Smits has been living with Wanda De Jesus since c. 1986.
He has a Puerto Rican mother and a Suriname father. He is a partner in "The Conga Room" club in Los Angeles, Ca. His partners are Jennifer Lopez,Paul Rodriguez and Brad Gluckstein.
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Theatre degree from Brooklyn College in 1980.
Turned down the offer to play a character named Flinn on NYPD Blue. The character in question was later renamed Det. John Kelly, played by David Caruso. Ironically, after Caruso's departure from the show in 1994, Smits accepted the role of Det. Bobby Simone (Det. Kelly's successor).
Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival in 1991
Has had a difficult time returning to television in recent years. In 1998, after leaving "NYPD Blue," he signed a deveolpment deal with ABC, but nothing ever came of it. Three years later, in 2001, he was set to play the lead in the NBC show "UC:Undercover," but his commitments to ABC forced him to back out just four days before the pilot was shot. Shortly after, in September 2001, he inked a new seven-figure deal with ABC to develop a series for the 2002-2003 television season, but once again, the deal failed to produce a series. Later, in 2002, he turned down the chance to play the lead in "CSI:Miami" and backed out of the lead role in "Boomtown" at the last minute. In 2004 he was attached to star in a Jerry Bruckheimer produced drama for NBC called "City of Dreams" as an L.A. private investigator who caters to the rich and famous. However, script problems eventually caused that project to be scrapped. Finally, in August 2004 he inked a deal to join the cast of "The West Wing" for the 2004-2005 season, and a few weeks later, made a separate deal with ABC and Touchstone studios to develop and star in a new series after his time on "The West Wing."
Jimmy Smits Detailed Biography
Jimmy Smits (born July 9, 1955) is a Surinamese and Puerto Rican-American actor, perhaps best known for his long-running roles on the TV series L.A. Law and NYPD Blue. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1980 and an M.F.A. from Cornell University in 1982. Though born in New York, Smits has deep Puerto Rican roots and he frequently visits the island.
Smits has received various nominations for Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, and he won an Emmy in 1990. A wider audience became aware of Smits for his appearance as Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan in the Star Wars films Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Many fans have speculated Smits may play a major role in the planned Star Wars live-action TV series announced in 2005.
He currently plays the role of Representative Matthew Vicente Santos of Houston, Texas in the American television drama The West Wing. Congressman Santos is the Democratic nominee for President in the fictional presidential election that will take place during the 2005-2006 season. His main opponent is Republican Senator Arnold Vinick of California (played by Alan Alda). Because of the show's traditionally liberal leanings, many fans speculate that Santos will win the contest, though the producers of the series insist that they have not yet decided who will win. Smits is one of only two actors (along with Matthew Perry) to have starred on the show as a fictional character and also be mentioned by his real name onscreen.
