Edward James Olmos life and biography

Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt. Martin Castillo in Miami Vice, teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver, patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, Detective Gaff in Blade Runner, and narrator El Pachuco in both the stage and film versions of Zoot Suit.
At first Olmos dreamt of being a professional baseball player, but he later thought that being a performer would be his way out of his East Los Angeles neighborhood. He started out in a rock band. After taking a drama course, Olmos decided to try acting. Olmos found work in small parts usually playing the bad guy on numerous television shows, including Kojak, Hawaii Five-O, and Police Woman.

Olmos got his first big break in the stage production of Zoot Suit in 1978, which was a musical based in part on the famous zoot suit riots in Los Angeles in 1942. He later reprised his role in the 1981 film version. His film career steadily grew with supporting roles in a number of films, including Blade Runner (1982). He also explored opportunities on television with guest appearances on the series Hill Street Blues and joined the cast of Miami Vice in 1984. Olmos received Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his portrayal of Lieutenant Martin Castillo.

Throughout his career, Olmos has looked for projects he found meaningful and has been known to pass up roles he thought played on Latino stereotypes. In 1988, Olmos starred in the inspirational film Stand and Deliver, which follows the real-life story of teacher Jaime Escalante. Escalante taught math at a troubled Los Angeles high school and helped students once thought as "unteachable" to thrive. Olmos received an Academy Award nomination for his work. He directed, produced, and starred in American Me (1992), a film that looked at gangs and prison life. Olmos also directed Walkout (2006), the cable television film based on the East Los Angeles student protests of 1968.

Olmos has returned to acting on television in recent years, playing Admiral William Adama on the science fiction series Battlestar Galactica. Besides his work in film and television, Olmos spends much of his time as an activist. He has supported numerous causes and has been an advocate for Latino culture, organizing film festivals and other special projects and events.

Olmos was divorced from his second wife, actress Lorraine Bracco, in 2002. He has two sons from his first marriage to Kaija Keel. He is currently married to actress, Lymari Nadal.

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