nash Bridges
- 1990 The Hot Spot as Harry Madox
- 2004 Larry presents: Best of The 80s as Self
- 1993 Born Yesterday as Paul Verrall
- 2011 Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star as Miles Deep
- 1991 Paradise as Ben Reed
- 2012 Django Unchained as Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett
- 1999 Goodbye Lover as Ben Dunmore
- 1988 Sweet Hearts Dance as Wiley Boon
- 2001 Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy as Self (archive footage)
- 2011 WWE: DX: One Last Stand as Self (archive footage)
- 1982 Melanie as Carl
- 1981 Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. as Jacob Gorch
- 2008 Torno a vivere da solo as Nico
- 1980 Revenge of the Stepford Wives as Officer Andy Brady
- 1995 In Pursuit of Honor as Sgt. John Libbey
- 1988 Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes as Self
- 2024 Unit 234 as Jules
- 2014 The Other Woman as Frank
- 1977 The City as Sgt. Brian Scott
- 1985 Cease Fire as Tim Murphy
- 1978 Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold as Gunther
- 2023 Book Club: The Next Chapter as Arthur
- 2014 Cold in July as Jim Bob
- 2015 Alex of Venice as Roger
- 1978 First, You Cry as Daniel Easton
- 1984 Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper as Det. James “Sonny” Crockett
- 1977 Cover Girls as Johnny Wilson
- 1981 Elvis and the Beauty Queen as Elvis Presley
- 2002 NBC 75th Anniversary Special as Self
- 1970 The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart as Stanley Sweetheart
- 2022 High Heat as Ray
- 1978 The Two-Five as Charlie Morgan
- 1987 Heartbeat as Documentary Filmmaker
- 1981 The Two Lives of Carol Letner as Bob Howard
- 1971 Zachariah as Matthew
- 2003 Prachtig 80: Volume 2 as Self
- 2023 The Collective as Liam
- 1990 Seriously... Phil Collins as Self
- 1976 Law of the Land as Quirt
- Soon Encore
- 1978 Ski Lift to Death as Mike Sloan
- 2003 Word of Honor as Benjamin Tyson
- 2013 Blood of 1000 Virgins as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 Brawl in Cell Block 99 as Warden Tuggs
- 2017 Vengeance: A Love Story as Jay Kirkpatrick
- 1979 Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill as Cowboy
- 2019 Dragged Across Concrete as Chief Lt. Calvert
- 2018 Book Club as Arthur
- 1985 Live Aid as Self
- 1971 Lollipops and Roses as Frank
- 2019 Knives Out as Richard Drysdale
- 2008 Bastardi as Sante Patene'
- 2019 Vault as Gerry
- 1987 G.I. Joe: The Movie as Lt. Falcon (voice)
- 2010 When in Rome as Beth's Dad
- 2011 A Good Old Fashioned Orgy as Jerry Keppler (uncredited)
- 2005 Pennis from Heaven as Self
- 2024 Rebel Ridge as Chief Sandy Burnne
- 2023 A Little White Lie as T. Wasserman
- 1992 The Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland as Self - Host (US)
- 2014 From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season
- 1985 The NBC All Star Hour: Let's All Be There
- 1969 Fortune and Men's Eyes as Smitty
- 2023 Commitment to Life as Self (archive footage)
- 1989 Miami Vice: Freefall as Det. James “Sonny” Crockett
- 2016 Andy Warhol, Fluorescent as (archive footage)
- 2026 Soap Fever as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1996 Nash Bridges ( 122 episodes ) as Nash Bridges
- 2003 The Ellen DeGeneres Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1999 Judging Amy ( 1 episode ) as Defense Attorney
- 2001 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1979 Tales of the Unexpected ( 1 episode ) as Reeve Baker
- 1972 The Streets of San Francisco ( 1 episode ) as Off. Larry Wilson
- 2021 Kenan ( 19 episodes ) as Rick
- 1977 Nashville 99 ( 1 episode ) as Mike Watling
- 2005 Just Legal ( 9 episodes ) as Grant Cooper
- 2001 Richard & Judy ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1995 MADtv ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1977 Eight Is Enough ( 1 episode ) as Doug
- 1980 From Here to Eternity ( 12 episodes ) as Jefferson 'Jeff' Davis Prewitt
- 1973 Police Story ( 1 episode ) as Lee Morgan
- 1982 Matt Houston ( 1 episode ) as Terry Spence
- 2009 Glenn Martin, DDS ( 1 episode ) as Grandpa Whitey (voice)
- 1980 Beulah Land ( 3 episodes ) as Bonard Davis
- 1977 Big Hawaii ( 1 episode ) as Gandy
- 1977 What Really Happened to the Class of '65? ( 1 episode ) as Edgar
- 1984 Miami Vice ( 110 episodes ) as Sonny Crockett
- 2014 From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series ( 10 episodes ) as Earl McGraw
- 1985 The Long Hot Summer ( 2 episodes ) as Ben Quick
- 2015 Blood & Oil ( 10 episodes ) as Hap Briggs
- 2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2017 A Series of Unfortunate Events ( 2 episodes ) as Sir
- 1962 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ( 2 episodes ) as Self
- 2017 Sick Note ( 6 episodes ) as Kenny West
- 2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride ( 1 episode ) as Prince Humperdinck
- 2009 Eastbound & Down ( 5 episodes ) as Eduardo Sanchez
- 2014 TripTank ( 1 episode ) as Johnny Bahama (voice)
- 2009 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Guest
- 1993 Raw ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2024 Doctor Odyssey ( 18 episodes ) as Captain Robert Massey
- 1975 Saturday Night Live ( 1 episode ) as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
- 1997 Classic Albums ( 1 episode ) as Self (archive footage)
- 1982 Champs-Elysées ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2007 The Graham Norton Show ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
- 2019 Watchmen ( 9 episodes ) as Judd Crawford
- 2010 Conan ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self (uncredited)
- 1944 Golden Globe Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Nominee
- 1973 Barnaby Jones ( 1 episode ) as Wayne Lockwood
- 2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
- 1988 LIVE with Kelly and Mark ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
- 1989 Clive James' Postcard from ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! ( 3 episodes ) as Self - Guest
- 1975 People's Choice Awards ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Host
- 1975 Saturday Night Live ( 1 episode ) as Self (uncredited)
- 1979 The Rebels ( 2 episodes ) as Judson Fletcher
- Soon Southern Discomfort ( 1 episode ) as Bob Dobson
- 1990 The Word ( 1 episode )
- 2026 Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America ( 1 episode ) as Doc Holliday
- 1981 Elvis and The Beauty Queen ( 1 episode ) as Elvis Presley
