Edward James Olmos
Known for Acting · 145 credits
- Born
- 1947-02-24 (age 79)
- Place of birth
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Also known as
- ادوراد جیمز اولموس
Biography
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
TV Shows (45)
The Simpsons
1989
as Pit Master (voice)
Dexter
2006
as James Gellar / Prof. James Gellar
Blue Bloods
2010
as Lorenzo Batista
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
2013
as Robert Gonzales
The West Wing
1999
as Roberto Mendoza
Miami Vice
1984
as Martin Castillo
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Dancer
Hill Street Blues
1981
Battlestar Galactica
2004
as Admiral William Adama / Commander William Adama
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Col. Victor Walls
American Playhouse
1982
as General Santa Anna / Gregorio Cortez / Jaime Escalante
Eureka
2006
as First sled dog
Cannon
1971
Starsky & Hutch
1975
as Julio Gutierez
Police Woman
1974
M.I.A.
2026
as Isaac Rojas
The Batman
2004
as Chief Rojas (voice)
Mayans M.C.
2018
as Felipe Reyes
Kojak
1973
as Paco
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as Rey Emiliano (voice) / Jimenez (voice) / El Murcielago (voice)
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
2023
as Molecule Man (voice)
Portlandia
2011
as Edward James Olmos
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Prime Minister
Police Story
1973
The Magic School Bus
1994
as Mr. Ramon (voice)
Battlestar Galactica
2003
as Commander Adama
George Lopez
2002
as Mr. Vega
CHiPs
1977
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023
as Self
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
as Self
Bless This Mess
2019
as Randy
American Family
2002
as Jess Gonzalez
The Real History of Science Fiction
2014
as Self
Gun
1997
as Father Santos
The Fitzpatricks
1977
as Don Vasquez
500 Nations
1995
Dave Navarro's Spread
2007
The Fortunate Pilgrim
1988
as Frank Corbo
Dead Man's Walk
1996
as Captain Salazar
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
Greetings from Tucson
2002
as Priest
The Blue Knight
1975
as Clemente (as Ed Olmos)
Evening in Byzantium
1978
as Angelo
The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosti
La Californie !
2023
as Self - Actor
Movies (100)
Blade Runner 2049
2017
as Gaff
Coco
2017
as Chicharrón (voice)
Office Romance
2026
as Captain Jack Cruz
Blade Runner
1982
as Gaff
The Road to El Dorado
2000
as Chief (voice)
2 Guns
2013
as Papi Greco
One Fast Move
2024
as Abel
12 Angry Men
1997
as Juror 11
A Dog's Way Home
2019
as Axel
The Green Hornet
2011
as Michael Axford
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
2008
as Diablo (voice)
Wolfen
1981
as Eddie Holt
Caught
1996
as Joe
American Me
1992
as Montoya Santana
Selena
1997
as Abraham Quintanilla
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
2009
as Commander William Adama
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
2007
as Admiral William Adama
The Earth Day Special
1990
as Hospital Director
I'm Still Here
2010
as Edward James Olmos
Stand and Deliver
1988
as Jaime A. Escalante
Triumph of the Spirit
1989
as Gypsy
My Family
1995
as Paco
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017
as Gaff (voice)
The Devil Has a Name
2019
as Santiago
Gossip
2000
as Detective Curtis
Americano
2016
as Gayo (voice)
Virus
1980
as Captain Lopez
America
2011
as Mr. Irving
Miami Vice: Freefall
1989
as Lt. Martin Castillo
The Nightingale
1983
as Prime Minister
A Million to Juan
1994
as The Angel
Seguin
1982
as Gen. Santa Anna
Unity
2015
as Narrator (voice)
Mirage
1995
as Matteo Juarez
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
1983
as Gregorio Cortez
The Unfinished Journey
1999
as Narrator (voice)
Hollywood Confidential
1997
as Stan Navarro, Sr.
The Burning Season
1994
as Wilson Pinheiro
Splinter
2006
as Captain garcia
Saving Grace
1986
as Ciolino
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
as Self
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
1999
as Salvatore Maranzano
Windows on the World
2019
as Balthazar
Dead Angle
1979
Death in Granada
1996
as Roberto Lozano
Walkout
2006
as Julian Nava
Selena Remembered
1997
as Narrator (voice)
In the Time of the Butterflies
2001
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
Go for Sisters
2013
as Freddy Suárez
Aloha Bobby and Rose
1975
as Chicano #1
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
2026
as Narrator – El Pachuco (voice)
Filly Brown
2013
as Leandro
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1998
as Det. Anthony Piscotti
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
2007
as Self
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
2021
as Self - Actor (Gaff)
Mami Está Aquí
2026
as Mr. Jimenez
LA 92
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Talent for the Game
1991
as Virgil Sweet
Outlaw Posse
2024
as Ossie
La Cerca
2005
as Narrator / Old Niño
The Limbic Region
1996
as Lucca
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika
1997
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
1998
as Vamanos
Zoot Suit
1981
as El Pachuco
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
as Self
Imprisoned
2019
as Hospicio
The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosta
Alambrista!
1977
as 1st Drunk
Maria's Story
1991
as José Serrano (voice)
Recycled Life
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Slave of Dreams
1995
as Potiphar
300 Miles for Stephanie
1981
as Art Vela
Walking with Herb
2021
as Joe Amable-Amo
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
2000
as Nestor Garcia
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
1994
as Jose Menendez
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Monday Nights at Seven
2016
as Charlie
The Wall
1998
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
Chasing Wonders
2021
as Luis
Learning Not to Hurt
1993
as Self
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002
Roosters
1993
as Gallo Morales
Lives in Hazard
1994
as self
Zapatista
1999
as Narrator (voice)
Blue Collar & Buddha
1986
as Narrator
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
2007
as Self
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
2007
as Self
A Bridge Apart
2013
as (Voice)
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest
1997
as Narrator
The Eyes of Martin Castillo
2018
as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
Space Songs: Through the Distance
2020
as Self
Prophecies of the Millennium
1997
as Host
Blue Collar & Buddha
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
2014
as Narrator (voice)
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
2019
as Self
Every Night's a Saturday Night
2018
as Self
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
2017
as Self
Agave is Life
2014
as Narrator (voice)
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
2009
as Narrator
About Edward James Olmos
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. Fo… With 145 credits spanning from 1968 to 2026, Edward James Olmos has appeared in 100 films and 45 TV shows.
Fans searching for Edward James Olmos movies, Edward James Olmos filmography, or the latest projects starring Edward James Olmos can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Edward James Olmos Movies
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017) — as Gaff
- Coco (2017) — as Chicharrón (voice)
- Office Romance (2026) — as Captain Jack Cruz
- Blade Runner (1982) — as Gaff
- The Road to El Dorado (2000) — as Chief (voice)
Where to Watch Edward James Olmos Films
Most Edward James Olmos movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Edward James Olmos, check our movies catalogue and browse page.