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