Ricardo Tubbs Biography

[miamijimf]

Hi all, Christine, from miamivice.info is looking for information/ideas, that will help her write a biography about RICARDO TUBBS, not about PMT. Ell.a, a long time member who many of you know, asked her to write this biography. This will be a real challenge, you can find a lot of information about the actor, but less about the role he played on Vice. Christine agreed to the project because she is one of PMT's biggest fans. She has watched all his performances on the show and is trying to contact PMT but is looking for information about the character that fans might know. For example, what is the story about the locket he wore? Did he mention it in an interview or did an explanation appear in an article? Also is there some tidbit of information in an episode about his life, home, etc usually missed even with a careful viewing of all episodes? It was my idea to start threads in both English Language Forums. I am always amazed by the depth of knowledge about the characters, locations, and props displayed by the fans. The plan is to post the Biography on all MV forums and other sites. Christine will appreciate any input. Her English is very good so you can post comments, ideas etc on this thread or PM her on miamivice.info. Thanks,

[crocketsgrl]

Jim, I don't remember the episode but didn't Rapheal give Tubbs the medallion ? I think it's a religious one if I'm not mistaken.,......Just came to mind reading what you said. Also he is a health food person. He says in S 1 he doesn't eat meat. I think it was the episode with that horrible slime Lawyer, Sloane and he rides up in the Vette and Crockett was getting a hot dog. In the pilot he tells Crockett he became a cop because of his brother. He was in Robbery? That's in the pilot when Sonny sees his real badge after finding out he isn't Rapheal. But we never see his house, though we see everyone elses, strange that one. And we don't know much of his past. I figure so you can't use this, that he is younger than sonny since he wasn't in the war and became a cop when Sonny was already in for years. I guess we'd have to do the math on that one. Though in the 4th season they say Sonny is 35 years old and that's four years into their partnership. He is into cultural things and I always wondered about him being with the Karma and how he was more balanced than Crockett. He also stays in shape doing not just regular exercise, remember Lombard. He's standing on his head in the morning in the hotel......Well I know that wasn't a big help.....good luck, Christine, I can't wait to read this......thanks for doing it.

[miamijimf]

Thanks crocketsgrl. That should be a big help to Christine. It's interesting how closely the character resembled the actor. All those traits are PMTs. He really is into health foods, working out etc. The show's writers had sense enough to realize PMT would appear more genuine and interesting if they incorporated his character traits into the role.

[JonnyDaytona]

Thanks crocketsgrl. That should be a big help to Christine. It's interesting how closely the character resembled the actor. All those traits are PMTs. He really is into health foods' date=' working out etc. The show's writers had sense enough to realize PMT would appear more genuine and interesting if they incorporated his character traits into the role.[/quote']I agree with that wholeheartedly. I was discussing the differences between C&T on another thread. Crockett was pretty cool, but given the choice I'd rather be more like Tubbs....I think his life was bound to be longer, healthier and happier. Sounds like a cool project, can't wait to see the results!

[miamijimf]

Yes and I think the writers also wanted a contrast in personalities. Two leading characters with the same habits, traits etc would be boring.

[Christine]

I see Jim has done a very good job and I´m glad to see that you are all interested to help me. But that makes it quite difficult for me because of your expectations.Your thoughts are very intereting, crocketsgrl. I reckoned that Rico and Sonny were in the same age as in their real life when they met first. And I thought that the locket could have something to do with his religious, too. But I didn´t think about Raphael. Maybe someone else knows more?About the army: I know nothing about the army. Do men have to go to the army or is it their own desicion? If they can decide by themself maybe Rico never wanted to go to the army. All these things that happened in his past in New york ar in the dark.But thanks for your help. I´ll do my very best.Christine

[crocketsgrl]

I see Jim has done a very good job and I´m glad to see that you are all interested to help me. But that makes it quite difficult for me because of your expectations.Your thoughts are very intereting' date=' crocketsgrl. I reckoned that Rico and Sonny were in the same age as in their real life when they met first. And I thought that the locket could have something to do with his religious, too. But I didn´t think about Raphael. Maybe someone else knows more?About the army: I know nothing about the army. Do men have to go to the army or is it their own desicion? If they can decide by themself maybe Rico never wanted to go to the army. All these things that happened in his past in New york ar in the dark.But thanks for your help. I´ll do my very best.Christine[/quote']Christine, with Nam you had a draft card, the protest were burning of the draft cards or running to Canada. Or you just signed up. Sound like since Sonny didn't get the football pros, he was drafted. Now as for Rico, I think he was younger than Sonny, but I don't know I have never seen an episode that actually tells his age. I'm going by the talks they had. So Rico might have just missed it. You only got out of the war due to College, injuries, Homosexuals, or the only son and that was due to the Sullivan killings. Where in WWII the Sullivan brother's were all in the war and all of them were killed. You can see this in Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks is very big on WWII and the facts in his two movies he made about WWII. One he not only made but starred in. But with the draft cards you had numbers and back then it was only given to men. Women's lib was still being fought for. Hope that helps your question.

[crocketsgrl]

Thanks crocketsgrl. That should be a big help to Christine. It's interesting how closely the character resembled the actor. All those traits are PMTs. He really is into health foods' date=' working out etc. The show's writers had sense enough to realize PMT would appear more genuine and interesting if they incorporated his character traits into the role.[/quote']I agree Jim. When I saw how Tubbs was and then found out more about PMT I was amazed. I think it really worked and Tubbs and Crockett balanced each other out so well as we saw.....

[Christine]

Thanks, but your explanations doesn´t help me to find out how old he was when Vice started. I had a look into Sonnys biography at miamivice. info and found out that Ell. a used Sonnys real age as foundation. As we didn´t know what appened to Rico since his time in New York we can only guess about things like that. But it would be a challenge to think about what could have happend during this time. To invent Ricos biography from the day of his birth to the day when his brother got killed.Christine

[Christine]

This is only a information for all the members who wait for the biography I promissed to write. I haven´t forgotten it, but this biography should become the most comprehensive biography about Ricardo Tubbs and so I have to watch all the episodes to write about the things which happend to him. So please be patient.Christine

[Christine]

I´ve got a question and maybe there´s one who can help me to find the answer. In miamivice.info someone asked where Rico had lived. We know that Sonny lived on the boat, we saw Ginas and Trudys flat, but only once the bedroom in Ricos flat - in the episode Rites of passenge, I think. In Heart of darkness Rico tells Sonny that he bend off the wrong way from the Don Shula Expressway that morning when he drove to work. I had a look at the suburbs along that expressway and compared about the population of black people and the pro capita income of them. I think he could have lived in Richmond Heights. What do you think?Christine

[miamijimf]

Christine,That's good detective work. That is a black area if I remember correctly but I just don't think it fits the character. I used to live not too far from there and I don't see it as upscale enough for him. I know the character complained about his living conditions to Castillo but even in the 80s that was a long commute to downtown through heavy traffic. Remember that in the 80s a lot of Miami neighborhoods were integrated and blacks could live just about anywhere they could afford. With the Civil Rights Act etc landlords had to be really creative to get away with discrimination. As a policeman, lots of doors would be open to him. Since he has to have access to the Don Shula to fit the dialogue I would put him in a very small apt around Sunset Dr. and Galloway Rd.

[Christine]

Another reason for my thought about the suburb he could have lived is his intimation about that cuban biker who woke him up at six in the morning. The numbers I´ve got are from 2000, so a lot of things could have changed from the 80s till then. It was only a thought.Christine

[Viceman Cometh]

He got lost on the Shula because was living in a fleabag hotel the department put him up in, right? So that wouldn't be his eventual, permanent residence? That's how I remember it, but I could be wrong.

[Christine]

I don´t think he lived in a hotel at this time. There´s no scene I remember where he talks about a hotel. Am I so wrong with that thought? Please have a look at that scene in Heart of darkness where Rico came late into the office after Penny was killed.Christine

[AzVice]

I always wonder about Tubbs. He's Ricardo, his brother is Rafael. Do they have ancestry in the Caribbean?

[Christine]

Because of the names? You can give your child the name you like. It´s nothing to do with your ancestry. My first daughters name comes from Sweden, my second daughters name is anywher from the east and my sons name comes from France and we haven´t ancestries in any of these countries.Christine

[miamijimf]

It would make sense to give Rico Carribean family ties in this fictional biography. Consider his accent in several episodes as well as his ability to pose as a Jamacan and differentiate between different Carribean accents in Cool Runnin'. I'm not sure just living and growing up in NY would give him that ability.

[Christine]

A lot of people can speak other dialects. Rico lived in NY, worked in the Bronx and possibly he grew up with many different cultures. I don´t thik that I go that far in his past in the biography, becaue his ancestries aren´t important for what happened.Christine

[Sonny-Burnett]

I wonder if Caipi still has connections with PMT? He may be able to ask him to discuss his character's background, but I'm inclined to agree with miamijimf.

[miamijimf]

A lot of people can speak other dialects. Rico lived in NY' date=' worked in the Bronx and possibly he grew up with many different cultures. I don´t thik that I go that far in his past in the biography, becaue his ancestries aren´t important for what happened.Christine[/quote']I'm not suggesting you go into his family tree but any biography should at least mention the parents. I would say one was a Jamacian and Rico made a few trips there as a youngster. It would be interesting to see what PMT has to say, but this is a fictional biography about the character not the real guy. Nevertheless there was a lot of the real PMT in the character. Don't know if you caught it but during one interview he said that his family was like an "American gumbo." Gumbo is a Cajan dish with lots of different ingredients. I take that to mean a real mixture with Whites, African-Americans, American Indians, and Caribbeans in his family.

[Christine]

This biography is a headache for me. I started to write it different ways, but I´ve never been satisfied with it. As I told Ell.a never before a man made my nights so sleepless like Rico Tubbs is doing now. Okay, I can mention Jamaican ancestries, but there´s one little problem. I know nothing about Jamaica. So I would need some help with this part. Is there anybody who can tell me something about Jamaica? Maybe a little village there or some bars, clubs, anything?Christine