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"Some people never live a day in their lifetime. I live a lifetime in a day." Philip Michael Thomas found his fame as the former NYPD officer Ricardo Tubbs on Miami Vice (1984). The role would help launch Thomas to national acclaim. While nothing he has done since has been celebrated quite as much, Thomas has made himself a cornerstone of 80s pop-culture.

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While Philip Michael Thomas has appeared in 55 projects throughout his career, he has been far more than just a performer. Thomas is also a famous musician who has released music under his own label, Spaceship Records. Additionally, Thomas had a high-profile kerfuffle with the Psychic Reader's Network in 1994. Thomas had signed on to be the face of the paranormal based network, and he would record several promotional commercials. However, the company behind Psychic Reader's Network would replace him with Miss Cleo. Thomas would sue for breach of contract and win. Nowadays, Thomas is enjoying his life in relatively quiet retirement.

Blue Collar Origins

Philip Michael Thomas was born on May 26, 1949, in Columbus, OH. Despite being born in the Midwest, his family would move to San Bernardino in California. As a child, Thomas grew up watching his father, Louis Diggs, work as a plant foreman for the Westinghouse company. Thomas's mother, Lulu McMorris, would work from home in order to raise his seven siblings, all of whom had the surname of Thomas.

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Despite his large family, Philip wasn't ready to get left behind. As a child, Thomas would perform in the local theater group at his church. By the time that Thomas was 15, he would be performing as part of the choir at Pentecostal Delman Heights Four Square Gospel Church. Despite the long name, the choir was impressive and Thomas earned early notoriety for his singing voice.

Eventually, Thomas would graduate from San Bernardino High School. Thomas would stick around in order to work as a janitor for the school while saving up for college. He'd eventually find his way to Oakwood College in Alabama where he majored in philosophy and religion. 

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Thomas's acting career wouldn't start until he transferred from Oakwood College to the University of California. Thomas would begin experimenting with acting, and he would score his first role in the project, Hair. Thomas would drop out of school shortly thereafter in order to pursue a career in film.

Church Choir to Miami Vice

Philip Michael Thomas would begin pursuing his acting work in earnest in the early '70s. Despite his best efforts, Thomas struggled in the early going. Thomas would land a supporting role in a string of feature films which included Stigma (1972) and Book of Numbers (1973). Thomas would eventually segue into television work when he landed a recurring role on Toma (1973) as Sam Hooper.

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Thomas would bounce around a variety on TV shows and made-for-TV movies before landing the most important audition of his life. In 1984, Thomas would audition for a TV series called Miami Vice (1984). Thomas would audition for the role of Ricardo Stubbs, a former NYPD officer who was determined to get revenge on the man who killed his brother. Thomas would land the role and earn more than $25,000 per episode during the first two seasons. Thomas would get raises every season before topping out at $90,000 per episode. Miami Vice would run for five seasons, spanning 112 episodes. The show would be labeled as one of the 'Top 50 TV Shows' of all time, according to People magazine.  The show would be nominated for seven Golden Globe awards and a pair of Grammy awards.

As Thomas was beginning to develop into an enterprising young star, he would become famous for more than just his work on TV. Thomas would coin the acronym, 'EGOT'. Thomas had plans to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award at some point in his career, so he shortened his goals into the four-letter word. Thomas has since been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series in 1986. Thomas would not take home the award and he has since not been nominated for another.

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After Miami Vice wrapped in 1990, Thomas would bounce around some more in an effort to land recurring work. He would appear in a variety of TV movies, including Swamp Thing (1992) and the Extralarge series, which spanned from 1991 to 1992 and featured six full releases.  Despite his consistent work, Thomas wouldn't find himself back at the top of his game until 1997.

In 1997, Thomas was brought on board the dramatic cop show, Nash Bridges (1997). Thomas would reunite with Don Johnson, his co-star in Miami Vice, for two episodes. Since then, Philip has had a relatively quiet career. He's been a voiceover artist for the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City video games, but that is just about it.

Philip Michael Thomas is known for being a straight-edge vegetarian. He swore off smoking and drinking in his youth. Thomas married Kassandra Thomas in 1986 and the two would have five children together. The couple would split up in 1998. Thomas has had six other children, bringing his total count up to 11. Philip is currently retired and living in Windermere, Florida.