Although this Hispanic hunk's character died quickly in his TV debut on
Miami Vice, he parlayed what could have been 15-minutes of fame into a multidecade career. His five-year stint on
L.A. Law as a rags-to-riches lawyer turned him into a star, earned him an Emmy and helped pave the way for Latino actors who were sick of just playing criminals. In 1994, he joined the taboo-breaking
NYPD Blue as a sensitive and sensual detective who wasn't afraid to show his backside. While Smits appeared in a handful of films along the way including two
Star Wars movies, in 2004 he returned to his small-screen roots as a Democratic presidential candidate on
The West Wing.
Jimmy Smits Fast Facts:
- Of Puerto Rican descent on his mother's side. Father was from Dutch Guiana, now Surinam.
- Before high school, lived for two years in Puerto Rico, where he learned to speak Spanish. He told Hispanic magazine that this was "the most traumatic experience of my life... It was like, 'Pull this kid out of school, out of America, and plop him down here.'"
- Worked as a union labor organizer during his college years.
- Appeared in the pilot episode of Miami Vice as Sonny Crockett's partner, but died within the first 15 minutes.
- An investor (along with Paul Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez and other celebs) in the Conga Room, an L.A. dance club/restaurant that showcases Latino music.
- Very active in numerous charitable causes and co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, to promote Hispanic talent in the performing arts.
- Jimmy Smits Relationships:
- Wanda De Jesús - Significant Other
- Barbara Smits - Ex-wife
- Cornelis Smits - Father
- Diana Smits - Sister
- Emelina Smits - Mother
- Joaquin - Son
- Taina - Daughter
- Jimmy Smits Awards:
- 1995 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1996 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1997 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1987 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1988 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1990 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Winner
- 1991 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1992 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1991 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 1996 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama - Winner
- 1997 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- 1999 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- College:
- Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY (BA, 1980); Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (MFA, 1982)
