Jimmy Smits is the kind of actor that you tend to expect to see as a level-headed and cool character because quite honestly that’s what he’s played a lot of the times. When he does get out of control and kind of emotional it’s for a good reason and it tends to be because he’s been pushed too far. If you don’t recall he was actually in Miami Vice to begin with and was killed off quickly in the two-hour opening episode. While that was kind of a kick in the teeth it didn’t halt his career as he went on to become one of the most known faces in Hollywood and he did manage to land a role on Sons of Anarchy many years later, not to mention the work he did on NYPD Blue for a while. You could say he’s been kind of an underrated character in show business for a while but it’s always been a lot of fun to see him pop up now and again since he is a good actor and is very entertaining to watch. Even his time in the Star Wars franchise was fun since it put a face to the name of Bail Organa finally that people could see since up until that point the comics were the only place a person could see any representation of such a character. He’s been a valued member of the acting world for a long time now, and despite the fact that he’s not a lead all that often he’s done a great job in whatever capacity he’s been given.
Here are a few of his movies to prove that.
5. Old Gringo
This is an older movie that has to do a lot with the time of Pancho Villa and a man that returned to the site that was inhabited by a father who raped the man’s peasant mother. In a time of war it speaks of finding love, passion, and a need to simply get away from the overall madness that grips humanity at times. Starring Jane Fonda and Gregory Peck along with Smits it’s a tale that speaks of a great love as well as a time of great confusion that sees a man torn by loyalty to his past and loyalty to his own desires. All in all it was a decent movie that showcased Smits’ talents and bolstered him with a couple of legends that helped out in their own ways.
4. The Jane Austen Book Club
You might initially think that this is the kind of movie that shows men as rather evil in a way and fools for daring to take the women in their lives for granted. There is a small bit of that, but there’s also the turn within the movie when the men begin to accept the idea of the book club and what it means to the women. Through this understanding the women that formed the club begin to reconcile their own feelings and discover that they and their partners are more alike than they originally believed. It becomes a rather positive story near the end when it’s seen that the couples have bonded over the literature and the idea of the book club.
3. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Bail Organa was a very peaceful man in this story and it’s been that way since he was introduced into the Star Wars canon. In fact he’s a big reason why Leia turned out as she did since his guidance and his temperament are a lot different than his adopted daughter, who was fiery of nature like her biological mother and father. Bail was a staunch supporter of the Jedi and cared about a great many people throughout his life in the Star Wars franchise but was also a man of peace that didn’t care to strike back in anger. He was one of the most perfect pacifists when it came to the story, but one couldn’t help but think that he could have also been one of the greatest allies moving forward had Alderaan not been destroyed eventually.
2. Price of Glory
It’s tough to give up glory when it starts to fade, but it’s even harder not to push your kids down that same road when you see that they have the skill and the desire to follow in your steps. It’s even worse when there are three kids that have the same desire and the same set of skills. Unfortunately as the father in this case Smits tries to be their parent and their manager without realizing just how it’s going to start tearing his family apart as offers come in from everywhere for his boys to fight. Eventually things do tend to fall to pieces the harder he tries to hold on.
1. My Family
Spanning a few different generations this movie shows the personal history of a family that started out crossing the border from Mexico to the US, and how they have lived throughout the years as American citizens. Life takes a lot of winding turns for the family and while the difficulties are many and the trials that they have to go through are extreme and beyond tough, they eventually begin to settle and find their way along as they discover just who they are and what’s really important.
Jimmy Smits is honestly a very good actor that needs to be allowed the lead a bit more.
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