On July 9, 1955, one of the most prominent Hispanic actors was born. His name is Jimmy Smits, a.k.a. Detective Bobby Simone on NYPD Blue. Smits has helped increase the visibility of Hispanics in non-typecast roles on television. He has also made his appearance in several movies, and he lends his support to groups concerning themselves with Hispanic issues. Jimmy Smits was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father came from Surinam, and his mother …showed first 75 words of 370 total…

…showed last 75 words of 370 total…joined the cast of NYPD Blue, a very popular TV series. During his course of his five seasons of NYPD Blue, Smits garnered six Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe Award. In 1999, after leaving the series (having played out the death of his character), he won the Emmy Award for best actor, drama series. After his contract with the hit television series ended, Smits expressed a desire to produce all-Latino projects in the future.