American actor Philip Michael Thomas was born in Columbus, Ohio on 26 May 1949, of part German and Irish ancestry through his mother. He is best recognized for his part as detective Ricardo Tubbs in the ’80s television series “Miami Vice”.
So how rich is Philip Michael Thomas? Sources estimate that Philip has accumulated a net worth of $2.5 million, his wealth having been earned from his career as an actor and a musician now spanning well over 40 years.
Philip’s father Louis Diggs was Afro-American, a Westinghouse plant foreman, and mother Lulu a housewife with his seven half siblings who are children of his mother’s ex-husband. Philip started acting at a very young age in the church’s theater after his family moved to Los Angeles in 1953. Once he finished his high school he studied Religion and Philosophy in Oakwood College after he earned a one year scholarship. Later he transferred to the University of California and switched to study acting, actually quitting study to follow his ambition into an acting career, starting with many minor roles through the ’70s.
Philip Michael Thomas Net Worth $2.5 Million
Thomas’s first recognized roles were “Coonskin” in 1975 and” Sparkle” in 1976. Later in the ’80s, Philip gained fame by acting in the television series “Miami Vice” as Detective Ricardo Tubbs. In this role Thomas performed as an ex-police officer who relocated to Miami trying to find the person who killed his brother, meeting Sonny Crockett, another police officer who was looking for the same person.
Philip was expecting to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and/or Tony for his performance in “Miami Vice”, but he only won a People Choice’s award and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Still, this role was good for his net worth. Due to his success, Philip then appeared in some “made for TV movies” and some advertisements for telephone services. After the cancellation of “Miami Vice” in 1989, Philip was limited to television movies and Italian television series. His net worth still rose steadily.
In 1994 Philip had an agreement with Florida-based Psychic Reader’s Network (later known as Traffix, Inc.) to be the spokesman for the Philip Michael Thomas Psychic Connection, which gave him the chance to appear again in television advertising, but later Traffix chose Miss Cleo to replace him. This was against the contract between Philip and Traffix, such that in 2002 he was awarded $1.48 million by the New York arbitrator, adding to his net worth.
In 1997 he appeared as Cedrick “Rick” Hawks, a USA postal inspector in the police drama “Nash Bridges”, along with Don Johnson. Thomas then started working in the video game industry by performing the voice for the Lance Vance character in “Grand Theft Auto:Vice City” and “Grand Theft Auto:Vice City Story” video games from 2000. In 2001 he appeared again with Johnson as a television star in the series “Nash Bridges”. These projects also helped increase his net worth.
Side by side to his acting career, Philip also involved to the music industry. In 1985 he released his first two, failed music albums, “Living the Book of My Life” and “Somebody”. In 2001 and 2006 Thomas formed a team including Kathy Rahill and Sandi Morais to launch the “Magic cookie production company” which released the music for the fitness videos of Morais. These added little to Philip’s net worth.
Philip was known for his ego as he considered himself as one of the most effective figures, such as Mahatma Gandi, as he said : “There are only a few who will be the Fords, the Edisons, the Carnegies, and I think I’m in that number.”
In his personal life, Philip has been in relationships with numerous women, and is the father of 12 children, including a daughter with first wife Pat Thomas, a daughter with Merria Ross, two daughters to actress Sheila Dewindt, a daughter and a son with Dhaima Matthews, and a daughter and four sons with second wife Kassandra Thomas(1986-98). Perhaps his private life explains his relatively low net worth!?
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, VGX Award for Best Supporting Male Performance, TV Land Coolest Crime Fighting Team Award
Movies
Sparkle, Coonskin, Death Drug, The Wizard of Speed and Time, Book of Numbers, El hombre de los hongos, Hey Good Lookin', Black Fist, Stigma, Mamma Mia!, Fate, Canciones del Corazon, Soul Brothas and Sistas: Vol. 4: Quadruple Feature
TV Shows
Noi siamo angeli, Miami Vice
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Quote
1
I will always be a gypsy, and if a woman is going to love me, she will have to love the gypsy spirit in me. This is the thing in the past most women have not understood. They want to embrace the physical relationship and settle down. That means death to me. I gotta fly.
2
I'm locked in as one of the showbiz superstars. Like Dr. Kildare is forever. Telly Savalas is forever.
3
There are only a few who will be the Fords, the Edisons, the Carnegies, and I think I'm in that number.
4
I'm like Gandhi in a sense. I don't mind walking with the people. I will take off my suits and ties and get down there and work.
5
I have been recommending Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich to almost everybody I have met since I first read it in 1967. It is the master key to anyone who wants to succeed.
6
I love encouraging people to read great books. You can travel the world and the universe if you just go to your local library and choose a book to read. I tell my children you must read to lead.
7
Some people never live a day in a lifetime. I live a lifetime in a day.
8
Once you get to the mountain top that's where you really begin to climb.
9
Good life is like good music. There are rests and pauses and melody and rhythm and lyric and reason and rhyme and love that last for all time. Music and all that it possesses is a multi-dimensional life itself. Not just a trip, but a round trip.
10
Look deep into the mirror of your soul and discover a wonderful truth, the greatest book you'll ever know is written and lived by you.
11
"I've become greened, like money. I respect the position. I'm enthusiastic, as opposed to excited. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek entheos, which means "God-inspired"...I recommend fame, but with fortune. Otherwise, it's a bitch." (Playboy 1985)
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Fact
1
PMT has always loved Florida and has chosen to call The Sunshine State his home. He is hard at work on his autobiography, official web site, and writing songs for an album he may release in 2008. [August 2007]
2
Co-producer and co-creator of the smash-hit musical Sacha on Broadway, which is staged periodically in Florida and is being groomed for a national tour. [August 2007]
3
Was an ordained Pentecostal preacher at the age of 16.
4
Before transferring to the University of California-Riverside, PMT attended Oakwood College, a small liberal arts institution in Huntsville, Alabama (started by the Seventh-day Adventist church), intending to become a pastor.
5
In addition to being highly creative, even bookish, PMT is gifted mechanically and can rebuild a car engine from the ground up or diagnose it merely by hearing someone describe its symptoms.
6
Of Native-American, Irish, & African-American ancestry.
7
Attended the University of California at Riverside, California.
8
Was awarded an undisclosed amount by an arbitrator for his work in psychic phone commercials, ending an eight-year dispute in which Thomas claimed Traffix, Inc. owed him $12 million. [June 2002]
9
A bank foreclosed on his house in 1998.
10
Lived with Kassandra Thomas from 1986-1998. They have 5 children.
11
Lived with Dhaima Matthews from 1982-1986. They had 2 children.
12
Has six daughters, one step-daughter, and five sons from 5 different relationships. Step-daughter, Monica. Sacha, his first born daughter with first wife Pat Thomas. Daughter Khrishna to Merria Ross. Daughters Melody and India to actress Sheila Dewindt. Daughter Chayenne and son Gabriel (A.K.A. "Philip Jr.") with Dhaima Matthews. Daughter Imaj and sons Sovereign, Sacred, Kharisma, and Noble with second wife Kassandra Thomas.