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
Office Romance (2026)
as Captain Jack Cruz
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
as Gaff
Coco (2017)
as Chicharrón (voice)
Blade Runner (1982)
as Gaff
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
as Chief (voice)
2 Guns (2013)
as Papi Greco
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
as Diablo (voice)
12 Angry Men (1997)
as Juror 11
A Dog's Way Home (2019)
as Axel
The Green Hornet (2011)
as Michael Axford
Selena (1997)
as Abraham Quintanilla
Stand and Deliver (1988)
as Jaime A. Escalante
American Me (1992)
as Montoya Santana
Virus (1980)
as Captain Lopez
I'm Still Here (2010)
as Edward James Olmos
My Family (1995)
as Paco
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)
as Admiral William Adama
One Fast Move (2024)
as Abel
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017)
as Gaff (voice)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009)
as Commander William Adama
Wolfen (1981)
as Eddie Holt
Caught (1996)
as Joe
Gossip (2000)
as Detective Curtis
Filly Brown (2013)
as Leandro
Zoot Suit (1981)
as El Pachuco
Unity (2015)
as Narrator (voice)
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
In the Time of the Butterflies (2001)
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
The Devil Has a Name (2019)
as Santiago
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II (2020)
as Self
Triumph of the Spirit (1989)
as Gypsy
The Judge (2001)
as Judge Armando Acosta
Dead Angle (1979)
Actor
Walkout (2006)
as Julian Nava
LA 92 (2017)
as Self (archive footage)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994)
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999)
as Salvatore Maranzano
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
as Self
The Earth Day Special (1990)
as Hospital Director
The Wall (1998)
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1983)
as Gregorio Cortez
Outlaw Posse (2024)
as Ossie
The Limbic Region (1996)
as Lucca
The Burning Season (1994)
as Wilson Pinheiro
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998)
as Det. Anthony Piscotti
Saving Grace (1986)
as Ciolino
Seguin (1982)
as Gen. Santa Anna
Americano (2016)
as Gayo (voice)
Death in Granada (1996)
as Roberto Lozano
Imprisoned (2019)
as Hospicio
Evening in Byzantium (1978)
as Angelo
The Nightingale (1983)
as Prime Minister
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019)
as Self
La Cerca (2005)
as Narrator / Old Niño
Recycled Life (2006)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills (1994)
as Jose Menendez
Walking with Herb (2021)
as Joe Amable-Amo
A Million to Juan (1994)
as The Angel
Aloha Bobby and Rose (1975)
as Chicano #1
Splinter (2006)
as Captain garcia
Go for Sisters (2013)
as Freddy Suárez
Hollywood Confidential (1997)
as Stan Navarro, Sr.
Mami Está Aquí (2026)
as Mr. Jimenez
Mirage (1995)
as Matteo Juarez
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998)
as Vamanos
Roosters (1993)
as Gallo Morales
The Blade Runner Phenomenon (2021)
as Self - Actor (Gaff)
Windows on the World (2019)
as Balthazar
Chasing Wonders (2021)
as Luis
America (2011)
as Mr. Irving
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (2026)
as Narrator – El Pachuco (voice)
Maria's Story (1991)
as José Serrano (voice)
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later (2017)
as Self
Miami Vice: Freefall (1989)
as Lt. Martin Castillo
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika (1997)
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling (2007)
as Self
Slave of Dreams (1995)
as Potiphar
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
300 Miles for Stephanie (1981)
as Art Vela
Space Songs: Through the Distance (2020)
as Self
Talent for the Game (1991)
as Virgil Sweet
Zapatista (1999)
as Narrator (voice)
Every Night's a Saturday Night (2018)
as Self
Alambrista! (1977)
as 1st Drunk
Lives in Hazard (1994)
as self
The Princess and the Barrio Boy (2000)
as Nestor Garcia
Selena Remembered (1997)
as Narrator (voice)
The Journey of a Female Comic (2014)
Actor
A Bridge Apart (2013)
as (Voice)
Agave is Life (2014)
as Narrator (voice)
Blue Collar & Buddha (—)
Actor
Monday Nights at Seven (2016)
as Charlie
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire (2019)
as Self
Learning Not To Hurt (1993)
as Self
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest (1997)
as Narrator
Blue Collar & Buddha (1986)
as Narrator
Exile Nation: The Plastic People (2014)
as Narrator (voice)
Prophecies of the Millennium (1997)
as Host
The Eyes of Martin Castillo (2018)
as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story (2009)
as Narrator