Who is Don Johnson

Donnie Wayne Johnson was born December 15, 1949, and is more commonly known as Don Johnson. He is an American actor well known for his work in television and film. Johnson made his screen debut in the 1970 film, "The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart". It wasn't until 1984 that Johnson landed his defining role - that was the lead role of Sonny Crockett in the popular 1980s TV cop series, "Miami Vice". This led him to huge success and fame. He also played the lead role in the 1990s cop series, "Nash Bridges". Johnson is a Golden Globe winning actor for his role in Miami Vice, and a winner of the APBA Offshore World Cup. In addition to being an actor, he is also a singer, songwriter, producer, and director.

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In September 1984, Don Johnson became a household name as a result of his role as Sonny Crockett in the popular 1980s series, "Miami Vice". In this show, Johnson played a police detective working undercover as a drug smuggler. He typically wore thousand dollar Versace and Hugo Boss suits over pastel cotton t-shirts, drove a Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona (later a Ferrari Testarossa) and lived on a 42-foot yacht with his pet alligator Elvis. "Miami Vice" was noted for its revolutionary use of music, cinematography, and imagery as well as a more glitzy take on the police drama genre.

Johnson later starred in the drama "Nash Bridges" (1996-2001) with Cheech Marin. Johnson played the title role of Nash Bridges, a detective for the San Francisco Police Department. In "Nash Bridges" Johnson was again paired with a flashy convertible car, this time an electric yellow 1971 Plymouth Barracuda.

In the fall of 2005, he starred in The WB courtroom television drama show "Just Legal" as a jaded lawyer with a very young and idealistic protegé/partner (Jay Baruchel); the show was canceled in October 2006.

Don Johnson was born in Flat Creek, MO. His father was a farmer, his mother a beautician. At the age of 6, he moved from Missouri to Wichita, KS. He graduated from South High School in Wichita in 1967 and attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. In the late 1960s, he was one of the male contestants on the popular television show The Dating Game.

Johnson studied drama at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. His first major role was in the 1969 Los Angeles stage production of "Fortune and Men's Eyes" in which he played Smitty, the lead role. This exposure led to the quickly forgotten 1970 film "The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart" . He continued to work on stage, film and television without breaking out into stardom. His notable films from this period were "The Harrad Experiment" (1973) and "A Boy and His Dog" (1975).