JIMMY SMITS

'Jimmy Smits' (born July 9, 1955) is a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning American actor, primarily in movies, soap operas and television.
The Brooklyn born-Smits is perhaps best known for his long-running roles on the 1980s legal drama ''L.A. Law'' as Richard Dysart's youngest uptight law partner, 'Victor Sifuentes', who was also the firm's pro-bono lawyer (a role he played from 1986 to 1991), and as Dennis Franz's second partner, 'Det. Bobby Simone', in ''NYPD Blue'' (a role he played from 1994 to 1998), a police officer who was a widower, as well as his role on ''The West Wing'' as congressman and presidential candidate 'Matt Santos', opposite Alan Alda, Martin Sheen and Dule Hill. He will also play 'Alex Vega', the main character on CBS's prime-time serial, ''Cane''. As an actor, he is noted for his portrayal of earnest, honest men with deep moral convictions.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography/TV roles

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Smits was born in New York City. His father, Cornelis Smits, was a Surinamese immigrant from Dutch Guiana who managed a silk-screening factory. His mother, Emilina, was a Puerto Rican who worked as a nurse.^[1][2] He has a sister, Diana. He grew up in a devoutly Catholic family in a working-class neighborhood and spent time in Puerto Rico during his childhood.^[3]http://www.gale.com/free_resources/chh/bio/smits_j.htm Smits earned a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1980 and an MFA from Cornell University in 1982. Though born in New York, Smits has deep Puerto Rican roots and frequently visits the island. He was arrested for his participation in protests against U.S. Navy bombing practices in the Puerto Rican offshore island of Vieques.^[4]

Career

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Smits has received various nominations for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, winning an Emmy in 1990 and a Golden Globe in 1996. A wider audience became aware of Smits for his appearance as Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan who becomes Princess Leia's adoptive father, in the Star Wars films '' and ''.
He also starred in the multigenerational story of a Chicano family in ''My Family/Mi Familia'' in 1995. Smits also played the Conky Repairman on ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' as one of the show's memorable characters, and in one of his earliest roles. Another notable early role played by Smits was that of Eddie Rivera in the series premiere of ''Miami Vice''. In the episode, he was Sonny Crockett's original partner, only to be shortly killed off in a sting gone wrong.
Smits was to have hosted the 2001 Latin Grammy Awards broadcast, but it was called off because of the terrorist attacks that day. He instead hosted a non-televised press conference to announce the winners.
Smits played the role of Congressman Matt Santos of Houston, Texas in the final two seasons of the American television drama ''The West Wing'', joining fellow ''L.A. Law'' alumnus John Spencer. The series ended with Santos' inauguration as President of the United States after winning the presidential election. He defeated moderate Republican Senator Arnold Vinick of California (played by Alan Alda). The producers of the series reported that they had not decided early on who would win, and in fact reported to ''The New York Times'' that until Spencer's death, they had planned on electing Vinick.

Personal life

Smits was married to Barbara Smits from 1981 until their divorce in 1987. They have two children, Taina (born in 1973) and Joaquin (born in 1983). Since 1986, Smits has been in a relationship with actress Wanda De Jesus. They reside in Los Angeles. Smits helped found the ''National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts''^[5] to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications and entertainment industries.

Filmography/TV roles

★ Miami Vice (1984) TV Episode .... Eddie Rivera

★ Rockabye (1986) (TV) .... 2nd Policeman

★ (1986) TV Episode .... Hector Valdes

★ Running Scared (1986) .... Julio Gonzales

★ Hotshot (1987) .... Stars Team Member

★ The Believers (1987) .... Tom Lopez

★ The Highwayman (1987) (TV) .... Bo Ziker

★ Stamp of a Killer (1987) (TV) .... Richard Braden

★ Glitz (1988) (TV) .... Vincent Marra

★ Pee-wee's Playhouse (1989) TV Episode .... Your authorized conky repairman

★ Old Gringo (1989) .... Gen. Tomas Arroyo

★ Vital Signs (1990) .... Dr. David Redding

★ Cop Rock (1990) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Victor Sifuentes

★ Switch (1991) .... Walter Stone

★ Fires Within (1991) .... Nestor

★ The Broken Cord (1992) (TV) .... David Norwell

★ L.A. Law .... Victor Sifuentes (1986-1991)

★ The Tommyknockers (1993) (TV) .... Jim 'Gard' Gardner

★ Gross Misconduct (1993) .... Justin Thorne

★ The Cisco Kid (1994) (TV) .... Cisco Kid

★ (1995) TV Series (voice) .... Old King Cole

★ Solomon & Sheba (1995) (TV) .... King Solomon

★ My Family/Mi Familia (1995) .... Jimmy Sanchez

★ The Last Word (1995) .... Actor (Martin)

★ Marshal Law (1996) (TV) .... Jack Coleman

★ Murder in Mind (1997) .... Peter Walker

★ (1997) (TV) (voice) .... Old King Cole

★ Lesser Prophets (1997) .... Mike

★ Adventures in Wild California (2000) .... Narrator (voice)

★ The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) .... Geronimo

★ Price of Glory (2000) .... Arturo Ortega

★ Bless the Child (2000) .... Agent John Travis

★ (2002) .... Senator Bail Organa

★ NYPD Blue (1994-1998 & 2004) .... Det. Bobby Simone

★ Lackawanna Blues (2005) (TV) .... Ruben Santiago Sr.

★ (2005) .... Senator Bail Organa

★ The West Wing (2004-2006) .... Congressman/President Matthew Santos

★ Cane (2007) (TV) .... Alex Vega
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References

1. http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/98/12.10.98/JimmySmits.html
2. http://www.hispaniconline.com/magazine/2005/march/CoverStory/index.html
3. http://www.redbookmag.com/your/celebrity/manifesto/jimmy-smits-cm
4. Navy Must Heed Puerto Ricans : Stop The Bombing
5. http://www.hispanicarts.org

External links

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★ http://www.hispanic-today.com/smits_article.html