Edward James Olmos
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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
Credits
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
as Gaff
Coco (2017)
as Chicharrón (voice)
Blade Runner (1982)
as Gaff
Office Romance (2026)
as Captain Jack Cruz
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
as Chief (voice)
The Green Hornet (2011)
as Michael Axford
2 Guns (2013)
as Papi Greco
A Dog's Way Home (2019)
as Axel
One Fast Move (2024)
as Abel
Caught (1996)
as Joe
12 Angry Men (1997)
as Juror 11
I'm Still Here (2010)
as Edward James Olmos
Stand and Deliver (1988)
as Jaime A. Escalante
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
as Diablo (voice)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009)
as Commander William Adama
American Me (1992)
as Montoya Santana
Wolfen (1981)
as Eddie Holt
Virus (1980)
as Captain Lopez
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)
as Admiral William Adama
Gossip (2000)
as Detective Curtis
Selena (1997)
as Abraham Quintanilla
The Earth Day Special (1990)
as Hospital Director
My Family (1995)
as Paco
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
as Self
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994)
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II (2020)
as Self
Americano (2016)
as Gayo (voice)
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999)
as Salvatore Maranzano
Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
as Gypsy
The Devil Has a Name (2019)
as Santiago
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017)
as Gaff (voice)
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1983)
as Gregorio Cortez
Talent for the Game (1991)
as Virgil Sweet
In the Time of the Butterflies (2001)
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019)
as Self
Windows on the World (2019)
as Balthazar
Unity (2015)
as Narrator (voice)
Zoot Suit (1981)
as El Pachuco
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling (2007)
as Self
Outlaw Posse (2024)
as Ossie
Splinter (2006)
as Captain garcia
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (2026)
as Narrator – El Pachuco (voice)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998)
as Det. Anthony Piscotti
Aloha Bobby and Rose (1975)
as Chicano #1
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard (2007)
as Self
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (2002)
Actor
A Million to Juan (1994)
as The Angel
Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood (2026)
as self
Mirage (1995)
as Matteo Juarez
The Blade Runner Phenomenon (2021)
as Self - Actor (Gaff)
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994)
as Jose Menendez
Saving Grace (1986)
as Ciolino
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998)
as Vamanos
Death in Granada (1996)
as Roberto Lozano
Seguin (1982)
as Gen. Santa Anna
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika (1997)
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist
Go for Sisters (2013)
as Freddy Suárez
The Princess and the Barrio Boy (2000)
as Nestor Garcia
Walkout (2006)
as Julian Nava
The Journey of a Female Comic (2014)
Actor
Chasing Wonders (2021)
as Luis
Space Songs: Through the Distance (2020)
as Self
America (2011)
as Mr. Irving
The Judge (2001)
as Judge Armando Acosta
LA 92 (2017)
as Self (archive footage)
Walking with Herb (2021)
as Joe Amable-Amo
The Burning Season (1994)
as Wilson Pinheiro
The Nightingale (1983)
as Prime Minister
The Limbic Region (1996)
as Lucca
Selena Remembered (1997)
as Narrator (voice)
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
Imprisoned (2019)
as Hospicio
300 Miles for Stephanie (1981)
as Art Vela
Every Night's a Saturday Night (2018)
as Self
Dead Angle (1979)
Actor
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire (2019)
as Self
Monday Nights at Seven (2016)
as Charlie
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later (2017)
as Self
Filly Brown (2013)
as Leandro
La Cerca (2005)
as Narrator / Old Niño
Hollywood Confidential (1997)
as Stan Navarro, Sr.
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest (1997)
as Narrator
The Wall (1998)
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
Slave of Dreams (1995)
as Potiphar
Prophecies of the Millennium (1997)
as Host
Recycled Life (2006)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Miami Vice: Freefall (1989)
as Lt. Martin Castillo
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story (2009)
as Narrator
Mami Está Aquí (2026)
as Mr. Jimenez
Maria's Story (1991)
as José Serrano (voice)
Zapatista (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
Learning Not to Hurt (1993)
as Self
The Eyes of Martin Castillo (2018)
as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
Exile Nation: The Plastic People (2014)
as Narrator (voice)
Roosters (1993)
as Gallo Morales
A Bridge Apart (2013)
as (Voice)
Alambrista! (1977)
as 1st Drunk
Agave is Life (2014)
as Narrator (voice)
Lives in Hazard (1994)
as self
Blue Collar & Buddha (—)
Actor
Blue Collar & Buddha (1986)
as Narrator