HOLLYWOOD—HELLO AMERICA! It is so easy to suddenly lose reality when one gets a taste of the kind of success Hollywood dishes out. One day you’re hitching a ride to get to an audition, and a few days later you are hunting for an apartment with an impressive address. Phillip Michael Thomas ("Miami Vice") can easily attest to this more than any actor in the business. When "Miami Vice" became a gigantic hit series, he received calls from producers, directors, agents suggesting future projects or promises they could make him a megastar. This, of course, would turn any actor’s head, especially if you spent years trying to get one decent break as an actor.

“I had done numerous roles on TV,” Phillip noted, “but they never got me the attention I needed for the really big boys to sign me to a role or show that would make a difference. For years I was living with my family in a two bedroom small house off of Sunset just barely making it.” Thomas had featured roles in films such as “Sparkle,” "House of Numbers” and “Wack Attack,” all good films which made the business aware of him, but never the call for a major supported network show.

“Somehow in my gut I knew my day would come but when you living on a few bucks a week, you begin to wonder. And I had many of those days but in my heart I believed that call one day would come,” Phillip said.

When Phillip finally received the call that would ultimately change his life, he was absolutely overwhelmed by the outcome. Don Johnson, who was set as the lead name in "Miami Vice," agreed that Phillip would be perfect as his costar, and the games began. The old Hollywood treatment began. Helen Noga, known for her management, Johnny Mathis and so many other entertainment notables took him on. When the show made its debut, both he and Johnson received raves for their respective performances. Notably, their wardrobe caught on quickly with fans, and in no time they began to receive international notice. This is when Phillip began to lose it.

“I was booked on the 'Johnny Carson Show,'” the actor offered. ”And Johnny asked me what I expected from the future. And I stupidly said that I was going to get an Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy as well as an Oscar – after all I knew I was one of the best actors in the industry. Well, that didn’t go over very well with the viewing audience or with the general industry. And from that moment on I was considered pompous, arrogant and full of myself. I even made a CD with songs I composed and it went nowhere – I had screwed myself.”

Phillip resolved that he learned much from that experience because the end result was very frustrating and painful. When "Miami Vice" ended, he had to beg for jobs, and most of the time he was ignored by those who at one time embraced him.

George Hamilton, one of the nicest guys in the business, admits he had the opportunity of a lifetime but didn’t know how to handle it. “I listened to too many people,” he admitted, “being under contract to a studio like MGM and nurtured by some of the best publicists during that period, I left all the promotional decisions to them - believing they knew best. Well I was wrong.”

Because Hamilton was such a handsome, charming young man, his talent as an actor was minimized and his social eruptions were focused on more than most of his screenwork. “If I had it to do all over again,” George said, “I would have more control – have a better  sense of reality. I was so caught up with having my name and picture out there and all the fan mail received from thousands of girls from all over the world. Hey man, it does something to you – it’s really a test as to who you really are. Sure, in many ways I’ve been blessed. I’ve had some great opportunities, but I could have done better and made even better choices. You live and learn, you know.”

Peter Fonda, forever known for film “Easy Rider,” admits that even though he has had some great career opportunities as an actor, he still feels he could have done better if only he could have accepted who he was rather than fighting the reality of being the son of Henry Fonda.

“I guess I’ve been a rebel for most of my life,” he said. “For years I felt that people expected me to be like my dad and because I respected him so much, I guess deep down it was something I wanted, too. Even though I’ve received awards and accolades that any actor would be proud of, I still feel unfulfilled. My dad use to call me a daredevil because I seem to challenge anything and everything that crossed my path. I broke my neck once, even shot myself in the stomach, and everybody thought that my passion for the motorcycle would also be my end."

“I don’t know but it seems that both Jane and I had to prove so much not to possibly the people but to my dad. It was important to us. Of course now I realize that it is more important to love and respect who you are – it’s the only true path to happiness and human success. I just wish that when I was younger I understood that – it might have made a difference in so many ways in my personal life. But, hey, you live and learn,” he said.

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