Jimmy Smits As Eddie Rivera
We got to enjoy Jimmy Smith’s character, the suave detective Eddie Rivera, in just one single episode before he died in a blast from a car bomb intended for drug dealer Corky Fowler. Rivera was the partner of Detective Sergeant James “Sonny” Crockett on the show and helped set the tone of the show early on. Sadly for viewers, Rivera didn’t make it beyond the pilot episode of Miami Vice, but his contribution to the show’s inevitable success is clear.
We were quite saddened by Eddie Rivera’s death, as he could have been a great addition to the show as it went on. At-least the actor, Jimmy Smits, got to play in many other films and TV shows after his single-episode premiere on Miami Vice.
Charlie Barnett As Nugart "Noogie" Lamont
Noogie or -- as he preferred to refer to himself -- The Noogman, was a hard-boiled ex-con who helped the Vice team as an informant. He worked mostly for Crockett and Tubbs, helping them solve various drug cases. The character was played by the late actor and comedian, Charlie Barnett, and appeared in six episodes of the show.
His last appearance was season four's seventh episode, titled "Missing Hours", which premiered on November 13, 1987. Nugart was a comic-relief character and helped keep the show a lot lighter in episodes where he appeared.
Charlie Barnett– After the show
Unfortunately, actor and comedian Charlie Barnett died just six years after Miami Vice officially ended in 1990. He was 42 years old at the time of his death and passed away from getting infected with the AIDS virus, likely due to his drug addiction.
The actor’s brief stint on the show was highly popular, and he went on to appear in a few other shows. Barnett's last role was in a 1996's film titled: They Bite.
Jimmy Smits– After the show
After playing Eddie Rivera on Miami Vice, Dutch-Puerto Rican actor Jimmy Smits went on to star in various other crime and political TV shows, including LA Law, NYPD Blue, and The West Wing. Two of Smith's best roles are as Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and as Miguel Prado in the hit crime drama show Dexter.
If you want to check out some of his most recent work, you can see Smith in his role as Elijah Strait in the NBC drama series Bluff City Law. The Hispanic actor is a devout catholic and does much charity work for various organizations. Among these are the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which he founded, and others including Red Cross, New York Cares, and Stand up to Cancer.
Laurence Fishburne As Keller
Laurence Fishburne got one of his earlier roles as Keller, a crooked guard in Bolton Prison. He appeared in the fourth episode of Miami Vice's third season titled "Walk Alone". Keller was caught by James Crockett, who was posing as his alter ego, Sunny Burnett, trying to facilitate a drug deal between the two.
Fishburne got a chance to really flex his acting muscles during this role, as this was one of his earlier chances to shine in the spotlight. The actor ended up becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognized actors due to his role in the hit film The Matrix, but that’s a subject for the next entry.