One Hit Wonders

Donald Wayne “Don” Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor well known for his film and television appearances. Johnson became a household name as a result of his role in the popular 1980s TV cop series, Miami Vice. He was also popular in the 1990s for another cop series, Nash Bridges.

In 1986 Johnson released the album Heartbeat which featured a hit single of the same name, he registered a Top Five hit.

Video: Heartbeat - Don Johnson

Johnson has had several brushes with the law.

* When he was 12 years old, Johnson was arrested for hotwiring cars and sent to reform school.

* In 1997, two cast members on Nash Bridges accused Johnson of sexual assault. Both cases were settled with confidential settlements.

* In 2001, a 36-year-old woman accused Johnson of grabbing and bruising her arm and lewdly propositioning her outside a restroom at San Francisco restaurant Mas Sake. The woman’s friends went to confront Johnson but said he fled out the back door. Johnson said he was considering buying an advertisement in the San Francisco Chronicle to state his side of the story, but later decided to post the notices on his website. Due to insufficient evidence, no charges were filed.

* In November 2003, Customs officers at the Swiss-German border asked for autographs and did a routine search of his car when they found what they thought was incriminating evidence. $8 billion US worth of credit notes, cheques and securities were found in the trunk of his car, while he was traveling in Europe. He was accompanied in his black Mercedes-Benz by three men: an investment adviser, a personal assistant and a mystery man.

Initially it was thought Johnson was involved in money-laundering, but he was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. Upon receiving word of the incident, German tabloids began exploiting and perpetuating the story, at times even pointing at the irony (as perceived by them) that Don Johnson has frequently portrayed police officers in his acting works.

Popular Finnish music group Don Johnson Big Band is named after him.

Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari gave Johnson a silver Ferrari Testarossa while he was working on Miami Vice. Johnson auctioned the car while going through bankruptcy proceedings.

The Don Johnson, a popular drink in Chicago is named after the Miami Vice Star. A Miami themed drink containing Malibu Rum, Triple Sec, Orange Juice, and Squirt, the Don Johnson has outgrown the real life counterpart’s popularity on the south side of Chicago.