Best known as Lieutenant Castillo on Miami Vice and as Jaime Escalante form Stand and Deliver, Edward James Olmos recently acted and made his directorial debut in American Me, a story that takes a stark look at the life of a Hispanic American family in East Los Angeles.

Growing up in east LA, Olmos barley escaped the violent cycle of gang life. He played baseball, became a singer, attended college and studied acting. His award winning role as El Pachuco in Zoot Suit, a musical drama about a murder case in which a group of Mexican American youths were wrongly convicted, spurred Olmos' acting career. He followed his success with featured roles in Wolfen, Virus, Blade Runner, Miami Vice, and the TV mini-series The Fortunate Pilgrim and Stand and Deliver.

Olmos has been referred to as America's most visible spokesman for the Hispanic community, and his humanitarian work is approached with the same dedication as his acting.

NOTE: Bio is as it appeared in the Forum playbill for "Focus on Race Relations" on May 22, 1993.