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Cleavant Derricks
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Miami Vice Character
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Miami Vice Performer
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Born
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May 15, 1953, Knoxville, Tennessee
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Active
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1978-present
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Spouse/Children
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Portia, four children
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Cleavant Derricks Jr. (born May 15, 1953) is an American stage and screen actor and singer, who appeared in the show Miami Vice as David Jones, a former flame of Trudy Joplin and manager of a club and sang "Love Is for Sale" in the episode in the episode "The Dutch Oven".
Career
Derricks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has a twin brother, Clinton Derricks-Carroll, and his father, Cleavant Sr., was a writer of gospel hymns. He began acting after studying at the Urban Arts Theatre in New York, and appeared in his first TV movie, Cindy, in 1978, then a movie adaptation of the play When Hell Freezes Over I'll Skate. On the stage, he won a Tony Award for his role of James "Thunder" Early in the play Dreamgirls (played in the film version by Eddie Murphy). Derricks also appeared as a regular in the sci-fi series Sliders for five seasons (from 1996-2000).
Some of his other TV/movie appearances include:
- Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981, with Pam Grier, Miguel Piñero, and Tito Goya)
- Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
- The Slugger's Wife (1985, with Lynn Whitfield)
- Moonlighting (two episodes, 1987, with Bruce Willis)
- Drexell's Class (18 episodes, 1991)
- Thea (12 episodes, 1993)
- 18 Wheels of Justice (TV, 2000, with G. Gordon Liddy)
- Cold Case (TV, 2007)
- Rome & Jewel (2008, most recent movie appearance)
- Miami Magma (TV movie, 2011, most recent TV appearance, with Brad Dourif)
Personal Life
Derricks is married to his wife, Portia, and they have four children.
