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