Edward James Olmos
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.
Known For
The Simpsons
1989
Dexter
2006
Dexter
2006
Blue Bloods
2010
The West Wing
1999
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
2013
Hawaii Five-O
1969
Touched by an Angel
1994
Miami Vice
1984
Hill Street Blues
1981
Hill Street Blues
1981
Battlestar Galactica
2004
Filmography
The Simpsons
as Pit Master (voice) · 1989
Dexter
as James Gellar · 2006
Dexter
as Prof. James Gellar · 2006
Blue Bloods
as Lorenzo Batista · 2010
The West Wing
as Roberto Mendoza · 1999
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
as Robert Gonzales · 2013
Hawaii Five-O
as Dancer · 1969
Touched by an Angel
as Col. Victor Walls · 1994
Miami Vice
as Martin Castillo · 1984
Hill Street Blues
· 1981
Hill Street Blues
as Judge Cruz · 1981
Battlestar Galactica
as Admiral William Adama · 2004
Battlestar Galactica
as Commander William Adama · 2004
American Playhouse
as General Santa Anna · 1982
American Playhouse
as Gregorio Cortez · 1982
American Playhouse
as Jaime Escalante · 1982
Cannon
· 1971
Coco
as Chicharrón (voice) · 2017
Blade Runner 2049
as Gaff · 2017
Starsky & Hutch
as Julio Gutierez · 1975
Eureka
as First sled dog · 2006
The Batman
as Chief Rojas (voice) · 2004
Mayans M.C.
as Felipe Reyes · 2018
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
as Molecule Man (voice) · 2023
Police Woman
· 1974
Portlandia
as Edward James Olmos · 2011
Blade Runner
as Gaff · 1982
Kojak
as Paco · 1973
Caught
as Joe · 1996
Police Story
· 1973
The Magic School Bus
as Mr. Ramon (voice) · 1994
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
as Rey Emiliano (voice) · 1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
as Jimenez (voice) · 1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
as El Murcielago (voice) · 1995
CHiPs
· 1977
The Road to El Dorado
as Chief (voice) · 2000
Battlestar Galactica
as Commander Adama · 2003
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self · 2023
George Lopez
as Mr. Vega · 2002
M.I.A.
as Isaac Rojas · 2026
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Prime Minister · 1982
Office Romance
as Captain Jack Cruz · 2026
Bless This Mess
as Randy · 2019
Stand and Deliver
as Jaime A. Escalante · 1988
The Green Hornet
as Michael Axford · 2011
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
as Self · 1996
A Dog's Way Home
as Axel · 2019
The Real History of Science Fiction
as Self · 2014
2 Guns
as Papi Greco · 2013
One Fast Move
as Abel · 2024
American Family
as Jess Gonzalez · 2002
Gun
as Father Santos · 1997
12 Angry Men
as Juror 11 · 1997
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
as Diablo (voice) · 2008
The Fitzpatricks
as Don Vasquez · 1977
Greetings from Tucson
as Priest · 2002
I'm Still Here
as Edward James Olmos · 2010
American Me
as Montoya Santana · 1992
Virus
as Captain Lopez · 1980
Dave Navarro's Spread
· 2007
500 Nations
· 1995
Selena
as Abraham Quintanilla · 1997
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
as Admiral William Adama · 2007
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
as Commander William Adama · 2009
Dead Man's Walk
as Captain Salazar · 1996
E! True Hollywood Story
· 1996
Gossip
as Detective Curtis · 2000
The Blue Knight
as Clemente (as Ed Olmos) · 1975
The Fortunate Pilgrim
as Frank Corbo · 1988
Evening in Byzantium
as Angelo · 1978
Wolfen
as Eddie Holt · 1981
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
as Self · 2007
Americano
as Gayo (voice) · 2016
My Family
as Paco · 1995
Triumph of the Spirit
as Gypsy · 1989
Splinter
as Captain garcia · 2006
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited) · 1994
Talent for the Game
as Virgil Sweet · 1991
The Judge
as Judge Armando Acosti · 2001
The Devil Has a Name
as Santiago · 2019
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
as Salvatore Maranzano · 1999
In the Time of the Butterflies
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo · 2001
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
as Gaff (voice) · 2017
Zoot Suit
as El Pachuco · 1981
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
as Gregorio Cortez · 1983
La Californie !
as Self - Actor · 2023
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
as Self · 2020
Windows on the World
as Balthazar · 2019
Aloha Bobby and Rose
as Chicano #1 · 1975
The Earth Day Special
as Hospital Director · 1990
The Judge
as Judge Armando Acosta · 2001
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
as Narrator – El Pachuco (voice) · 2026
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
as Self - Actor (Gaff) · 2021
Unity
as Narrator (voice) · 2015
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
as Vamanos · 1998
Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood
as self · 2026
America
as Mr. Irving · 2011
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
as Self · 2019
Go for Sisters
as Freddy Suárez · 2013
Outlaw Posse
as Ossie · 2024
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
as Nestor Garcia · 2000
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
as Jose Menendez · 1994
Selena Remembered
as Narrator (voice) · 1997
LA 92
as Self (archive footage) · 2017
Walkout
as Julian Nava · 2006
The Limbic Region
as Lucca · 1996
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
· 2002
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
as Det. Anthony Piscotti · 1998
Miami Vice: Freefall
as Lt. Martin Castillo · 1989
Filly Brown
as Leandro · 2013
Saving Grace
as Ciolino · 1986
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
as Self · 2017
Dead Angle
· 1979
Walking with Herb
as Joe Amable-Amo · 2021
The Nightingale
as Prime Minister · 1983
The Burning Season
as Wilson Pinheiro · 1994
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
as Self · 2019
Every Night's a Saturday Night
as Self · 2018
A Million to Juan
as The Angel · 1994
Monday Nights at Seven
as Charlie · 2016
Recycled Life
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2006
Imprisoned
as Hospicio · 2019
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist · 1997
The Journey of a Female Comic
· 2014
Chasing Wonders
as Luis · 2021
Mirage
as Matteo Juarez · 1995
300 Miles for Stephanie
as Art Vela · 1981
Seguin
as Gen. Santa Anna · 1982
Mami Está Aquí
as Mr. Jimenez · 2026
Death in Granada
as Roberto Lozano · 1996
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
as Self · 2007
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
as Self · 2007
Space Songs: Through the Distance
as Self · 2020
The Unfinished Journey
as Narrator (voice) · 1999
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
as Narrator · 2009
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest
as Narrator · 1997
Maria's Story
as José Serrano (voice) · 1991
Roosters
as Gallo Morales · 1993
The Wall
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder") · 1998
Slave of Dreams
as Potiphar · 1995
Prophecies of the Millennium
as Host · 1997
Agave is Life
as Narrator (voice) · 2014
Hollywood Confidential
as Stan Navarro, Sr. · 1997
La Cerca
as Narrator / Old Niño · 2005
Learning Not to Hurt
as Self · 1993
Alambrista!
as 1st Drunk · 1977
A Bridge Apart
as (Voice) · 2013
Lives in Hazard
as self · 1994
Zapatista
as Narrator (voice) · 1999
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
as Narrator (voice) · 2014
The Eyes of Martin Castillo
as Martin Castillo (archive footage) · 2018
Blue Collar & Buddha
as Narrator · 1986
Blue Collar & Buddha