• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Lifestyle / Celebrity Health / Phillip Michael Thomas: Still Smooth at 70+

Phillip Michael Thomas: Still Smooth at 70+

Best known as the cool, smooth-talking Detective Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs in the 1980s hit television series, “Miami Vice,” legendary actor Phillip Michael Thomas made a name for himself in the entertainment industry, with a career that spanned over four decades. Thirty-six years after the premiere of the iconic show, fans of it still hold it in high esteem.

Thomas was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in San Bernardino, California. He is of African American, Native American, Irish, and German descent. His father, Louis Diggs, was a plant foreman at Westinghouse. Thomas’s mother was Lulu McMorris. He and his seven half brothers and sisters had the surname Thomas, which was the last name of his mother’s first husband.

As a child, he acted in his church’s theater group and, at age 15, while participating in the Pentecostal Delman Heights Four Square Gospel Church choir, became interested in ministry. He graduated from San Bernardino High School in 1967 and briefly worked as a janitor to save money for college. Thomas earned a scholarship to the predominantly black Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, where he studied religion and philosophy after high school.

(Photo by NBC Television/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

After two years at Oakwood College, Thomas transferred to the University of California, Riverside. During this time, he auditioned for and won a role in the San Francisco cast of Hair, which began his acting career. Thomas ultimately quit school to pursue acting as a profession, appearing in several features during the 1970s – including the classic black musical drama Sparkle (1976). His big break came in 1984, when he landed a starring role in the popular television series Miami Vice alongside Don Johnson. And the rest, as they say, is history.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

The “Miami Vice” star is a father to eleven children, including a famous daughter, Imaj Thomas, who became a country singer. At five, the young Imaj featured alongside her father in the movie “River Of Stone” and has since developed interests in other fields like visual art, humanitarian for world peace, writing and music.

By the time Thomas began playing Tubbs on Miami Vice, the Ohio-born actor was in his mid-30s and had worked on TV, film, and stage productions. He had breathtaking ambitions — he’s actually the person responsible for coming up with the acronym “EGOT” (Winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar Award, and Tony Award–essentially all of the four entertainment awards).

Thomas said he originally coined the term as a mantra mean…

Continue Reading

The Latest In Celebrity Health

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington: “My Mom Gave Me The Gift Of LOVING To Read!”

Kerry Washington is showing just how important the impact of a strong mother is on a child. Last year, the Scandal-ous actress got candid about her mother, Valerie, who is the inspiration behind her Aurate x Kerry collection, Birth of Mother read more about Kerry Washington: “My Mom Gave Me The Gift Of LOVING To Read!”

N.W.A. Founding Member Wants to Improve Healthcare

The son of a music teacher and a noted writer, Arabian Prince, born Kim Renard Nazel, was from and raised in South Central. Yes, that South Central--the birthplace of gangsta rap and a once-thriving middle-class community that was been devastated read more about N.W.A. Founding Member Wants to Improve Healthcare
Love & Hip Hop Hollywood Apple Watts

Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: “Unresponsive, But Stable”

Reality star, Apple Watts, who is a cast member of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, has been hospitalized after sustaining “major injuries” in a car accident, according to multiple reports. Watts, who appeared in the fifth and sixth season of read more about Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: “Unresponsive, But Stable”

Rapper Undergoes Four Butt Removal Surgeries

Rapper DreamDoll, who has appeared on shows like Bad Girls Club and Love & Hip Hop: New York and has over 4 Million social media fans, spoke up about having multiple procedures to remove silicone implants from her backside. According read more about Rapper Undergoes Four Butt Removal Surgeries
Kim Coles 2016

Kim Coles at 60: “The Power Of Laughter As A Healer Is Huge”

As a breakout star of 90's TV shows "In Living Color" and "Living Single,” Kim Coles rose to superstardom with unforgettable and classic characters. But, it was no laughing matter when the actress-comedian’s life took a terrifying turn after she read more about Kim Coles at 60: “The Power Of Laughter As A Healer Is Huge”

Megan Thee Stallion to Megan Thee Graduate! Rapper Graduates in Health Administration

The Hot Girl of hip-hop, Texas native Megan Thee Stallion was able to accomplish way beyond selling multiplatinum records--something near and dear to her heart. This past Saturday, Megan graduated from Texas Southern University. She captioned the epic milestone on read more about Megan Thee Stallion to Megan Thee Graduate! Rapper Graduates in Health Administration

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • The McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On LoveThe McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On Love
  • Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)
  • Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: “Unresponsive, But Stable”Reality Star Hospitalized After Major Car Accident: "Unresponsive, But Stable"
  • Aleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech PathologistAleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech Pathologist
  • Black Don’t Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes ViralBlack Don't Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes Viral

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.