Edward James Olmos Filmography

The Golden Age: A Passion to Last a Lifetime

Actors: Edward James Olmos

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Synopsis: The untold story of the Battlestar Pegasus comes to the screen in this special, two-hour episode of Battlestar Galactica detailing the transformation of Major Kendra Shaw into a fearless tool of war known as a "razor." As the Cylons prepare to launch a genocidal attack on the Twelve Read More

Walkout

Crew: Co-Executive Producer, Director, Executive Producer

Actors: Alexa Vega, Michael Peña, Yancey Arias, Laura Elena Harring, Efren Ramirez

Synopsis: Made for cable, Walkout is the true story of a little-known but profoundly significant moment in the history of the Latino community in East Los Angeles. In 1968, Lincoln High School honor student Paula Crisostomo (Alexa Vega), outraged at the shabby treatment afforded Chicano students in the L.A. Read More

Splinter

Actors: Enrique Almeida, Tom Sizemore, Edward James Olmos, Resmine Atis, Noel Gugliemi

Synopsis: Edward James Olmos turns in a supporting performance in this thriller, the feature debut from his son Michael D. Olmos. Enrique Almeida stars as Dreamer, a young man whose memory was severely inhibited in a gang attack that left his older brother dead. Bent on revenge, Dreamer sets out in search Read More

Lalo Guerrero the Original Chicago

Battlestar Galactica: Season 01

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, James Callis

Battlestar Galactica: Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down

Crew: Director

Battlestar Galactica

Actors: Mary McDonnell, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: One of the most popular television series of the late '70s science fiction boom gets a new look for the new millennium in remake, created as a made-for-cable miniseries. Four decades after the Cylon Wars, the Cylon robots (some of whom have since assumed human form) have launched a vicious nuclear Read More

The Judge

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Chris Noth

Synopsis: Based on the 1996 novel by Steve Martini, this two-part TV miniseries stars Edward James Olmos as by-the-book Judge Armando Acosta, who regards both criminals and cops with equal disdain. During Acosta's investigation of police corruption, the Judge is framed for soliciting a prostitute -- who is Read More

American Family [TV Series]

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Raquel Welch, Constance Marie, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales

Synopsis: Beyond the fact that it was seen on PBS, the dramatic series American Family bore no relation to the classic docudrama series of the 1970s. Created by filmmaker Gregory Nava, the series focused on a "typical" Latino family in East L.A., and as such was the only program on "regular" TV to feature Read More

Matamoros: The Human Face of Globalization

Actors: Edward James Olmos

Gossip

Actors: Eric Bogosian, Marisa Coughlan, Lena Headey, Kate Hudson, Joshua Jackson, James Marsden, Norman Reedus

Synopsis: The blurry line between a rumor and the truth is stretched to the breaking point in this drama. Three arrogant and self-centered college students, Jones (Lena Headey), Derek (James Marsden), and Travis (Norman Reedus), are brought together for a class project, in which they decide to start a rumor Read More

The Road to El Dorado

Actors: Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Armand Assante, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: Dreamworks SKG's second feature-length animated film blends comedy and drama in an unusual historical adventure. Two genial swindlers working as stable hands stow away with Cortez, the legendary Spanish conquistador, as he searches for El Dorado, the lost City of Gold. Luck smiles on the two con Read More

Champions Forever: The Latin Legends

Synopsis: Edward James Olmos narrates this boxing documentary, which spotlights the careers of six of the best Latin boxers of all time -- Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Alexis Arguello, Carlos Ortiz, Kid Gavilan and the late Salvador Sanchez. Highlights include ring stats, slow motion knockouts Read More

In the Time of the Butterflies

Actors: Salma Hayek, Marc Anthony, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: Based on the book by Julia Alvarez, this fact-based drama tells the story of a woman who, along with her family, found the courage to defy a corrupt dictator -- and paid a fearful price for their actions. Minerva Mirabal (Salma Hayek) and her sisters Patria (Lumi Cavazos), Mate (Mia Maestro), and Read More

The West Wing: Celestial Navigation

Actors: Dule Hill, Kathryn Joosten, Timothy Busfield

Synopsis: This episode of The West Wing is structured as a flashback while Josh (Bradley Whitford) addresses a college class on the day-to-day workings of the White House. Toby (Richard Schiff) and Sam (Rob Lowe) must travel to Connecticut in order to smooth over troubles when Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) Read More

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

Actors: Marisol Nichols, Tony Plana

Synopsis: A pretty Hispanic high school student from a well-to-do family (Marisol Nichols) falls in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks (Nicholas Gonzalez) in this family-friendly drama inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale The Little Mermaid. The Princess and the Barrio Boy also Read More

Happily Ever After Fairy Tales: Thumbelina

Americanos: Latino Life in the United States

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: Susan Todd and Andrew Young look at the vast diversity of Latino culture in America. The film weaves together interviews and images from the slums of Miami to the California border -- from a low-rider convention in Ronald Reagan's hometown of Dixon, Illinois, to a Puerto Rican community center in Read More

Youngest Godfather

Actors: Martin Landau, Costas Mandylor, Edward James Olmos, Robert Loggia, Bruce Ramsay, Tony Nardi

Synopsis: This made-for-TV drama is based on the autobiography of one of the most notorious figures in American organized crime, Joseph Bonanno. Bonanno (played by Bruce Ramsay) left Sicily as a young man, eager to escape the tyranny of Benito Mussolini, but when he arrived in America, fate led him to a Read More

Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War

Synopsis: The premise was straightforward enough: help Cuba remove the Spaniards from their borders. But when the smoke cleared, the Spanish-American War proved to be the factor that brought the United States out of isolationism to its position as a world power. The PBS film Crucible of Empire: The Read More

The West Wing: The Short List

Actors: Dule Hill, Elisabeth Moss, Kathryn Joosten

Synopsis: After Justice Joseph Crouch (Mason Adams) steps down from the Supreme Court, President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) questions his first choice to replace him, Peyton Cabot Harrison III (Ken Howard), when an old brief reveals he does not share the administration's position on privacy rights. Bartlett Read More

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit

Actors: Joe Mantegna, Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos, Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez, Gregory Sierra

Synopsis: Fantasist Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his 1957 Saturday Evening Post short story, "The Magic White Suit," previously adapted as a TV drama, a stage musical, and a play. Middle-aged Gomez (Joe Mantegna) hopes to own the beautiful white suit he spots in a store window. Read More

The Wall

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Ruby Dee, Savion Glover

Synopsis: At the shiny black length of the Vietnam wall, visitors come to pay respects and often leave behind mementos. This drama looks at the moving stories behinds three such tiny tributes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

Actors: Vincent D'Onofrio, Donnie Wahlberg, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: Made for television, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is adapted from the suspense novel by John Godey, previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1974. The earlier version was highlighted by the verbal cat-and-mouse game between a cynical veteran NYPD detective, played by Walter Matthau, and Read More

Touched By an Angel: God and Country

Synopsis: Posing as an Army private, angel Rafael (Alexis Cruz) tries to reconcile hardhearted Col. Victor Walls (Edward James Olmos) with his embittered soldier son Tomas (Vincent Laresca). Already angered that his father has changed his name from Victor Paredes, presumably to distance himself from his Read More

12 Angry Men

Actors: Jack Lemmon, Courtney Vance, George C. Scott, Mykelti Williamson, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Synopsis: A jury argues a case in a stuffy room on a hot summer's day. Eleven say "guilty!" But one holdout (Jack Lemmon) is convinced of the defendant's innocence and stubbornly argues "reasonable doubt." This tense courtroom drama is a remake of Sidney Lumet's 1957 favorite and was produced for the Read More

Teens At-Risk: Chill Out

The Living Edens: Manu - Peru's Hidden Rain Forest

Synopsis: PBS previously broadcast Living Edens: Manu as a television program. In 1989, Kim Macquarrie, award-winning writer/director/producer, traveled to the remote southeast corner of Peru where to the Manu Biosphere Reserve, one of the few areas of the world where life is undisturbed by human Read More

Hollywood Confidential

Actors: Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: In this drama, a band of law-enforcement agents specialize in suppressing potential scandals involving important Tinseltown celebrities. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

Death in Granada

Actors: Andy Garcia, Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos, Jeroen Krabbé, Marcela Walerstein

Synopsis: Drawing its basic story from author Ian Gibson's investigation into the real-life murder of Andalusian poet Federico Garcia Lorca at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War, this English-language thriller begins in 1935 as exiled Spanish journalist Ricardo and his family resettle in Puerto Rico. For Read More

Selena

Actors: Jennifer Lopez, Rebecca Lee Meza, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas

Synopsis: Selena Quintanilla was a major figure in Tejano music, a Grammy-winning recording artist, a beloved star in the American Southwest and Mexico, and seemed poised to cross over into mainstream popularity on the U.S. pop charts when she was murdered on March 31, 1995 by the president of her fan club. Read More

Mystic Lands: Bali - Isle of 1000 Temples

Synopsis: Locations that are considered sacred by certain cultures are the subject of the Mystic Lands series of programs. Edward James Olmos hosts this look at the island of Bali, home to practitioners of the Hindu faith and other spiritual persuasions. Mystic Lands: Bali offers an exploration of the Read More

Mystic Lands: Anasazi - The Ancient Ones

Synopsis: The Anasazi were the ancestors of the Pueblo tribe of native Americans, and in Mystic Lands: Anasazi -- The Ancient Ones, their culture and history is examined. This installment is part of a series describing the spiritual significance of various cultures, and details their stories and daily Read More

Mystic Lands: Greece - Isle of Revelation

Synopsis: The extensive cast of characters that makes up Greek mythology was the source of pagan beliefs in ancient Greece. Headed by Zeus, these gods had a profound influence on Greeks, who erected temples and other structures in their honor. In this series of films, Mystic Lands, the spiritual beliefs of Read More

Mystic Lands: Australia - Dreamtime

Synopsis: The Aborigines of Australia speak of a "dreamtime" that is not well understood by those outside the culture. In this look at the Anangu and Tiwi tribes, Mystic Lands: Australia -- Dreamtime attempts to separate legend from fact, and sheds light on the mystery surrounding their beliefs. According Read More

Mystic Lands: Peru - Kingdom in the Clouds

Synopsis: The area in which the Incas lived was subject to natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and severe weather. They believed that the gods controlled these events, and made sacrifices to appease them. The sacred valley of the Incas contains many ruins from their remarkable Read More

Mystic Lands: Varanasi - City of Light

Synopsis: In this episode of Mystic Lands, the traditions and beliefs of the Hindu in India are examined, with emphasis on the city of Varanasi. It is located near the banks of the Ganges River, regarded as sacred by the Hindus, and millions make a holy pilgrimage to Varanasi, which has over a thousand Read More

Mystic Lands: Bhutan - Land of the Thunder Dragon

Synopsis: The residents of Bhutan believe that gods dating back to ancient times still exert an influence over their lives. Actor and host Edward James Olmos visits the kingdom tucked into the eastern Himalayas, and offers an insightful glimpse into the forces that drive the beliefs of the people who live Read More

Mystic Lands: Burma - Triumph of the Spirit

Synopsis: In this series of films, the legends and mysteries that surround certain regions are investigated, with an emphasis on the spiritual beliefs of their residents. The programs explore the influences of these beliefs on the daily lives of the people, and how the mystique draws visitors from other Read More

Mystic Lands: Jerusalem - Mosaic of Faith

Synopsis: The proponents of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all claim Jerusalem as their spiritual center. Mystic Lands: Jerusalem -- Mosaic of Faith looks at how each group attempts to keep its history and traditions separate from the others. Actor Edward James Olmos narrates this in-depth examination of Read More

Caught

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Maria Conchita Alonso, Arie Verveen, Bitty Schram, Steven Schub

Synopsis: Love, lust, loyalty, and betrayal are the themes of this tense adult drama. Joe (Edward James Olmos) and Betty (Maria Conchita Alonso) are a married couple living in Jersey City; Joe runs a fish market, and Betty wishes that Joe showed as much interest in her as he does in his business, since she Read More

The Limbic Region

Actors: George Dzundza, Gwynyth Walsh, Edward James Olmos, Roger R. Cross

Synopsis: While a serial killer continues to taunt and terrorize San Francisco residents, police detective Jon Lucca (Edward James Olmos) doggedly follows his tracks. Unlike other members of the department, Lucca does not believe the main suspect -- who was shot over a decade ago in a police gun battle Read More

Mystic Lands: Maya - Messages in Stone

Synopsis: The Mayans believed in a complex system of gods who ruled over many aspects of daily life, including childbirth, medicine, agriculture, and death. Gods held up the sky, and the Mayans built huge stone monuments to honor the various deities. In this episode of Mystic Lands, the series that provides Read More

Mystic Lands: The Taj Mahal - Heaven on Earth

Synopsis: It is a love story that cuts across time and culture, the legend of Shah Jehan, whose love for his wife, Mumtaz, inspired the creation of what many consider to be the most beautiful building in the world, the Taj Mahal. The Shah brought craftsmen from all over the world to work on the building Read More

Mystic Lands: Egypt - Circle of Life

Synopsis: People all over the world have been fascinated by the history and culture of the early Egyptians and their preoccupation with the afterlife. The discovery of treasures buried with the pharaohs only fueled the intense interest in the mysteries of the pyramids and the elaborate burial customs Read More

Dead Man's Walk

Synopsis: Author Larry McMurtry revisits Gus and Woodrow, the aging lawmen from his bestselling Western novel Lonesome Dove, in their early days as young men determined to make a name for themselves as Texas Rangers in this made-for-TV prequel. Gus (David Arquette) and Woodrow (Jonny Lee Miller) join up Read More

Mystic Lands: Haiti - Dance of the Spirit

Synopsis: While many know of voodoo, few realize that it is a blend of African beliefs, Roman Catholicism, and American Indian concepts. In this installment of Mystic Lands, a series of films exploring spiritual beliefs and their influence on the day-to-day lives of their practitioners, host Edward James Olmos Read More

Mirage

Synopsis: This unintentionally campy suspense thriller takes a large part of its plot from Hitchcock's Vertigo. Matteo Juarez, a former policeman in Palm Springs, has been emotionally devastated by his accidental death of a female hostage he was trying to save. Donald Gale, a wealthy capitalist and Read More

Salvaged Lives

Synopsis: This documentary chronicles the travails of six Southern California state prison inmates as they endure grueling vocational training to become deep-sea salvage experts. The unique 10-month program has been effect in the Chino Institution for Men since 1970. These inmates originally were part of 65 Read More

My Family

Actors: Elpidia Carrillo, Jenny Gago, Esai Morales, Eduardo Lopez Rojas, Jimmy Smits, Jacob Vargas, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: Featuring Jennifer Lopez in her first major big-screen role, Gregory Nava's My Family traces three generations of the Sanchez's, a Mexican-American family living in East Los Angeles. Beginning in the 1930s, the film outlines the struggles faced by Jose (Jacob Vargas) and Maria (Lopez) as a Read More

A Million to Juan

Actors: Paul Rodriguez, Polly Draper, Pepe Serna, Bert Rosario, Jonathan Hernandez

Synopsis: This comedy, set in the barrios East L.A. is loosely based upon Mark Twain's parable The Million Pound Bank Note. The new version tells the tale of Juan Lopez a nice, but uneducated hombre trying to earn enough money to support his little boy. Though Juan was born in the States, he lacks proper Read More

Slave of Dreams

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Sherilyn Fenn, Adrian Pasdar

Menendez: A Killing in Beverly Hills

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Beverly D'Angelo, Damian Chapa, Travis Fine, Julio Oscar Mechoso

Synopsis: We'd rather not rehash the sordied Menendez murder case in this space; besides, it isn't necessary, inasmuch as no fewer than two TV movies were produced on the subject in 1994. The first was Fox's Honor Thy Father and Mother; the second, telecast less than a month later, was Menendez: A Killing Read More

The Burning Season

Actors: Raul Julia

Synopsis: This highly acclaimed made-for-cable movie tells the real-life story of one man's battle to save his land. Raul Julia stars as Chico Mendes, the Brazilian union leader who rallied his people to rise up and fight the exploitation of the rainforest. Mendes called on the locals to protest land Read More

500 Nations, Vol. 2: Mexico - The Rise and Fall of the Aztecs

Roosters

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Sonia Braga, Maria Conchita Alonso, Danny Nucci, Sarah Lassez

Synopsis: Milcha Sanchez-Scott adapted her own play for this moving and poetic tale of family obsessions directed by Robert M. Young. Edward James Olmos stars as Gallo, the macho head of the Morales family. He has been in prison for the last seven years for murdering a man over a cockfight, but now he is Read More

Wild West

Synopsis: A five-volume collection of some 3500 photos, sketches, and paintings of myths of the American West between the end of the Civil War to 1900. Includes first-person narratives, anecdotes, newspaper accounts, journals, and letters covering Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Read More

Lives In Hazard

Crew: Executive Producer

Synopsis: Edward James Olmos was directing American Me, a movie about gang violence in his real-life old neighborhood in east Los Angeles, and he also produced and narrated this documentary. In order to produce either movie on location, complex negotiations with the many rival gang factions were required. Read More

American Me

Crew: Director, Producer

Actors: Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Pepe Serna, Danny De La Paz, Evelina Fernandez

Synopsis: Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga American Me. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending Read More

Maria's Story

Synopsis: Done in a documentary form, this is really a biography of Maria Serrano, one of the guerrilla forces in the civil strife in El Salvador. Opening in 1988, this film follows Maria; her husband, Jose; and their family and comrades through the horror that has become a way of life to them -- living and Read More

Talent for the Game

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Lorraine Bracco, Jamey Sheridan, Terry Kinney, Jeff Corbett

Synopsis: Sammy Bodean is the newest, most promising recruit according to the advertisement of the California Angels--and has to prove it come game time. Following the team's sale to young business whiz Gil Lawrence (Terry Kinney), ex-player Virgil Sweet (Edward James Olmos) has to prove himself as the Read More

The Earth Day Special

Synopsis: A cast of celebrities gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. It is an entertaining special that points out the crisis state of our planet's environment. It provides scientific facts and detailed analysis. The show provides ways in which everyone can participate in saving the Read More

Triumph of the Spirit

Actors: Willem Dafoe, Edward James Olmos, Robert Loggia, Wendy Gazelle, Kelly Wolf

Synopsis: Triumph of the Spirit is the true story of Salamo Arouch, a Greek-Jewish boxer imprisoned in Auschwitz during World War II. Arrested while attempting to help his family and friends escape the Nazi juggernaut, Arouch (Dafoe) is slated for extermination. He manages to survive--and to serve as an Read More

Stand and Deliver

Actors: Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosanna de Soto, Andy Garcia, Will Gotay

Synopsis: Edward James Olmos portrays the real-life Jaime Escalante, a no-nonsense mathematic teacher in a tough East LA high school. Handed a classroom full of "losers" and "unteachables," Escalante is determined to turn his young charges' lives around. Drawing from his own cultural heritage, Escalante Read More

Miami Vice: Season 05

Actors: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Edward James Olmos

Synopsis: The fifth and final season of the ultrahip crime series Miami Vice opens with a 2-parter resolving the incredible cliffhanger from Season Four. A blow on the head had caused Dade County vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) to assume the identity of his undercover alter ego Sonny Burnett, and Read More

The Fortunate Pilgrim

Actors: Sophia Loren, Edward James Olmos, John Turturro, Hal Holbrook, Annabella Sciorra

Synopsis: Before striking gold with The Godfather, Mario Puzo published a pageant-like novel titled The Fortunate Pilgrim. Puzo's book was adapted into a two-part TV movie in 1988, with Sophia Loren as star. Ms. Loren plays a young Italian wife and mother, who emigrates to the US in 1915 in search of a Read More