Edward James Olmos
Known for Acting · 144 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 (44)
The Simpsons
1989
as Pit Master (voice)
Blue Bloods
2010
as Lorenzo Batista
Dexter
2006
as James Gellar / Prof. James Gellar
The West Wing
1999
as Roberto Mendoza
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
2013
as Robert Gonzales
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
Cannon
1971
Starsky & Hutch
1975
as Julio Gutierez
Eureka
2006
as First sled dog
The Batman
2004
as Chief Rojas (voice)
M.I.A.
2026
as Isaac Rojas
Police Woman
1974
Mayans M.C.
2018
as Felipe Reyes
Kojak
1973
as Paco
Portlandia
2011
as Edward James Olmos
CHiPs
1977
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Prime Minister
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
2023
as Molecule Man (voice)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as Rey Emiliano (voice) / Jimenez (voice) / El Murcielago (voice)
Police Story
1973
The Magic School Bus
1994
as Mr. Ramon (voice)
Battlestar Galactica
2003
as Commander Adama
George Lopez
2002
as Mr. Vega
100 Years of Warner Bros.
2023
as Self
Bless This Mess
2019
as Randy
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
as Self
The Real History of Science Fiction
2014
as Self
The Fitzpatricks
1977
as Don Vasquez
Gun
1997
as Father Santos
American Family
2002
as Jess Gonzalez
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
Dead Man's Walk
1996
as Captain Salazar
Dave Navarro's Spread
2007
Greetings from Tucson
2002
as Priest
The Blue Knight
1975
as Clemente (as Ed Olmos)
500 Nations
1995
The Fortunate Pilgrim
1988
as Frank Corbo
The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosti
La Californie !
2023
as Self - Actor
Evening in Byzantium
1978
as Angelo
Movies (100)
Coco
2017
as Chicharrón (voice)
Blade Runner 2049
2017
as Gaff
Blade Runner
1982
as Gaff
The Road to El Dorado
2000
as Chief (voice)
2 Guns
2013
as Papi Greco
Office Romance
2026
as Captain Jack Cruz
12 Angry Men
1997
as Juror 11
The Green Hornet
2011
as Michael Axford
Selena
1997
as Abraham Quintanilla
One Fast Move
2024
as Abel
A Dog's Way Home
2019
as Axel
Unity
2015
as Narrator (voice)
American Me
1992
as Montoya Santana
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
2008
as Diablo (voice)
Stand and Deliver
1988
as Jaime A. Escalante
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017
as Gaff (voice)
Caught
1996
as Joe
I'm Still Here
2010
as Edward James Olmos
Gossip
2000
as Detective Curtis
Virus
1980
as Captain Lopez
Battlestar Galactica: Razor
2007
as Admiral William Adama
The Earth Day Special
1990
as Hospital Director
Wolfen
1981
as Eddie Holt
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
2009
as Commander William Adama
The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosta
The Devil Has a Name
2019
as Santiago
Saving Grace
1986
as Ciolino
LA 92
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Dead Angle
1979
My Family
1995
as Paco
The Wall
1998
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")
Triumph of the Spirit
1989
as Gypsy
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
2007
as Self
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
as Self
Evening in Byzantium
1978
as Angelo
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
1999
as Salvatore Maranzano
Walkout
2006
as Julian Nava
Zoot Suit
1981
as El Pachuco
Americano
2016
as Gayo (voice)
The Nightingale
1983
as Prime Minister
Hollywood Confidential
1997
as Stan Navarro, Sr.
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
1983
as Gregorio Cortez
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1998
as Det. Anthony Piscotti
The Unfinished Journey
1999
as Narrator (voice)
Outlaw Posse
2024
as Ossie
Chasing Wonders
2021
as Luis
The Limbic Region
1996
as Lucca
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
as Self
Go for Sisters
2013
as Freddy Suárez
Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
1994
as Jose Menendez
In the Time of the Butterflies
2001
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo
A Million to Juan
1994
as The Angel
Splinter
2006
as Captain garcia
Windows on the World
2019
as Balthazar
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
1998
as Vamanos
Talent for the Game
1991
as Virgil Sweet
Death in Granada
1996
as Roberto Lozano
Filly Brown
2013
as Leandro
America
2011
as Mr. Irving
Roosters
1993
as Gallo Morales
Every Night's a Saturday Night
2018
as Self
300 Miles for Stephanie
1981
as Art Vela
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika
1997
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist
Aloha Bobby and Rose
1975
as Chicano #1
Imprisoned
2019
as Hospicio
La Cerca
2005
as Narrator / Old Niño
Alambrista!
1977
as 1st Drunk
Mirage
1995
as Matteo Juarez
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
2021
as Self - Actor (Gaff)
Seguin
1982
as Gen. Santa Anna
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
2019
as Self
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
2007
as Self
The Burning Season
1994
as Wilson Pinheiro
Walking with Herb
2021
as Joe Amable-Amo
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
2000
as Nestor Garcia
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
2017
as Himself
Zapatista
1999
as Narrator (voice)
Slave of Dreams
1995
as Potiphar
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
2007
as Self
Monday Nights at Seven
2016
as Charlie
Maria's Story
1991
as José Serrano (voice)
Lives in Hazard
1994
as self
Space Songs: Through the Distance
2020
as Self
Miami Vice: Freefall
1989
as Lt. Martin Castillo
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest
1997
as Narrator
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
2026
as Narrator (voice)
Recycled Life
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Selena Remembered
1997
as Narrator (voice)
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
2014
as Narrator (voice)
Agave is Life
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
Learning Not To Hurt
1993
as Self
A Bridge Apart
2013
as (Voice)
Blue Collar & Buddha
1986
as Narrator
Blue Collar & Buddha
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 144 credits spanning from 1968 to 2026, Edward James Olmos has appeared in 100 films and 44 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
- Coco (2017) — as Chicharrón (voice)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017) — as Gaff
- Blade Runner (1982) — as Gaff
- The Road to El Dorado (2000) — as Chief (voice)
- 2 Guns (2013) — as Papi Greco
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.