Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos

Born 1947-02-24 (age 79) Los Angeles, California, USA
View on IMDb ↗

Biography

Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), actor in and director of American Me (1992), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), and Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982), and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In 2018, he played the father of two members of an outlaw motorcycle club in the FX series Mayans MC.

For his work in Miami Vice, Olmos won the 1985 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. For his performance in Stand and Deliver, Olmos was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

He is also known for his roles as patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, narrator El Pachuco in both the stage and film versions of Zoot Suit, and the voice of Chicharrón in Coco.

Over the course of his career, Olmos has been a pioneer for more diversified roles and images of Hispanics in the U.S. media. His notable direction, production, and starring roles for films, made-for-TV movies, and TV shows include Wolfen, Triumph of the Spirit, Talent for the Game, American Me, The Burning Season, My Family/Mi Familia, Caught, 12 Angry Men, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, Walkout, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, American Family, and Dexter.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward James Olmos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Photos

Known For

Office Romance
Office Romance

2026

as Captain Jack Cruz

Coco
Coco

2017

as Chicharrón (voice)

Blade Runner
Blade Runner

1982

as Gaff

2 Guns
2 Guns

2013

as Papi Greco

The Road to El Dorado
The Road to El Dorado

2000

as Chief (voice)

12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men

1997

as Juror 11

Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Beverly Hills Chihuahua

2008

as Diablo (voice)

A Dog's Way Home
A Dog's Way Home

2019

as Axel

The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet

2011

as Michael Axford

Selena
Selena

1997

as Abraham Quintanilla

Stand and Deliver
Stand and Deliver

1988

as Jaime A. Escalante

American Me
American Me

1992

as Montoya Santana

Caught
Caught

1996

as Joe

The Unfinished Journey
The Unfinished Journey

1999

as Narrator (voice)

Virus
Virus

1980

as Captain Lopez

Battlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor

2007

as Admiral William Adama

My Family
My Family

1995

as Paco

I'm Still Here
I'm Still Here

2010

as Edward James Olmos

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009

as Commander William Adama