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Edward  James  Olmos

cleanshaven Edward James Olmos at awards event, January 2007

        Actor, director and activist Edward James Olmos was born 24 February 1947 in East Los Angeles, California. His early dream was to play professional baseball, but instead he led a successful local rock band called Pacific Ocean, then tried acting, playing many bit parts for tv series and in "aloha, bobby and rose" (1975). His breakthrough role as 'El Pachuco' in the 1978 Luis Valdez play "Zoot Suit" ran for a year and a half in Los Angeles before moving to Broadway, where Olmos was nominated for the Tony Award; the play was filmed in 1981.

        After "Zoot Suit", Olmos no longer had to fight for minor 'bad guy' roles, and better jobs soon followed: "Blade Runner" (1982); the title role in "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" (1982); and then the tv series "Miami Vice" (1984-90) made him a household name. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for "Stand and Deliver" (1988). He directed "American Me" (1992), and "Jack and Marilyn" (2002). His recent Latino-themed tv series "American Family" (2002) lasted only one season, but is now available on DVD. And in December of 2003, the SciFi Channel re-launched "Battlestar Galactica", starring Edward James Olmos as Commander Adama {info below}.

        He married Kaija Keel in 1971, and had two sons, Mico and Bodie; his 1994 marriage to actress Lorraine Bracco also ended in divorce. While acting and directing, he continues to maintain a busy schedule as a speaker and activist – stressing the importance of education – and he co-produces several Latino film and book festivals.

Edward James Olmos video/DVD catalog at Amazon.com

Edward James Olmos credits at Internet Movie Database

TimeWarner author page
Latino Book & Family Festivals
Keppler speakers bureau Edward James Olmos page
letter from Federal prison in Puerto Rico [August 2001]
MATB's Edward James Olmos fansite
Catlady's Edward James Olmos fansite
unofficial 'Miami Vice' website


"Walkout" TV movie [H.B.O. March 2006]
Walkout TV movie   The true story of a high school student who in 1968 organized 10,000 others at five East Los Angeles high schools to stage a walkout in protest of educational conditions and anti-Mexican educational bias. Produced by Moctesuma Esparza; co-produced & directed by Edward James Olmos; starring Alexa Vega, Michael Peña, Yancey Arias, Laura Harring, Efren Ramirez, David Warshofsky, Holmes Osborne, Tim DeKay, Tonantzin Esparza & Bodie Olmos; nominated for DGA Award
H.B.O. widescreen color DVD [3/2007] for $19.99
full credits from IMDb

"Battlestar  Galactica"
'Battlestar Galactica' entry at Wikipedia

"Battlestar Galactica: Razor" 2-hour special [Sci-Fi Nov 2007]
Directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá; starring Katee Sackhoff, Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, Michelle Forbes,
Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Grace Park, John Pyper-Ferguson, Steve Bacic & Kandyse McClure
Universal Studios widescreen color DVD [12/2007] for $19.98
full credits from IMDb

Battlestar Galactica TV series   "Battlestar Galactica" [SkyOne/NBC 52-episode TV series Jan 2005]
Starring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Grace Park, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Tahmoh Penikett & Kandyse McClure
Season One Box Set: Universal widescreen color DVD [9/2005] 5 disks for $44.99
Season 2.0 Box Set: Universal widescreen color DVD [12/2005] 3 disks for $35.49
Season 2.5 Box Set: Universal widescreen color DVD [8/2006] 3 disks for $33.99
Season Three: Universal widescreen color DVD [???] pre-availability signup
series credits from IMDb

Battlestar Galactica 2003   "Battlestar Galactica 2003" [SciFi Channel miniseries Dec 2003]
Directed by Michael Rymer; written by Ronald D. Moore; starring Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, James Callis, Tricia Helfer & Grace Park
Universal widescreen color DVD [12/2004] for $20.49
2003 series official website; SciFi Channel 2003 series site
cast member page for Edward James Olmos
2003 series credits from IMDb

original 1978 series: starring Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict & Lorne Greene
original series on DVD [2/2004] 6 disks for $68.991978 series credits at IMDB

"American  Family" P.B.S. TV series
[KCET/El Norte 2002]
American Family video   Directed by Gregory Nava; starring Edward James Olmos as Jess, Sonia Braga as Berta, Constance Marie as Nina, Esai Morales as Esteban, Raquel Welch as Aunt Dora, A.J. Lamas as Cisco & Rachel Ticotin as Vangie
first season: Fox widescreen DVD [4/2003] 6 disks for $62.98
full credits from IMDb

"The  Wonderful  Ice  Cream  Suit"
[1998 Disney tv movie]
Ice Cream Suit video   Barrio con-man Gomez convinces four strangers to pool $20 each to buy a luminescent vanilla ice-cream-colored suit; he intends to split for El Paso, well-dressed. The first night, each gets the suit for an hour, and each is transformed: Dominguez with his guitar & voice charms women who dance in a parade through the plaza; Martinez's turn gets his lovely neighbor's attention; street poet Villanazul captures a crowd with his political and economic vision. The suit makes Gomez a better man, so he may not bolt; but then, what do they do with the last partner, the filthy ¡Vamanos!, whose juicy-taco-eating, wine-drinking habits could ruin the suit?
Directed by Stuart Gordon; script by Ray Bradbury, based on his story & stageplay; starring Edward James Olmos, Joe Mantegna, Esai Morales, Clifton Collins Jr. & Gregory Sierra
Walt Disney Video color DVD [8/99] out of prodn/used
Touchstone color VHS [8/99] out of prodn/many used
Bantam pb playscript [1972] out of print/used
full credits from IMDb

"Hollywood  Confidential"
[Paramount TV April 1997]
Hollywood Confidential TV movie  Several ex-cops run an agency in Hollywood that investigates and tries to prevent scandals or embarrassment involving entertainment stars, and then to quash the scandal quickly when things get out of hand. Directed by Reynaldo Villalobos; written by Anthony Yerkovich; starring Edward James Olmos, Rick Aiello, Angela Alvarado, Christine Harnos, Richard T. Jones, Brendan Kelly, Charlize Theron, Thomas Jane, Evelina Fernández & Amanda Pays
Paramount color DVD [4/2000] for $17.99
Paramount color VHS [7/99] out of prodn/many used
full credits from IMDb

"American  Me" [Universal March 1992]
American Me   Co-produced & directed by and starring Edward James Olmos; script by Floyd Mutrux & Desmond Nakano; also starring Pepe Serna, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez, Vira Montes, Roberto Martín Márquez, Dyana Ortelli & Daniel A. Haro
Universal widescreen DVD [1/2003] for $17.98
Universal color VHS [5/2000] for $9.98
Virgin soundtrack CD [6/92] for $11.98
full credits from IMDb

"Stand  and  Deliver"
[Warner Bros. April 1988]
Stand & Deliver   The true story of Jaime Escalante, a math teacher who came to a gang-filled Los Angeles high school and inspired 18 students to take – and pass – the advanced placement calculus test, in the process teaching them pride in themselves and control of their own futures. Directed by Ramón Menéndez; starring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Andy Garcia & Rosanna DeSoto; Oscar nomination for Best Actor [EJO], won 6 Independent Spirit Awards
Warner color DVD [10/98] for $13.48
Warner color VHS [9/93] out of stock/used
Warner color VHS w/Spanish subtitles [9/93] out of stock/used
Varese soundtrack CD [12/97] out of stock/used
full credits from IMDb
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99

"Blade  Runner" [Ladd Company June 1982]
Blade Runner   Location filming included Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis Brown House in Hollywood, California. Directed by Ridley Scott, from a novel by Philip K. Dick; starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh & Daryl Hannah; music by Vangelis; won Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, listed on National Film Registry in 1993; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Movies (10/2005)
Warner Final Cut Special Edition widescreen color DVD [12/2007] 2 disks for $14.49  
Warner Ultimate Collector's Edition widescreen color DVD [12/2007] 5 disks for $54.99  
Warner Director's Cut Remastered Limited Edition color DVD [9/2006] out of prodn/used
Warner Director's Cut DVD [8/97] out of prodn/used
Warner Director's Cut VHS [2/99] out of prodn/many used
full credits from IMDb
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99
Future Noir / Making of Blade Runner  
Atlantic soundtrack CD [6/94] for $11.98
Warner orchestral version CD [10/90] for $11.98

"Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" book by Paul M. Sammon
HarperCollins 9x6 pb [7/96] for $11.53

Androids   "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" [Signet 1968]
by Philip K. Dick

Ballantine movie tie-in pb [4/90] for $6.99
Del Rey 8x5½ pb [6/96] for $10.40
TimeWarner ABR audio [8/94] for $11.90
'Blade Runner' official movie site {requires Flash}
movie fansite
'Los Angeles 2019' fansite

"Zoot  Suit" [Universal 1981]
Zoot Suit video   A landmark of Latino/Xicano arts. First staged as a play in 1978, this is a filming of that play; the 'stylized musical' tells of anti-Xicano riots in Los Angeles in 1942 against a backdrop of swing music & dance. The sensational performance of Edward James Olmos shows why he is today's leading Hispanic actor. Written & directed by Luis Valdez
Universal widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $9.99
Universal color VHS video [4/2001] out of stock/used
full credits from IMDb; credits on Broadway

Sleepy Lagoon   "Murder at The Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race & Riot In Wartime L.A."
[2003] by Eduardo Obregón Pagán

"an important and illuminating contribution ... a wholly compelling glimpse of the reality behind the myth" — Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Univ NC Press 9¼x6¼ pb [11/2003] for $13.97
Univ NC Press 9¾x6¼ hardcover [11/2003] for $49.95
El Pachuco of Fullerton, CA (sells/rents zoot suits!)
Siegel’s Zoot Suit Store in San Francisco, CA


EJO bio   "Edward James Olmos" [YA biography 1997]
by Louis Carrillo

Steck Vaughn 9½x6½ hardcover [3/97] out of print/used


Edward James Olmos with moustache

Online sales in association with  cinema books catalog at Amazon.com

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