
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.
Gallery




Known For
Acting History
2024
One Fast Move as Abel
2024Outlaw Posse as Ossie
2023La Californie ! as Self - Actor
2023100 Years of Warner Bros. as Self
2023Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur as Molecule Man (voice)
2021Chasing Wonders as Luis
2021The Blade Runner Phenomenon as Self - Actor (Gaff)
2021Walking with Herb as Joe Amable-Amo
2020The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II as Self
2020Space Songs: Through the Distance as Self
2019Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage as Self
2019Imprisoned as Hospicio
2019The Devil Has a Name as Santiago
2019Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire as Self
2019Windows on the World as Balthazar
2019Bless This Mess as Randy
2019A Dog's Way Home as Axel
2018Mayans M.C. as Felipe Reyes
2018The Eyes of Martin Castillo as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
2018Every Night's a Saturday Night as Self
2017Coco as Chicharrón (voice)
2017Blade Runner 2049 as Gaff
2017Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 as Gaff (voice)
2017LA 92 as Self (archive footage)
2017L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later as Himself
2016Monday Nights at Seven as Charlie
2016Americano as Gayo (voice)
2015Unity as Narrator (voice)
2014Exile Nation: The Plastic People as Narrator (voice)
2014The Journey of a Female Comic
2014The Real History of Science Fiction as Himself
2014Agave is Life as Narrator (voice)
2013Go for Sisters as Freddy Suárez
2013Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Robert Gonzales
20132 Guns as Papi Greco
2013Filly Brown as Leandro
2013A Bridge Apart as (Voice)
2011America as Mr. Irving
2011Portlandia as Edward James Olmos
2011The Green Hornet as Michael Axford
2010Blue Bloods as Lorenzo Batista
2010I'm Still Here as Edward James Olmos
2009Battlestar Galactica: The Plan as Commander William Adama
2009A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story as Narrator
2008Beverly Hills Chihuahua as Diablo (voice)
2007Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner as Self
2007Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling as Self
2007Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard as Self
2007Battlestar Galactica: Razor as Admiral William Adama
2007Dave Navarro's Spread
2006Dexter as James Gellar
2006Dexter as Prof. James Gellar
2006Splinter as Captain garcia
2006Eureka as First sled dog
2006Walkout as Julian Nava
2006Recycled Life as Narrator
2005La Cerca as Narrator / Old Niño
2004Battlestar Galactica as Admiral William Adama
2004Battlestar Galactica as Commander William Adama
2004The Batman as Chief Rojas (voice)
2003Battlestar Galactica as Commander Adama
2002Greetings from Tucson as Priest
2002The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002George Lopez as Mr. Vega
2002American Family as Jess Gonzalez
2001In the Time of the Butterflies as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
2001The Judge as Judge Armando Acosti
2001The Judge as Judge Armando Acosta
2000The Princess and the Barrio Boy as Nestor Garcia
2000Gossip as Detective Curtis
2000The Road to El Dorado as Chief (voice)
1999The Unfinished Journey as Narrator (voice)
1999The West Wing as Roberto Mendoza
1999Bonanno: A Godfather's Story as Gaspar DiGregario (Young)
1999Zapatista as Narrator (voice)
1998The Wall as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
1998The Taking of Pelham One Two Three as Det. Anthony Piscotti
1998The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit as Vamanos
1997Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest as Narrator
199712 Angry Men as Juror 11
1997Prophecies of the Millennium as Host
1997Hollywood Confidential as Stan Navarro, Sr.
1997Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist
1997Gun as Father Santos
1997Selena Remembered as Narrator (voice)
1997Selena as Abraham Quintanilla
1996Death in Granada as Roberto Lozano
1996E! True Hollywood Story
1996The Limbic Region as Lucca
1996The Rosie O'Donnell Show as Self
1996Dead Man's Walk as Captain Salazar
1996Caught as Joe
1995Mirage as Matteo Juarez
1995My Family as Paco
1995500 Nations
1995Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Rey Emiliano (voice)
1995Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as El Murcielago (voice)
1995Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Jimenez (voice)
1995Slave of Dreams
1994Touched by an Angel as Col. Victor Walls
1994The Burning Season as Wilson Pinheiro
1994The Magic School Bus as Mr. Ramon (voice)
1994Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills as Jose Menendez
1994A Million to Juan as The Angel
1994Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
1994Lives in Hazard as self
1993Learning Not To Hurt as Self
1993Roosters as Gallo Morales
1992American Me as Montoya Santana
1991Talent for the Game as Virgil Sweet
1991Maria's Story as José Serrano (voice)
1990The Earth Day Special as Hospital Director
1989The Simpsons as Pit Master (voice)
1989Triumph of the Spirit as Gypsy
1988The Fortunate Pilgrim as Frank Corbo
1988Stand and Deliver as Jaime A. Escalante
1986Blue Collar & Buddha as Narrator
1986Saving Grace as Ciolino
1984Miami Vice as Martin Castillo
1983The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez as Gregorio Cortez
1983The Nightingale as Prime Minister
1982Faerie Tale Theatre as Prime Minister
1982Blade Runner as Gaff
1982Seguin as Gen. Santa Anna
1981Zoot Suit as El Pachuco
1981Wolfen as Eddie Holt
1981Hill Street Blues
1981300 Miles for Stephanie as Art Vela
1980Virus as Captain Lopez
1979Dead Angle
1978Evening in Byzantium as Angelo
1977Alambrista! as 1st Drunk
1977CHiPs
1977The Fitzpatricks as Don Vasquez
1975Starsky & Hutch as Julio Gutierez
1975The Blue Knight as Clemente (as Ed Olmos)
1975Aloha Bobby and Rose as Chicano #1
1974Police Woman
1973Kojak as Paco
1973Police Story
1971Cannon
1968Hawaii Five-O as Dancer
—Office Romance as Captain Jack Cruz
—Blue Collar & Buddha
—American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez as Narrator







