Edward James "Eddie" Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated American actor and director. Some of his most memorable roles are Gaff in Blade Runner, Lt. Martin Castillo in Miami Vice, Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver and Admiral William Adama in the Battlestar Galactica re-imagined series.

Early life

Olmos was born Edward OlmosAccording to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com in Los Angeles, California, where he was raised, the son of Eleanor (née Huizar) and Pedro Olmos, who was a welder.Edward James Olmos Biography (1947-) His father was a Mexican immigrant with Hungarian ancestry (the surname Olmos is originally a Hungarian surname)www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/edward_james_olmos/index.shtml and his mother Mexican American.Edward James Olmos: fighting for justice and defying gangsters: on charity boards, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Oscar Nominee. | Latino Leaders (December, 2003) He grew up wanting to be a professional baseball player and became the Golden State batting champion. In his teen years, he turned to rock and roll, and became the lead singer for a band he named Pacific Ocean, so-called because it was "the biggest thing on the West Coast". Cast:William Adama, scifi.com (accessed 2 December 2006) He graduated from Montebello High School in 1964. While at Montebello High School, he lost a race for Student Body President to future California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres. For several years Pacific Ocean played various clubs in and around Los Angeles and released a record in 1968. At the same time, he attended classes at East Los Angeles College and California State University, Los Angeles, including courses in acting.