A Rather Comprehensive List of Famous Guest Stars Who Appeared on ‘Miami Vice’
Bruce Willis playing arms dealer extraordinaire Tony Amato in Miami Vice’s first season.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Four months later, he was trading barbs with Cybill Shepherd as P.I. David Addison in Moonlighting pic.twitter.com/w9NClkIizv
Photographer Daniel Holland has Tweeted out a rather comprehensive list of famous actors and musicians who once guest-starred on the 1980s NBC series Miami Vice.
Season 4 is when Julia Roberts made an appearance as Polly Wheeler, an art gallery manager/drug dealer’s assistant with a penchant for bad boys. And Sonny is just her type. pic.twitter.com/sZ0XOAoMjl
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Here we have Ben Stiller playing a small-time con named Fast Eddie Felcher in season 4 episode 2.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Miami Vice was his third acting gig. pic.twitter.com/KIoVxwwqgr
In season 3 Steve Buscemi was the middleman for a Bolivian drug lord who sort of got his ass kicked by Willie Nelson. (Yes that Willie Nelson) pic.twitter.com/Ti1oposV39
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Nelson plays a semi-bad guy who takes the law into his own hands before biting the dust at the end of the show. pic.twitter.com/7cW8MZAji9
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Benicio del Toro at around 20 had a bit part on Miami Vice in 1987 as Pito, an ex-con-turned-thespian with a local theater group, Mi Vida Loca. pic.twitter.com/E24kJSxfNg
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
In its 3rd season, “When Irish Eyes Are Crying,” Detective Gina Calabrese (Saundra Santiago) falls for an Irish philanthropist—played by Liam Neeson—who turns out to be a former IRA member and current terrorist. pic.twitter.com/tVnjUxRl65
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Stanley Tucci with hair (ish) appeared in season 3 of Miami Vice as crime lord Frank Mosca.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
He’d appeared previously on the show as the adoptive father of a smuggled baby and that went so well they asked him back to be a bad guy. pic.twitter.com/hmMXv4n7kw
Back when he was still going by Larry, Laurence Fishburne played a prison guard sizing up Tubbs, who was sent to the clink undercover in order to bust up an in-house drug operation.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Turns out that Larry is one of the guys behind it!! ? pic.twitter.com/RTTBVN44a3
If there’s one thing an undercover cop should never do, it’s fall in love with a prostitute. Which is exactly what Bill Paxton, as Vic Romano, does. Much to the dismay of a pimp named Silk, played by Wesley Snipes pic.twitter.com/DgiXT0fYyj
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Miami Vice wasn’t above using the same actor twice in different roles (see Stanley Tucci further up the thread)
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
This worked out to the benefit of Ving Rhames who plays a hapless man held hostage, and then went on to play a hardened criminal with a BRILLIANT flat-top. pic.twitter.com/xvRtzbe3Mm
In 1987 Ian McShane appeared Season 3’s “Knock, Knock… Who’s There?” with an amazing Latino accent.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
He later played a General/dictator who plans on leaving his country, betraying the drug dealers who funded his rise to power.
Crockett & Tubbs are tasked to keep him alive! pic.twitter.com/JMX0AO6lxj
This is where it starts to get REALLY surreal.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Leonard Cohen appears Season 2, (“French Twist”)
Initially the plan was for Cohen to portray the main villain but his role was cut to two phone conversations totalling a minute and a half.
Cohen as a villain? Yes please! pic.twitter.com/4abzhM1q9e
Pam Grier had a reoccurring role (rightfully so) as Valerie Gordon, a NYPD Detective and on-again, off-again love interest for Tubbs in the episodes ” Rites of Passage”, ” The Prodigal Son “, and ” Too Much, Too Late “.
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
She also kicked ass a lot. pic.twitter.com/VPW5jRA8zL
In season 4 @theharryshearer makes an appearance. The squad is on the trail of a stolen canister containing priceless semen of a prized bull called Gargantua. A dangerous Cuban spy is also after the canister, but why?…. pic.twitter.com/nb1CLsdusq
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Frank Zappa was known for many things but acting wasn’t really one of them. That’s why it was such a surprise to see him on Miami Vice. Here he plays an intimidatingly persistent character hell-bent on recovering a large sum of money. pic.twitter.com/1t41j61VoM
— Daniel Holland? (@DannyDutch) August 4, 2021
Here’s Cohen playing his role as a bad guy on a Season 2 episode of the series.