Jimmy Smits
Acting
Born July 9, 1955, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
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.
Filmography
- Dexter: Resurrection — Miguel Prado
- The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — Captain Alejandro Perkins
- 2022Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look — Bail Organa (archive footage) (uncredited)
- East New York — Chief John Suarez
- Obi-Wan Kenobi — Senator Bail Organa
- 2021In the Heights — Kevin Rosario
- 2020The Tax Collector — The Wizard
- Bluff City Law — Elijah Strait, Producer
- 2018Who We Are Now — Carl
- 24: Legacy — Senator John Donovan
- Full Frontal with Samantha Bee — Dr. Fauci
- 2016Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — Bail Organa
- The Get Down — Francisco 'Papa Fuerte' Cruz
- How to Get Away with Murder — Isaac Roa
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine — Victor Santiago
- Outlaw — Cyrus Garza, Co-Executive Producer
- 2009Backyard — Mickey Santos
- Latin Music USA — Narrator
- 2009Mother and Child — Paco
- 2008Roberto Clemente — Narrator
- Sons of Anarchy — Nero Padilla
- Cane — Alex Vega, Producer
- 2007The Jane Austen Book Club — Daniel
- Dexter — Miguel Prado
- 2005Lackawanna Blues — Ruben Santiago Sr.
- 2005Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith — Senator Bail Organa
- TV Revolution
- 2002Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones — Senator Bail Organa
- 2002The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
- 2000Adventures in Wild California — Narrator
- 2000Bless the Child — Agent John Travis
- 2000Price of Glory — Arturo Ortega
- 2000The Million Dollar Hotel — Geronimo
- The West Wing — Matthew Santos
- ALMA Awards
- 1997Lesser Prophets — Mike
- 1997Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special — Old King Cole (voice)
- 1997Murder in Mind — Peter Walker
- 1996Marshal Law — Jack Coleman
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Prince Felipe (voice), Old King Cole (voice)
- 1995My Family — Jimmy
- 1995Solomon & Sheba — King Solomon
- 1994The Cisco Kid — Cisco Kid
- 1993Gross Misconduct — Justin Thorne
- NYPD Blue — Bobby Simone
- The Tommyknockers — Jim 'Gard' Gardner
- 1992The Broken Cord — David Norwell
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- 1991Fires Within — Nestor
- 1991Switch — Walter Stone
- Cop Rock — Victor Sifuentes (uncredited)
- 1990Vital Signs — Dr. David Redding
- 1989Old Gringo — Gen. Tomas Arroyo
- 1988Glitz — Vincent Marra
- 1988Mickey's 60th Birthday — Victor Sifuentes
- 1987Hotshot — Stars Team Member
- 1987Stamp of a Killer — Richard Braden
- 1987The Believers — Tom Lopez
- The Highwayman — Bo Ziker
- L.A. Law — Victor Sifuentes, Víctor Sifuentes
- 1986L.A. Law: Pilot — Victor Sifuentes
- 1986Rockabye — 2nd Policeman
- 1986Running Scared — Julio Gonzales
- Spenser: For Hire
- Miami Vice — Eddie Rivera
- 1984Miami Vice: Brother's Keeper — Eddie Rivera
Appearances as themselves (23)
- 2026Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood — self
- 2019Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage — Self
- America's Untold Story — Self - Narrator
- The Late Late Show with James Corden — Self - Guest
- 2006¡Yo soy Boricua, pa' que tú lo sepas! — Himself
- 2005Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast — Self
- The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
- 2001America | A Tribute to Heroes — Self
- Latin Grammy Awards — Self
- The Early Show — Self
- 1997Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western — Self
- The View — Self
- 1996Animal Charm: Golden Digest — Himself (Archival Footage)
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show — Self - Guest
- The West — Self
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
- A Capitol Fourth — Self
- Saturday Night Live — Self - Host
- Tony Awards — Self - Presenter
- The Oscars — Self
- Today — Self
- Golden Globe Awards — Self - Nominee, Self - Audience Member