Los Angeles/ December, 2016 – The International Press Academy (IPA) is proud to name actor and activist Edward James Olmos as the recipient of one of its highest honors, The Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry for the 21st Annual Satellite™ Awards.
The noted performer and tireless civil rights activist joins the ranks of last year’s recipient Louise Fletcher, as well as previous recipients Ellen Burstyn, Rod Steiger, Kathy Bates, Susan Sarandon, Gena Rowlands, Mitzi Gaynor, Martin Landau, Michael York, Terence Stamp, Mike Medavoy and many others.
Fans know Eddie as Commander Adama in the “Battlestar Galactica” miniseries (for which he won Alma, Hugo and Saturn Awards), and Lt. Marty Castillo in “Miami Vice” (for which he won an Emmy and People’s Choice Award) and of course the portrayal of real-life tough teacher Jamie Escalante in “Stand and Deliver” for a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination in 1988 as well as an Independent Spirit Award.
Olmos has turned his art into activism and his role as the tough teacher makes him a favorite speaker at graduation ceremonies. He remains an activist on school issues and recently joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in launching a Spanish language get-out-the-vote campaign. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Olmos helped keep the peace. He’s received awards from the NAACP, Hispanic Heritage, Image and John Anson Ford for work promoting racial unity. His personal involvement out of the spotlight included work in relief efforts for the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, the 1994 L.A. earthquake as well as other humanitarian efforts.
From a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF to an arrest and imprisonment for protesting US Navy bombings in Puerto Rico, Eddie Olmos is uniquely aware of the way his notoriety can mix with his profession. He produced an anti-domestic violence documentary called “It Ain’t Love” in 1997 and launched an ”Americanos Latino Life in the United States” multimedia project that was organized by the Smithsonian Institution and turned into a CD, an HBO and PBS documentary and a photo essay book.
“We would have nothing without art,” Eddie often says in his lectures. The film critics and entertainment writers of the IPA are proud to honor him and his exceptional contribution to art and humanity.
