Say the name Edward James Olmos, and most people think of an award-winning actor, a notable director and producer, or a much-honored activist.  What they probably won’t think about is how his first love was baseball, how his second love was music, and how both of these activities in his youth molded and influenced the man known today.

His appreciation of diversity and his high regard for differences had their roots in his earliest years.Born in East Los Angeles on February 24, 1947, Olmos says about his Boyle Heights neighborhood, "On our small lane (Cheesbrough's Lane) we had a Hispanic family with thirteen kids, Native Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Mexicans, Russians. It was a fantastic environment."

"One day I was following my brother, who was crossing First Street. I got scared about two -thirds of the way across and turned around and almost got hit. But when I turned around I saw my sister following me. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. From then on I knew I was being looked up to by my little sister. I would make sure I knew where she was so that I wouldn't lead her into some kind of trouble. I knew that I was an example for her; I had an understanding of that."

If he had followed his first love, Edward James Olmos might have been a pro baseball player. If he had followed his second love, he might have been a singer. Instead, he has become one of the most respected actors in Hollywood as well as a leader in the Latino community.

Born in East LA on February 24, 1947, Edward is one of three children. His parents divorced when he was eight, and he found refuge in baseball. A talented player, Edward became the Golden State batting champion.
           
At fifteen, his focus shifted from baseball to music. He taught himself to sing and to play the piano, and in 1961 he joined friends to form a band they called The Pacific Ocean. The group had great success performing in Los Angeles clubs. They recorded one album entitled Purgatory.
       
Edward attended East Los Angeles College and California State University from which he graduated with an associates degree in sociology. In 1971 Edward married Kaija Keel. With her he had two sons, Mico and Bodie. He has three adopted children.

He started auditioning for both stage and TV. His big break came in 1978 when he was asked to audition for the role of El Pachuco in a musical drama called Zoot Suit. The play eventually headed to Broadway. By the time the show closed, Edward had won a Los Angeles Drama Critic Award, a Theatre World Award, and was nominated for a Tony Award. 

Between 1981 and 1984 he accepted several movie roles, and in 1984 he joined the cast of the hugely popular “Miami Vice.”  In the role of Lt. Castillo, he won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a People’s Choice Award. In 1998 he starred in Stand and Deliver, a part for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Altogether, he has been in more than forty films including American Me which he directed.

Edward’s second TV series was “American Family” which aired on PBS. He currently stars in “Battlestar Galactica” on the Sci Fi Channel. In August 2005, he directed a movie entitled Walkout for HBO.