Jimmy Smits gets star on Walk of Fame
The veteran Latino actor was recognized with the 2,696th star on the iconic Los Angeles landmark.
LOS ANGELES >> Jimmy Smits has finally made his mark in Hollywood — on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor was recognized with the 2,696th star on the iconic Los Angeles landmark at 6100 Hollywood Blvd., near Gower Street.
With a career spanning 30 years and including a wide range of roles in highly acclaimed television shows, the veteran Latino actor took part in the virtual ceremony, where revered television director Paris Barclay and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda sang his praises.
“What a blessed man I am,” Smits, 65, said as he fought back tears during his acceptance speech. “I’m just a Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn, who was determined to follow his dream and chase passion. Today is honestly beyond anything that I could’ve envisioned.”
After making his television debut in a 1983 episode of the ABC soap opera “Ryan’s Hope,” Smits made his prime-time debut in the pilot of “Miami Vice,” portraying the partner of Det. Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) who was killed by a car bomb in the episode’s first five minutes.
He gained notoriety for his role in the popular 1980s TV ratings juggernaut “L.A. Law,” for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.
As one of the prominent leading actors of Hispanic descent on television, the Thomas Jefferson High School alum and Cornell University grad went onto win praise for his roles in acclaimed dramas “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
He also appeared in “Dexter,” “24: Legacy” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”
“My goal as an actor has been to interpret and to bring into life fully rounded characters with thought provoking stories, hopefully, that reflect the American experience,” Smits said. “So does it matter that I’m Hispanic, Latino, Latinx? You bet it does.
“My heritage informs all my characters, no matter who they are. And believe me, I’m very proud to be someone who continues in the tradition of actors like Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quinn, Rita Moreno, Raul Julia.”
“I think that what’s driven me from the beginning of my professional career through these days is an ongoing visualization and realization of a dream,” Smits said.
Smits also appeared in several big screen films, including “My Family/Mi Familia,” Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” and “Old Gringo” with Gregory Peck, whose star is near Smits’ at Hollywood and Gower in Hollywood.