Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos
Olmos at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con
Born
Edward Huizar Olmos[1]

(1947-02-24) February 24, 1947 (age 77)
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Mexico
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • activist
Years active1974–present
Spouses
Kaija Keel
(m. 1971; div. 1992)
(m. 1994; div. 2002)
(m. 2002; sep. 2013)
Children6

Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), American Me (1992) (which he also directed), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and the voice of Mito in the 2005 English dub of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. For his performance as high school math teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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 folk hero Gregorio Cortez in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, Felipe Reyes in Mayans M.C., 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 Latinos in U.S. media.[2][3][4] 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.

  1. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Edward James Olmos Interview Part 1 of 3". Archive of American Television. YouTube. June 18, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "Edward James Olmos: The Complete Pioneers of Television Interview". YouTube. June 18, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  3. ^ Del Barco, Mandalit (September 15, 2022). "Latino legends helped pave the way in Hollywood, but the road is still rocky". NPR. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "Edward James Olmos on strengthening Latino culture in film". WQAD-TV. August 14, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2022.