
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

Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Dancer

Miami Vice
1984
as Martin Castillo

Battlestar Galactica
2004
as Admiral William Adama / Commander William Adama

Hill Street Blues
1981

Touched by an Angel
1994
as Col. Victor Walls

Starsky & Hutch
1975
as Julio Gutierez

Cannon
1971

Eureka
2006
as First sled dog

Police Woman
1974

The Batman
2004
as Chief Rojas (voice)

M.I.A.
2026
as Isaac Rojas

Mayans M.C.
2018
as Felipe Reyes

Kojak
1973
as Paco

Portlandia
2011
as Edward James Olmos

Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Prime Minister

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as Rey Emiliano (voice) / El Murcielago (voice) / Jimenez (voice)

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
2023
as Molecule Man (voice)

CHiPs
1977

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

Greetings from Tucson
2002
as Priest

E! True Hollywood Story
1996

Dead Man's Walk
1996
as Captain Salazar

The Blue Knight
1975
as Clemente (as Ed Olmos)
Dave Navarro's Spread
2007

500 Nations
1995

The Fortunate Pilgrim
1988
as Frank Corbo

La Californie !
2023
as Self - Actor

The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosti

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

The Green Hornet
2011
as Michael Axford

12 Angry Men
1997
as Juror 11

American Me
1992
as Montoya Santana

A Dog's Way Home
2019
as Axel

Unity
2015
as Narrator (voice)

Selena
1997
as Abraham Quintanilla

Beverly Hills Chihuahua
2008
as Diablo (voice)

Gossip
2000
as Detective Curtis

Caught
1996
as Joe

Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2017
as Gaff (voice)

Stand and Deliver
1988
as Jaime A. Escalante

One Fast Move
2024
as Abel

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
2009
as Commander William Adama

I'm Still Here
2010
as Edward James Olmos

The Earth Day Special
1990
as Hospital Director

LA 92
2017
as Self (archive footage)

Battlestar Galactica: Razor
2007
as Admiral William Adama

Wolfen
1981
as Eddie Holt

Virus
1980
as Captain Lopez

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)

Walkout
2006
as Julian Nava

Saving Grace
1986
as Ciolino

The Wall
1998
as Col. Holst (segment "The Pencil Holder")

The Judge
2001
as Judge Armando Acosta

Dead Angle
1979

The Devil Has a Name
2019
as Santiago

The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
as Self

Zoot Suit
1981
as El Pachuco

My Family
1995
as Paco

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
2007
as Self

Bonanno: A Godfather's Story
1999
as Salvatore Maranzano

Outlaw Posse
2024
as Ossie

Triumph of the Spirit
1989
as Gypsy

The Unfinished Journey
1999
as Narrator (voice)

Seguin
1982
as Gen. Santa Anna

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
1998
as Det. Anthony Piscotti

Americano
2016
as Gayo (voice)

In the Time of the Butterflies
2001
as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo

Chasing Wonders
2021
as Luis

The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002

Evening in Byzantium
1978
as Angelo

A Million to Juan
1994
as The Angel

Every Night's a Saturday Night
2018
as Self
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika
1997
as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist

Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills
1994
as Jose Menendez

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
1983
as Gregorio Cortez

America
2011
as Mr. Irving

Aloha Bobby and Rose
1975
as Chicano #1

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
1998
as Vamanos

Hollywood Confidential
1997
as Stan Navarro, Sr.

Go for Sisters
2013
as Freddy Suárez

The Nightingale
1983
as Prime Minister

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
as Self
La Cerca
2005
as Narrator / Old Niño

The Burning Season
1994
as Wilson Pinheiro

Imprisoned
2019
as Hospicio

Windows on the World
2019
as Balthazar

Talent for the Game
1991
as Virgil Sweet

Death in Granada
1996
as Roberto Lozano

Zapatista
1999
as Narrator (voice)

The Blade Runner Phenomenon
2021
as Self - Actor (Gaff)

Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
2007
as Self

Splinter
2006
as Captain garcia

Walking with Herb
2021
as Joe Amable-Amo

300 Miles for Stephanie
1981
as Art Vela

Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
2019
as Self
Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
2007
as Self

Filly Brown
2013
as Leandro

Mirage
1995
as Matteo Juarez

Roosters
1993
as Gallo Morales

The Limbic Region
1996
as Lucca

Alambrista!
1977
as 1st Drunk

Slave of Dreams
1995
as Potiphar

The Princess and the Barrio Boy
2000
as Nestor Garcia

Monday Nights at Seven
2016
as Charlie

L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
2017
as Himself

Lives in Hazard
1994
as self
Prophecies of the Millennium
1997
as Host

Space Songs: Through the Distance
2020
as Self

Maria's Story
1991
as José Serrano (voice)

The Journey of a Female Comic
2014

Miami Vice: Freefall
1989
as Lt. Martin Castillo
Recycled Life
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)

Selena Remembered
1997
as Narrator (voice)

Agave is Life
2014
as Narrator (voice)

Manu: Peru's Hidden Rain Forest
1997
as Narrator

A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
2009
as Narrator

Exile Nation: The Plastic People
2014
as Narrator (voice)

American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
2026
as Narrator (voice)
Learning Not To Hurt
1993
as Self

A Bridge Apart
2013
as (Voice)

The Eyes of Martin Castillo
2018
as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
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 CineFlixo, 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 CineFlixo 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.