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