Jimmy Smits
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- July 9, 1955 (age 71)
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Biography
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as U.S. Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing. He is also notable for his portrayal of Bail Organa in the Star Wars franchise, and Miguel Prado in Dexter. Beginning in 1986, Smits played Victor Sifuentes in the first five seasons of the NBC television Steven Bochco legal drama L.A. Law, for which he was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 1990. In 1999, Smits received the HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). He appeared in films including Switch (1991), My Family (1995), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007). Smits appeared as Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), in which the character becomes Princess Leia's adoptive father. He reappeared as Bail Organa in the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) and the spinoff movie Rogue One (2016). He later reprised the role for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). Smits played the role of Congressman Matt Santos of Houston, Texas, in the final two seasons of the NBC television drama The West Wing. In Dexter season 3, he played the role of Miguel Prado, an assistant district attorney who befriends the title character. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the role. He portrayed the character Alex Vega in the CBS TV series Cane, which aired from September 25, 2007, to December 18, 2007, and was subsequently canceled by the network due to the 2007 Screen Writer's Guild strike. In the fall of 2010, he starred in NBC's short-lived series Outlaw, about a U.S. Supreme Court justice who leaves the bench to return to practicing law. From 2012 to 2014, he joined the main cast of Sons of Anarchy as Nero Padilla. He also portrayed Elijah Strait in the short-lived NBC drama series Bluff City Law. He starred in The Get Down, a musical drama television series which debuted in 2016 on Netflix. In 2021, He played Kevin Rosario in the musical film In the Heights. He stars as Chief John Suarez on the CBS police drama East New York.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood
Movie · as self
Dexter: Resurrection
TV · as Miguel Prado · 1 ep
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
TV · as Captain Alejandro Perkins
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
Movie · as Bail Organa (archive footage) (uncredited)
East New York
TV · as Chief John Suarez · 21 eps
Obi-Wan Kenobi
TV · as Senator Bail Organa · 3 eps
In the Heights
Movie · as Kevin Rosario
The Tax Collector
Movie · as The Wizard
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
Movie · as Self
Bluff City Law
TV · as Elijah Strait · 10 eps
Who We Are Now
Movie · as Carl
24: Legacy
TV · as Senator John Donovan · 12 eps
America's Untold Story
TV · as Self - Narrator · 4 eps
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Movie · as Bail Organa
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
TV · as Dr. Fauci · 1 ep
The Get Down
TV · as Francisco 'Papa Fuerte' Cruz · 11 eps
The Late Late Show with James Corden
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
How to Get Away with Murder
TV · as Isaac Roa · 13 eps
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
TV · as Victor Santiago · 2 eps
Outlaw
TV · as Cyrus Garza · 8 eps
Backyard
Movie · as Mickey Santos
Mother and Child
Movie · as Paco
Latin Music USA
TV · as Narrator · 4 eps
Roberto Clemente
Movie · as Narrator
Sons of Anarchy
TV · as Nero Padilla · 38 eps
The Jane Austen Book Club
Movie · as Daniel
Cane
TV · as Alex Vega · 13 eps
¡Yo soy Boricua, pa' que tú lo sepas!
Movie · as Himself
Dexter
TV · as Miguel Prado · 12 eps
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Movie · as Senator Bail Organa
Lackawanna Blues
Movie · as Ruben Santiago Sr.
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
Movie · as Self
The Tony Danza Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps
TV Revolution
TV · 4 eps
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV · as Self · 4 eps
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Movie · as Senator Bail Organa
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
Movie
America: A Tribute to Heroes
Movie · as Self
The Million Dollar Hotel
Movie · as Geronimo
Bless the Child
Movie · as Agent John Travis
Adventures in Wild California
Movie · as Narrator
Price of Glory
Movie · as Arturo Ortega
Latin Grammy Awards
TV · as Self · 3 eps
The Early Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The West Wing
TV · as Matthew Santos · 35 eps
ALMA Awards
TV · 1 ep
Lesser Prophets
Movie · as Mike
Murder in Mind
Movie · as Peter Walker
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Movie · as Self
Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special
Movie · as Old King Cole (voice)
The View
TV · as Self · 3 eps
Marshal Law
Movie · as Jack Coleman
Animal Charm: Golden Digest
Movie · as Himself (Archival Footage)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The West
TV · as Self · 9 eps
My Family
Movie · as Jimmy
Solomon & Sheba
Movie · as King Solomon
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
TV · as Prince Felipe (voice), Old King Cole (voice) · 1 ep
The Cisco Kid
Movie · as Cisco Kid
Gross Misconduct
Movie · as Justin Thorne
The Tommyknockers
TV · as Jim 'Gard' Gardner · 2 eps
NYPD Blue
TV · as Bobby Simone · 110 eps
The Broken Cord
Movie · as David Norwell
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV · 1 ep
Switch
Movie · as Walter Stone
Fires Within
Movie · as Nestor
Vital Signs
Movie · as Dr. David Redding
Cop Rock
TV · as Victor Sifuentes (uncredited) · 1 ep
Old Gringo
Movie · as Gen. Tomas Arroyo
Glitz
Movie · as Vincent Marra
Mickey's 60th Birthday
Movie · as Victor Sifuentes
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps
The Believers
Movie · as Tom Lopez
Stamp of a Killer
Movie · as Richard Braden
Hotshot
Movie · as Stars Team Member
The Highwayman
TV · as Bo Ziker · 1 ep
Running Scared
Movie · as Julio Gonzales
Rockabye
Movie · as 2nd Policeman
L.A. Law: Pilot
Movie · as Victor Sifuentes
L.A. Law
TV · as Victor Sifuentes, Víctor Sifuentes · 105 eps
Spenser: For Hire
TV · 1 ep
Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper
Movie · as Eddie Rivera
Miami Vice
TV · as Eddie Rivera · 1 ep
A Capitol Fourth
TV · as Self · 46 eps
Saturday Night Live
TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep
Tony Awards
TV · as Self - Presenter · 1 ep
The Oscars
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Today
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Nominee, Self - Audience Member · 3 eps