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Edward James Olmos, born February 24, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, is a Mexican-American actor who plays the role of Felipe Reyes on Mayans MC, a spinoff of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Playing the role of the father of Ezekiel and Angel Reyes, Edward makes his debut in the series' premiere episode, "Perro/Oc", in season one. Playing a major recurring role throughout the same and subsequent seasons, Edward was last seen in the season five episode, "I Must Go in Now for the Fog Is Rising".
Biography[]
Edward James Olmos was born in Los Angeles, California, to Eleanor (Huizar) and Pedro Olmos, who was a mail carrier and welder. His family was of Mexican descent. If Olmos had followed the first love of his life, he would have been a professional baseball player. But by age 13, another love entered his life: rock music. By age 15, he was already an experienced rock singer, forming and reforming several "garage bands" along the way.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he played the most famous clubs on Sunset Strip, including Gazzarri's and The Factory. But a friend suggested that, with his flair for the dramatic, he consider a career in acting. Throughout the 1970s, he divided his time between rock music gigs, acting classes, bit parts in television, Off-off-off Broadway plays and his business of moving fine furniture. His first big break was a starring role in Luis Valdez's play, "Zoot Suit", in 1978. The play moved to Broadway and led to a Tony Award nomination and great critical acclaim.
Edward James Olmos stars as “Felipe Reyes.” The once strong Mexican patriarch, crushed by bullets and hard labor, struggles to keep his past buried and lead his sons down a lawful, righteous path.
Olmos has achieved extraordinary success as an actor, producer and humanitarian in his career in entertainment spanning more than 30 years. The Academy Award®-nominated, Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning actor, is probably best known to young audiences for his work on the SyFy television series Battlestar Galactica as “Admiral William Adama.” Although the series kept the actor busy during its 73-episode run, it didn’t stop him from directing the HBO film Walkout in 2007, for which he earned a DGA Nomination in the “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television” category.
Originally a musician, Olmos branched out into acting, appearing in many small theatre productions until portraying the iconic “El Pachuco” in Zoot Suit. After the play moved to Broadway, Olmos earned a Tony® nomination for the role, which he reprised in the 1981 film adaptation.
Olmos went on to appear in the films Wolfen, Blade Runner, and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez before starring in his biggest role to date, that of “Lieutenant Martin Castillo” in the iconic 1980s television series Miami Vice, opposite Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. During his time on the Michael Mann series, Olmos earned two Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations, resulting in a win for each. In 1988, the actor was nominated for an Academy Award® and won the Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver.He made his directorial debut on American Me in 1992.
Olmos’ passion for the arts grows every year, but he never forgets to give back to the communities that support him with their dedication and support. He is an international advocate, spokesman, and humanitarian working with organizations such as Thank You Ocean, Project Hope Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, The Boys & Girls Club of America, The River Keepers, Dr. Andros’ Diabetic Foot Global Conference, speaking up to 150 times a year in schools, universities, and corporations.
Other credits as an actor include the motion pictures My Family/Mi Familia; Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez, and In the Time of Butterflies, in which he played Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. On television, he enjoyed a recurring role as “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roberto Mendoza” in the NBC drama The West Wing, portrayed a widowed father in the PBS drama American Family: Journey of Dreams, and recently directed the YouTube phenomena “The Short Film BP Doesn’t Want You To See,” featured on Larry King/CNN.
Other Works[]
- Blade Runner as Gaff
- Battlestar Galactica as William Adama
- Miami Vice as Martin Castillo
- 2 Guns as Papi Greco
- The Road to El Dorado as Chief
- Selena as Abraham Quintanilla
- Dexter as James Gellar
- The Green Hornet as Axford
- Stand and Deliver as Jaime Escalante
- American Family as Jess Gonzalez
External Links[]
Trivia[]
- Michael D. Olmos, Edward's adoptive son, was a director in season four of Mayans M.C.
Appearances[]
 Season 1 appearances
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| "Perro/Oc" | "Escorpión/Dzec" | "Búho/Muwan" | "Bat/Zotz" | "Uch/Opossum" |
| "Gato/Mis" | "Cucaracha/K'uruch" | "Rata/Ch'o" | "Serpiente/Chikchan" | "Cuervo/Tz'ikb'uul" |
| Season 2 appearances
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| "Xbalanque" | "Xaman-Ek" | "Camazotz" | "Lahun Chan" | "Xquic" |
| "Muluc" | "Tohil" | "Kukulkan" | "Itzam-Ye" | "Hunahpu" |