Birthday: Feb 24, 1947

Birthplace: East Los Angeles, California, USA

Biography: In the late 1960s, Olmos appeared in many small productions, until his big break portraying the narrator, called "El Pachuco", in the play Zoot Suit. The play moved to Broadway, and Edward received a Tony nomination for his portrayal as El Pachuco. He took the role to the filmed version in 1981. Other film appearances followed, including Wolfen, Blade Runner and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.In 1984, Olmos starred in his biggest role up to that date as Lieutenant Martin Castillo in the tel... ... (read more...) evision series Miami Vice, for which he was awarded a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Returning to film, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver. He directed American Me in 1992, and starred in the multigenerational story of a Chicano family in My Family/Mi Familia.Olmos has often become involved in social issues, especially those affecting the Hispanic-American community in the United States. In 1998 Olmos founded Latino Public Broadcasting and currently serves as its Chairman. The Latino Public Broadcasting funds programming for public television which focuses on issues affecting Hispanic-Americans and advocates for diverse prespectives in public television. Also, in 1998, Olmos starred in The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. Olmos also makes frequent appearances at juvenile halls and detention centers to speak to teenagers at risk. He has also been an international ambassador for UNICEF. In 2001, he was arrested and spent 20 days in prison for taking part in the Navy-Vieques protests against United States Navy target practice bombings of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.Olmos played Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in the 2001 movie In the Time of the Butterflies. He also appeared in TV series The West Wing, the PBS drama American Family: Journey of Dreams, Battlestar Galactica, and the HBO movie Walkout about the 1968 Chicano Blowouts.