Leonard Cohen was Canada’s answer to Bob Dylan. While best known perhaps as a singer-songwriter who penned the tune “Hallelujah” — which was covered by Jeff Buckley, John Cale and just about everyone else under the sun — he was also at varying points in his colorful life a poet, a novelist, a law student and a Zen monk. Well, you can add to this list guest star on Miami Vice. Yes. Miami Vice, Michael Mann’s decade-defining crime series that somehow made stubble, pastel colors and Don Johnson cool.
Appearing on the episode “French Twist,” Cohen plays Francois Zolan, a French secret service agent who is up to no good. Though he’s in the episode for only a couple of minutes and almost all of it on the phone, Cohen just manages to ooze menace. You can see him and some truly breathtaking examples of ‘80s fashion in the clip above.
Miami Vice had a habit of casting music icons. Little Richard, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Willie Nelson, and Eartha Kitt also appeared in the series. But, unlike Cohen, they didn’t act in French.
Below you can see a montage of 20 rock stars who appeared on Miami Vice during its run.
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Related Content:
When Frank Zappa & Miles Davis Played a Drug Dealer and a Pimp on Miami Vice
The Poetry of Leonard Cohen Illustrated by Two Short Films
How Leonard Cohen & David Bowie Faced Death Through Their Art: A Look at Their Final Albums
Young Leonard Cohen Reads His Poetry in 1966 (Before His Days as a Musician Began)
Jonathan Crow is a writer and filmmaker whose work has appeared in Yahoo!, The Hollywood Reporter, and other publications. You can follow him at @jonccrow.
