There’s just something about film and tobacco smoke. No other medium captures the appeal, glamour, and devil-may-care-attitude that smoking has long represented as well as film, and while the repercussions of too much tobacco use have become well known, the iconic figures who made it one of the world’s favorite vices should still be recognized.
Here is a list of some of the best smokers television will ever see.
Sonny Crockett
During it’s tenure, Miami Vice was a powerhouse, holding sway over the culture of pop for many, many years. During the early days, no one was more desired and emulated than Sonny Crockett, a character so good and so bad, that no lady could resist.
Like many smoking characters, his habit illustrated his lackadaisical approach safety. Even his girlfriend knew that his smoking was nothing compared to his dangerous lifestyle. Cool.
Gomez Addams
Each and every member of the Addams family was unforgettable, but no one had more class than Gomez Addams, father of that affable and eerie clan. TV’s Gomez, played by John Astin, was so rich he didn’t care that he was the patriarch of so many weirdo’s. His smoking illustrated his affluence, a billionaire with a head of hair for a relative, and a spooky mansion to enjoy his cigars in (rumor has it he dedicated $1,000 per month to his tobacco related pursuits).
Starbuck (x2)
Now here’s a shout out to the ladies who love a good stogie. Both versions of the cult sci-fi hit, Battlestar Galactica feature a ballsy pilot named Starbuck (male in the first series, female in the remake).
Both character versions loved their cigars, played cards, cursed, and flew a solo spacecraft better than anyone else. Forget worrying about the Cuban trade embargo, imagine trying to score a cigar light years from any planet that grows tobacco.
The Smoking Man (aka Cancer Man)
Speaking of outer-space, probably the best loved sci-fi series of all time was also renowned for its dubious villain, the mysterious, overly-involved, ineffectual yet powerful, head of the secret society of inside men, Smoking Man was always smoking. His brand: Morleys. His goal? To keep the truth hidden from the rest of humanity and scare the bejeezus out of Skully and Mulder, as they tried to reveal it. Really, what’s more intimidating than an empty room with a single cigarette smouldering in an ashtray?
Kramer
Loyal Seinfield viewers know that Kramer loved to smoke cigars. There were even episodes dedicated to his heart strung passions.
The time he brought Cubans immigrants to New York as part of a scheme to sell the cigars they rolled as authentic Cuban cigars, and make a million. The time he nearly lit himself on fire because he was using the stove burner as a cigar lighter. The time he actually did burn a cabin to the ground. The list goes on.