CINEFILER

Edward James Olmos

Born
February 24, 1947
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
Blade Runner 2049
(2017)
Gaff
Coco
(2017)
Chicharrón (voice)
Blade Runner
(1982)
Gaff
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
(2017)
Gaff (voice)
The Road to El Dorado
(2000)
Chief (voice)
2 Guns
(2013)
Papi Greco
A Dog's Way Home
(2019)
Axel
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
(2008)
Diablo (voice)
Selena
(1997)
Abraham Quintanilla
The Green Hornet
(2011)
Michael Axford
12 Angry Men
(1997)
Juror 11
American Me
(1992)
Montoya Santana
Stand and Deliver
(1988)
Jaime A. Escalante
Gossip
(2000)
Detective Curtis
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
(2009)
Commander William Adama
LA 92
(2017)
Himself (archive footage)
Full Filmography
Acting
Aloha, Bobby and Rose
(1975)
Chicano #1
Alambrista!
(1977)
1st Drunk
Evening in Byzantium
(1978)
Angelo
Dead Angle
(1979)
Virus
(1980)
Captain Lopez
Zoot Suit
(1981)
El Pachuco
300 Miles for Stephanie
(1981)
Art Vela
Wolfen
(1981)
Eddie Holt
Blade Runner
(1982)
Gaff
Seguin
(1982)
Santa Anna
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
(1983)
Gregorio Cortez
The Nightingale
(1983)
Prime Minister
Saving Grace
(1986)
Ciolino
Blue Collar & Buddha
(1986)
Narrator
Stand and Deliver
(1988)
Jaime A. Escalante
Triumph of the Spirit
(1989)
Gypsy
The Earth Day Special
(1990)
Hospital Director
Maria's Story
(1990)
José Serrano (voice)
Talent for the Game
(1991)
Vergil Sweet
American Me
(1992)
Montoya Santana
Roosters
(1993)
Gallo Morales
A Million to Juan
(1994)
The Angel
The Burning Season
(1994)
Wilson Pinheiro
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
(1994)
Jose Menendez
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
(1994)
Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
Lives in Hazard
(1994)
self
My Family
(1995)
Paco
Mirage
(1995)
Matteo Juarez
Slave of Dreams
(1995)
Caught
(1996)
Joe
The Limbic Region
(1996)
Lucca
Death in Granada
(1996)
Hollywood Confidential
(1997)
Stan Navarro, Sr.
Selena Remembered
(1997)
Narrator (voice)
The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca
(1997)
Roberto Lozano
Selena
(1997)
Abraham Quintanilla
12 Angry Men
(1997)
Juror 11
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
(1998)
Vamanos
The Wall
(1998)
Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
(1998)
Det. Anthony Piscotti
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
(1999)
Gaspar DiGregario (Young)
Zapatista
(1999)
Narrator (voice)
The Unfinished Journey
(1999)
Narrator (voice)
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
(2000)
Nestor Garcia
Gossip
(2000)
Detective Curtis
The Road to El Dorado
(2000)
Chief (voice)
The Judge
(2001)
Judge Armando Acosta
In the Time of the Butterflies
(2001)
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
La Cerca
(2005)
Narrator / Old Niño
Recycled Life
(2006)
Narrator
Splinter
(2006)
Captain garcia
Walkout
(2006)
Julian Nava
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
(2007)
Self
Dangerous Days: Making 'Blade Runner'
(2007)
Self
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
(2007)
Admiral William Adama
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
(2007)
Self
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
(2008)
Diablo (voice)
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
(2009)
Narrator
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
(2009)
Commander William Adama
I'm Still Here
(2010)
Edward James Olmos
America
(2011)
Mr. Irving
The Green Hornet
(2011)
Michael Axford
2 Guns
(2013)
Papi Greco
Go for Sisters
(2013)
Freddy Suárez
Filly Brown
(2013)
Leandro
A Bridge Apart
(2013)
(Voice)
Agave is Life
(2014)
Narrator (voice)
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
(2014)
Narrator (voice)
Journey of a Female Comic
(2014)
Unity
(2015)
Narrator (voice)
Monday Nights at Seven
(2016)
Charlie
Americano
(2016)
Gayo (voice)
Coco
(2017)
Chicharrón (voice)
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
(2017)
Gaff (voice)
Blade Runner 2049
(2017)
Gaff
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
(2017)
Himself
LA 92
(2017)
Himself (archive footage)
The Eyes of Martin Castillo
(2018)
Martin Castillo (archive footage)
Every Night's a Saturday Night
(2018)
Self
Windows on the World
(2019)
Balthazar
The Devil Has a Name
(2019)
Santiago
A Dog's Way Home
(2019)
Axel
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
(2019)
Self
Imprisoned
(2019)
Hospicio
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
(2019)
Self
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
(2020)
Self
Space Songs: Through the Distance
(2020)
Self
Walking with Herb
(2021)
Joe Amable-Amo
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
(2021)
Self - Actor (Gaff)
Chasing Wonders
(2021)
Outlaw Posse
(2024)
Ossie
Production
Sound
Directing
Data provided by TMDB