Edward James Olmos

Born: Los Angeles, California
Where: February 24, 1947

Olmois is an actor who has spent as much of his life working on political or charitable causes as on stage and screen.

He started out in showbiz as a rock singer, but soon became known to an international audience as the quietly authoritative, no-nonsense police chief, Lt. Martin Castillo, on TV's Miami Vice - a role which he played out for five years.

His film debut came in 1975 in Aloha, Bobby and Rose, and then a Broadway play which starred Olmos, Zoot Suit, was turned into a film, and Olmos reprised his stage role on the big screen.

In 1983 Olmos produced his first film, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, which he touted around the States himself, sacrificing money and work to make sure the film was shown to as wide an audience as possible.

Olmos' political ad charitable inclinations have always been at the forefront of his persona. In 1985 he organised a relief fund for the victims of the Mexico City earthquake.

Olmos's latest success was his directorial debut American Me, which he produced and starred in.