Edward James Olmos

Edward James Olmos

1947-02-24 Los Angeles, California, USA 109 Credits

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 out...

Known For

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Complete Filmography

Say a Little Prayer

Say a Little Prayer

2024

Executive Producer

Producing

Three best friends recite an ancient prayer to the patron saint of “all things lost” to find their true loves, unleashing an unexpected turn of events...

One Fast Move

One Fast Move

2024

as Abel

6.6
Acting

A dishonorably discharged soldier seeks out his estranged father to help him pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer. While train...

Outlaw Posse

Outlaw Posse

2024

as Ossie

5.3
Acting

1908. Chief returns from years of hiding in Mexico to claim stolen reparations gold hidden in the hills of Montana but is chased by Angel, whose ratio...

Chasing Wonders

Chasing Wonders

2021

as Luis

4.7
Acting

A coming-of-age story set across the lush wine country of both Australia and Spain, a young man explores the nature of father-son relationships and th...

The Blade Runner Phenomenon

The Blade Runner Phenomenon

2021

as Self - Actor (Gaff)

6.9
Acting

Ridley Scott's cult film Blade Runner, based on a novel by Philip K. Dick and released in 1982, is one of the most influential science fiction films e...

Walking with Herb

Walking with Herb

2021

as Joe Amable-Amo

6.7
Acting

Joe Amable-Amo is a bank executive and former amateur golfer struggling with his faith after an unexpected tragedy. Faced with growing doubts about hi...

The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II

The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II

2020

as Self

6.9
Acting

Ryan Seacrest hosts the second Disney Family Singalong featuring celebrities and their families as they take on their favorite Disney tunes from their...

Space Songs: Through the Distance

Space Songs: Through the Distance

2020

as Self

Acting

"Space Songs" is a YouTube concert event, sharing songs about space and isolation to celebrate how extreme situations can bring out the very best in u...

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage

2019

as Self

Acting

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage is a warm and revealing portrait of the charismatic, groundbreaking actor’s journey from his native Puerto Rico to the...

Imprisoned

Imprisoned

2019

as Hospicio

4.6
Acting

Dylan Burke attempts to move on from his former life as a criminal with his true love Maria. He soon realizes that his past will continue to haunt him...

The Devil Has a Name

The Devil Has a Name

2019

as Santiago

5.3
Acting

An oil baron and a farmer standoff after the water on his farm is poisoned by her company.

The Devil Has a Name

The Devil Has a Name

2019

Director, Producer

5.3
Directing Producing

An oil baron and a farmer standoff after the water on his farm is poisoned by her company.

Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire

Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire

2019

as Self

4.5
Acting

Mixing archival footage with interviews, this film celebrates one of Los Angeles's most influential painters and Chicano art activists from the 1970s.

Windows on the World

Windows on the World

2019

as Balthazar

4.0
Acting

After watching the news on 9/11 with his family, Fernando travels from Mexico to New York City to find his father, an undocumented worker at the World...

A Dog's Way Home

A Dog's Way Home

2019

as Axel

7.4
Acting

The adventure of Bella, a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human.

The Eyes of Martin Castillo

The Eyes of Martin Castillo

2018

as Martin Castillo (archive footage)

Acting

An exploration of the faces and spaces of Lieutenant Martin Castillo, as portrayed by Edward James Olmos, on the television series Miami Vice.

Every Night's a Saturday Night

Every Night's a Saturday Night

2018

as Self

8.0
Acting

The Life & Times of Bobby Keys ... decades-long Sax player with The Rolling Stones, best friend to Keith Richards, and session player with John Lennon...

Coco

Coco

2017

as Chicharrón (voice)

8.2
Acting

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desp...

Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049

2017

as Gaff

7.6
Acting

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge wh...

Blade Runner: Black Out 2022

Blade Runner: Black Out 2022

2017

as Gaff (voice)

7.1
Acting

This animated short revolves around the events causing an electrical systems failure on the west coast of the US. According to Blade Runner 2049’s off...

LA 92

LA 92

2017

as Self (archive footage)

7.7
Acting

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses vie...

L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later

L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later

2017

as Himself

7.5
Acting

Documentary film exploring the lives of the people at the flashpoint of the LA riots, 25 years after the uprising made national headlines and highligh...

Monday Nights at Seven

Monday Nights at Seven

2016

as Charlie

Acting

Monday Nights At Seven is a love story about a single father, Lazo Saroby, who is struggling unsuccessfully to let go of his past. Then he meets Isabe...

Americano

Americano

2016

as Gayo (voice)

4.8
Acting

Cuco, a mexican parrot, goes on an adventure from Mexico to Hollywood in order to get help from El Americano, a famous superhero from TV, against an e...

Unity

Unity

2015

as Narrator (voice)

7.5
Acting

Despite the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy, religion, and so on -- none of these has assuaged humankind from killing one anothe...

Exile Nation: The Plastic People

Exile Nation: The Plastic People

2014

as Narrator (voice)

7.0
Acting

The September 11th attacks began a decade-long period of anti-immigrant policies in the United States. As a consequence, the US began the mass-deporta...

The Journey of a Female Comic

The Journey of a Female Comic

2014

6.2
Acting

The ups and downs of female comic Kiki Melendez.

Agave is Life

Agave is Life

2014

as Narrator (voice)

5.5
Acting

AGAVE IS LIFE is an exploration of the history of the agave plant in the cultures of Mexico and the American Southwest. Starting thousands of years ag...

Go for Sisters

Go for Sisters

2013

as Freddy Suárez

6.0
Acting

Bernice and Fontayne grew up so tight they could ‘go for sisters’. After twenty years apart, they are reunited when Bernice is assigned to be Fontayne...

Go for Sisters

Go for Sisters

2013

Producer

6.0
Producing

Bernice and Fontayne grew up so tight they could ‘go for sisters’. After twenty years apart, they are reunited when Bernice is assigned to be Fontayne...

2 Guns

2 Guns

2013

as Papi Greco

6.5
Acting

A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob -- ...

Filly Brown

Filly Brown

2013

as Leandro

6.2
Acting

“Majo” Tonorio, a.k.a. Filly Brown, is a raw, young Los Angeles hip-hop artist who spits from the heart. When a sleazy record producer offers her a cr...

Filly Brown

Filly Brown

2013

Executive Producer

6.2
Producing

“Majo” Tonorio, a.k.a. Filly Brown, is a raw, young Los Angeles hip-hop artist who spits from the heart. When a sleazy record producer offers her a cr...

A Bridge Apart

A Bridge Apart

2013

as (Voice)

Acting

The journey of the thousands of people from Central America and Mexico who leave their homes and families and suffer extraordinary brutality -or loss ...

America

America

2011

as Mr. Irving

4.8
Acting

América, a 30-year-old mother who lives in a remote Caribbean village, suffers the hardest hit when her lover takes her daughter from her. Fury and fe...

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet

2011

as Michael Axford

5.6
Acting

Britt Reid, the heir to the largest newspaper fortune in Los Angeles, is a spoiled playboy who has been, thus far, happy to lead an aimless life. Afte...

I'm Still Here

I'm Still Here

2010

as Edward James Olmos

6.0
Acting

I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as...

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009

as Commander William Adama

6.8
Acting

When the initial Cylon attack against the Twelve Colonies fails to achieve complete extermination of human life as planned, twin Number Ones (Cavils) ...

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

2009

Director

6.8
Directing

When the initial Cylon attack against the Twelve Colonies fails to achieve complete extermination of human life as planned, twin Number Ones (Cavils) ...

A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story

A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story

2009

as Narrator

Acting

Built around the landmark 1954 legal case Hernandez v. Texas, the film interweaves the stories of its central characters with a broader story of the c...

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

2008

as Diablo (voice)

5.4
Acting

A pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua named Chloe who, while on vacation in Mexico with her owner Viv's niece, Rachel, gets lost and must rely on her fri...

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner

2007

as Self

7.9
Acting

The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 inter...

Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard

Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard

2007

as Self

Acting

Fans, filmmakers and people involved with the making of Blade Runner debate if main character Rick Deckard is himself in fact a Replicant or not.

Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling

2007

as Self

Acting

A look back to the 2019 fashions, costumes and make-up as seen in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

2007

as Admiral William Adama

7.1
Acting

The history and adventures of the Battlestar Pegasus, from shortly before the Cylon invasion to shortly after Lee Adama is made commander. The story i...

Splinter

Splinter

2006

as Captain garcia

4.3
Acting

A gang member, suffering from severe memory loss, searches for his brother's murderer. He secretly enlists the aid of the investigating Detective, whi...

Walkout

Walkout

2006

as Julian Nava

5.5
Acting

Walkout is the true story of a young Mexican American high school teacher, Sal Castro. He mentors a group of students in East Los Angeles, when the st...

Walkout

Walkout

2006

Director

5.5
Directing

Walkout is the true story of a young Mexican American high school teacher, Sal Castro. He mentors a group of students in East Los Angeles, when the st...

Recycled Life

2006

as Narrator

6.8
Acting

The dramatic and touching story of thousands of adults, children, and generations of families who have been living and working in the largest and most...

La Cerca

2005

as Narrator / Old Niño

Acting

Edward James Olmos narrates this multi-fest winner about an immigrant who recalls a vivid and momentous memory where he discovered his boundaries.

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

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

2002

6.2
Acting

Documentary about the presence of Latin American culture and actors in American movies.

In the Time of the Butterflies

In the Time of the Butterflies

2001

as Rafael Leónidas Trujillo

6.3
Acting

Based on the book by Julia Alvarez. Three sisters become activists during the Dominican Republic's Trujillo regime when members of their family are ki...

The Judge

The Judge

2001

as Judge Armando Acosta

4.5
Acting

When a key witness in a case of corruption is killed in courts all suspicion falls on Judge Armando Acosta. Now the judge Madiani will defend his inno...

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

2000

as Nestor Garcia

5.0
Acting

A teenager who dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer has a romance with a boy from the wrong side of town.

Gossip

Gossip

2000

as Detective Curtis

5.8
Acting

For a class project, three college students decide to invent an unfounded rumor about the most popular girl on campus. But as the rumor spreads, it be...

The Road to El Dorado

The Road to El Dorado

2000

as Chief (voice)

7.2
Acting

Stowing away after a failed con, a pair of swindlers end up on El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold", where they quickly get in over their heads when t...

The Unfinished Journey

1999

as Narrator (voice)

6.0
Acting

A short about American life and history produced for the millennium New Year's Eve celebration.

Bonanno: A Godfather's Story

Bonanno: A Godfather's Story

1999

as Gaspar DiGregario (Young)

4.3
Acting

The true life story of mafia boss Joesph Bonanno. The story spans from Bonanno's early beginings in Italy, to his conquests in America.

Zapatista

Zapatista

1999

as Narrator (voice)

5.2
Acting

"Zapatista" is the definitive look at the uprising in Chiapas. It is the story of a Mayan peasant rebellion armed with sticks and their word against a...

The Wall

The Wall

1998

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

5.7
Acting

The story of three items left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall: a pencil holder, a sheriff's badge, and an electric guitar. Each item connects th...

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1998

as Det. Anthony Piscotti

5.1
Acting

In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit

1998

as Vamanos

6.7
Acting

Gomez is a middle-aged man who dreams of buying a gorgeous white suit in a nearby store, but doesn't have enough cash. He finds 4 more people of same ...

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men

1997

as Juror 11

7.6
Acting

During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result ...

Prophecies of the Millennium

1997

as Host

Acting

A special regarding the possibility that the world was on the verge of extinction. Many predictions are examined, including some eerie ones regarding ...

Hollywood Confidential

Hollywood Confidential

1997

as Stan Navarro, Sr.

4.1
Acting

A former LA cop runs a top-flight private detective agency that caters to spoiled Hollywood types.

Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika

1997

as Self - Actor, Director, Latino-Activist

Acting

Schmidt follows the 27 miles of the “street of life” to Pacific Palisades, where the boulevard ends at the ocean. While interviews with celebrities f...

Gun

Gun

1997

as Father Santos

7.0
Acting

Follows a gun and the different hands it falls into and the different characters that use it.

Selena Remembered

Selena Remembered

1997

as Narrator (voice)

10.0
Acting

A collection of moments and triumphs that helped Selena, and her band Selena y Los Dinos, into superstardom in North America.

Selena Remembered

Selena Remembered

1997

Producer

10.0
Producing

A collection of moments and triumphs that helped Selena, and her band Selena y Los Dinos, into superstardom in North America.

Selena

Selena

1997

as Abraham Quintanilla

7.7
Acting

In this biographical drama, Selena Quintanilla is born into a musical Mexican-American family in Texas. Her father, Abraham, realizes that his young d...

Death in Granada

Death in Granada

1996

5.4
Acting

A journalist starts an investigation into the disappearance of famed poet and political agitator, Garcia Lorca, who disappeared in the early days of t...

The Limbic Region

The Limbic Region

1996

as Lucca

5.7
Acting

Original and unpredictable thriller about a seasoned cop determined to bring down San Francisco's most notorious serial killer in the turbulent 1960's...

Caught

Caught

1996

as Joe

5.9
Acting

A middle-aged couple has a drifter enter their lives. The fish-store owners find that the mysterious young man awakens the couple in ways they didn't ...

Mirage

Mirage

1995

as Matteo Juarez

3.2
Acting

Matteo Juarez is a retired detective hired by a local businessman to follow his wife Jennifer. She has a split personality and seems to be putting her...

My Family

My Family

1995

as Paco

7.5
Acting

Traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Maria and Jose, the first generation, come to Los A...

Slave of Dreams

Slave of Dreams

1995

3.0
Acting

The Egyptian executioner's wife tries to seduce Hebrew slave Joseph to fulfill a dream they are experiencing simultaneously.

The Burning Season

The Burning Season

1994

as Wilson Pinheiro

6.2
Acting

Based on the true story of a Brazilian rubber tapper who leads his people in protest against government and developers, who want to cut down their par...

Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills

Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills

1994

as Jose Menendez

6.1
Acting

About the 1989 murders of Carolco Entertainment chairman, Jose Menendez, and his wife, Kitty, who were killed by their sons, Lyle and Erik, in Beverly...

A Million to Juan

A Million to Juan

1994

as The Angel

5.4
Acting

Romantic comedy about an honest Mexican immigrant who struggles without a green card by selling oranges on a street corner. One day a limousine pulls ...

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

1994

as Musician at Barbecue (uncredited)

4.4
Acting

A girl born with enormous thumbs in the repressive era of the 1950s learns to turn her quirks into assets.

Lives in Hazard

Lives in Hazard

1994

as self

8.0
Acting

Lives in Hazard is a tough, uncompromising look at kids in gangs and the men they become in prison. Filmed in the barrios of east LA and in the prison...

Learning Not To Hurt

1993

as Self

Acting

Roz Abrams hosts a special report on youth violence.

Roosters

Roosters

1993

as Gallo Morales

3.0
Acting

Gallo Morales is the proud patriach returning home after a seven-year stint for manslaughter. Seeking to re-establish his legendary status as a champi...

American Me

American Me

1992

as Montoya Santana

7.4
Acting

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana ...

American Me

American Me

1992

Director, Producer

7.4
Directing Producing

During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana ...

Talent for the Game

Talent for the Game

1991

as Virgil Sweet

6.0
Acting

Virgil Sweet is on the verge of losing his job as a talent scout with the California Angels when he discovers Sammy Bodeen, a country boy with no pro ...

Maria's Story

Maria's Story

1991

as José Serrano (voice)

Acting

It is El Salvador, 1989, three years before the end of a brutal civil war that took 75,000 lives. Maria Serrano, wife, mother, and guerrilla leader is...

The Earth Day Special

The Earth Day Special

1990

as Hospital Director

6.9
Acting

The Earth Day Special is a television special revolving around Earth Day that aired on ABC on April 22, 1990. Sponsored by Time Warner, the two hour s...

Triumph of the Spirit

Triumph of the Spirit

1989

as Gypsy

6.6
Acting

During World War II, Salamo Arouch, a passionate boxer, is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Soon, he is forced to box against his fellow pri...

Miami Vice: Freefall

Miami Vice: Freefall

1989

as Lieutenant Martin Castillo

9.0
Acting

Crockett and Tubbs, figuring they're on their way out, are recruited by the government to help a dictator escape from his war-torn country - with doub...

Stand and Deliver

Stand and Deliver

1988

as Jaime A. Escalante

7.6
Acting

Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional...

Blue Collar & Buddha

1986

as Narrator

Acting

Exploration of prejudice and culture clash that a group of Laotian Buddhist refugees must endure in Rockford, Illinois.

Saving Grace

Saving Grace

1986

as Ciolino

6.1
Acting

A newly-elected Pope Leo XIV finds himself accidentally locked out of the Vatican. Unknown to the outside world, he winds up in an impoverished Italia...

Miami Vice: The Prodigal Son

Miami Vice: The Prodigal Son

1985

as Lieutenant Martin Castillo

10.0
Acting

Crockett and Tubbs head to New York to track down a Colombian drug family that is killing Federal agents, but find that they have enemies on both side...

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

1983

as Gregorio Cortez

6.9
Acting

Forced to run from Texas Rangers after a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez sets off in d...

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

1983

Original Music Composer, Associate Producer

6.9
Producing

Forced to run from Texas Rangers after a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez sets off in d...

The Nightingale

The Nightingale

1983

as Prime Minister

3.7
Acting

A kitchen maid and a nightingale help save an emperor with the power of song and friendship.

Blade Runner

Blade Runner

1982

as Gaff

7.9
Acting

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have ...

Seguin

Seguin

1982

as Gen. Santa Anna

Acting

A dramatization of the life of Juan Seguin, a heroic Mexican-Texan who became entangled in the struggle between two contrasting cultures in the turbul...

Zoot Suit

Zoot Suit

1981

as El Pachuco

6.1
Acting

Part fact and part fiction, Zoot Suit is the film version of Luis Valdez's critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case an...

Wolfen

Wolfen

1981

as Eddie Holt

5.9
Acting

A New York City cop and an expert criminologist trying to solve a series of grisly deaths in which the victims have seemingly been maimed by feral ani...

300 Miles for Stephanie

300 Miles for Stephanie

1981

as Art Vela

Acting

A San Antonio cop, as an act of faith, vows to run more than 300 miles in five days, hoping his critically ill five-year-old daughter will survive to ...

Virus

Virus

1980

as Captain Lopez

6.3
Acting

Scientists in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure to a military virus that was released in a plane crash and has wiped out the rest of the world...

Dead Angle

Dead Angle

1979

7.0
Acting

Elite college graduates commit perfect financial crimes though loopholes in the law during the 1950s.

Evening in Byzantium

Evening in Byzantium

1978

as Angelo

Acting

While the prestigious Cannes Film Festival goes on around him, American movie producer Jesse Craig struggles to develop a pitch-worthy thriller about ...

Alambrista!

Alambrista!

1977

as 1st Drunk

5.9
Acting

After the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man, slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family b...

Aloha, Bobby and Rose

Aloha, Bobby and Rose

1975

as Chicano #1

5.9
Acting

Bobby and Rose, two youngsters who are in love, have to run away from home when they are falsely accused to have committed a robbery and an assassinat...

Blue Collar & Buddha

N/A

Acting

An exploration of the prejudice and culture clash faced by a small group of Lao Buddhist refugees in Rockford, Illinois.

Office Romance

N/A

as Captain Jack Cruz

Acting

Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees. When a n...