"Commander William Adama"
Actor, producer, director and community activist Edward James Olmos was born and raised in Los Angeles. A veteran of the theatre, he earned a Tony nomination for his mesmerizing performance in the 1978 drama/musical "Zoot Suit". He reprised the role for a feature film in 1981, and went on that year to star in "Wolfen". He followed these performances with pivotal roles in Ridley Scott's landmark "Blade Runner" and Robert M. Young's acclaimed "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez".
Olmos' feature film credits also include "Selena", "Mi Familia/My Family" and "American Me", which he also directed. His extensive television work includes HBO's "The Burning Season", Showtime's "In the Time of Butterflies", the ABC miniseries "Dead Man's Walk" and the documentary "The Unfinished Journey", directed by Steven Spielberg. Most recently, Olmos starred in the acclaimed PBS series "American Family".
Throughout his extensive career, Olmos has received numerous accolades, including an LA Drama Circle Award, an Emmy (in addition to three nominations) and two Golden Globe Awards. In 1988, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the dedicated, real-life math teacher in "Stand and Deliver", which he also produced. Most recently, he was awarded the PASS award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for producing the domestic-violence documentary "It Ain't Love".
Olmos is currently a United States Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. He is also a national spokesperson for the following organizations: Southwest Voter Registration Project, where he helps the Latino Community in its pursuit of citizenship and voter registration; the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation; and the AIDS Awareness Foundation. He also serves on the boards of Recruiting New Teachers, the Twentieth Century Fund, UCLA School of Film and Theatre, UCLA Mentoring Program, Miami Children's Hospital, Los Angeles Children's Hospital, National Council on Adoption, Children's Action Network Hollywood Supports and OneNetNow.com.