Born in New York City on July 9^th 1955, the product of a mixed marriage with an immigrant father from Dutch Guiana and a mother from Puerto Rico. The family of four, including Jimmy’s sister Diana lived in a working class area of New York City and spent some years in Puerto Rico during Jimmy’s childhood. Smits education took him to Brooklyn College where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1980 and continued on to Cornell University in 1982 where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree.

During his time on the cast of L.A. Law Jimmy married his wife Barbara with whom he had two children, Taina and Joaquin. The couple divorced in 1987. Following his divorce Smits began living with his long term girlfriend, actress Wanda De Jesus in Los Angeles. 

Continuing his acting role in the legal profession Jimmy was cast in the Emmy Award winning hour long-running police drama set in New York City, ‘NYPD Blue’ as  Detective Bobby Simone in 1994 through 1998 and making a return to the show in 2004. Along with his recurring role as a police detective Jimmy appeared with two other actors who would be cast in legal shows, David Caruso, who would go to play the role of Horatio Caine in ‘C.S.I. Miami’ and with Amy Brenneman who went on to fill the role of Judge Amy Grey in ‘Judging Amy’.

A wider audience became familiar with Jimmy Smits when he starred in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones as Senator Bail Organa in 2002 and filled the role again in 2005 in 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'. 

Most recently Smits found his role of detective being left behind when he landed the role of Congressman and later, President Matthew Santos in ‘The West Wing’ from 2004 until the series concluded in 2006. The series concluded with Jimmy winning the presidential election and taking over from President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen and his First Lady, Abigail played by Stockard Channing. Jimmy’s running partner was Leo Mcgarry played by Smits former acting partner, John Spencer. However, before the end of the series John died in December 2005. The series was set in the West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior staff and featured and ensemble cast including Alan Alda, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford.

2007 is set to be a busy year for Smits with his appearance in the movie ‘The Jane Austen Book Club’ which sees Smits acting, once again, alongside Amy Brenneman and Emily Blunt. Later in 2007 the television series ‘Caine’ will be released which promises to have the fourth largest cast in primetime television, behind ‘Grey's Anatomy’, ‘Lost’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’.

ABB