Celebrity Biographies
Edward James Olmos
Emblematic guru of the Latino community in the United States, Edward James Olmos is a man who is highly committed to the social problems of immigrants and the underprivileged. As an actor he has proven his solvency in eccentric man and tough guy roles. Although he, too, has achieved great prestige as a director, he will go down in television history for playing Admiral Adama in Battlestar Galactica , arguably the greatest sci-fi series of all time.
Proud to be Chicano, Edward James Olmos was born on February 24, 1947 in Los Angeles (California). His father, a Baptist confession, had left Mexico to seek his fortune in the United States, while his mother was a very religious, Catholic, Mexican-American woman. During his youth his great passion was baseball and he dreamed of becoming a star of this sport.
During adolescence he tried to succeed as a rock and roll musician, and although he did play live concerts, his career did not get off the ground, so he ended up trying his luck as an actor, in very low-budget theater productions. One of them, “Zoot Suit”, where he played Pachuco, a kind of narrator, had such an impact that it ended up opening on Broadway. In addition, Olmos was nominated for a Tony Award for this work and many years later he would repeat his interpretation in the film version.
He debuted on television with minimal roles in the Cannon , Kojak and Starsky and Hutch series , while his first major role in movies was in the terrifying Human Wolves .
Edward James Olmos commanded attention as the ruthless Agent Gaff in Blade Runner . He did extensive acting work to create the character, as his outlandish appearance was suggested by him to director Ridley Scott , and they both rehearsed his particular language a lot. “The slang he speaks is interlingua, slang, a mixture of French, English, Italian, Spanish and whatever. Actually, I didn’t need a translator: I knew that jargon. Every good policeman knew her; but I wasn’t going to make it even easier for him,” said Rick Deckard ( Harrison Ford ) in the voiceover that the tape had, at least in the version that was originally released in theaters.
For the general public, Olmos became popular with his interpretation of the authoritarian lieutenant Castillo, the superior of the protagonists of the Miami Vice series . Before the series ended, he played Jaime Escalante, a brilliant math teacher in Unforgettable Lessons , a role for which he was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
In addition to appearing in various titles such as The Triumph of the Spirit , My Family , Death in Granada or They Also Get Depressed , Olmos had taken his first steps as a director in an episode of Miami Vice , and made his debut as a filmmaker with American Me , which recreated the life of a lucky Hispanic boy from Los Angeles.
Edward James Olmos is considered one of the greatest activists for the Hispanic cause in the United States. He regularly goes to reform schools and prisons to make young people aware that they should try to stay on the right track. He was also an international ambassador for UNICEF, and in 2001 he was arrested for participating in a series of protests against US Army bombing practices in Puerto Rico. He has also been the founder of Latino Public Broadcasting, a foundation dedicated to producing television programs related to Latinos.
In recent years, Olmos has revalidated his popularity with his portrayal of Admiral Adama, leader of a space station in Battlestar Galactica , an improved remake of the late-’70s television series. He has also played a small role in The Green Hornet , from Michel Gondry , recreation of the adventures of an old hero coming from the radio waves.