For over five decades audiences have enjoyed the work of Edward James Olmos on the stage and screen in roles such as William Adama on Battlestar Galactica, Felipe Reyes on Mayans M.C. and Selena’s father Abraham Quintanilla in the biopic of the Tejano music star played by Jennifer Lopez. But behind the scenes, Olmos was fighting a battle his fans didn’t know about. The science fiction show alum recently revealed undergoing a harrowing battle with throat cancer that he said nearly killed him and which has left him totally changed.
The 76-year-old actor, who won a Primetime Emmy for Miami Vice in 1985, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1988 for Stand and Deliver and earned a Tony Award nom in 1979 for Zoot Suit, spoke for the first time about his fight with cancer. And he didn't hold back (via the Mando & Friends podcast YouTube page):
This would be the first time publicly I’ll be coming out and saying it, but I had throat cancer. I just finished getting through it. December 20 was my last radiation. The week before, I'd finished my chemo and months and months I was on radiation and chemo as it attacked my throat. And I still have, right here, I still have a bump where my lymph nodes, they burned them out because they shot this area with radiation.
Edward James Olmos, who played one of the best POC sci-fi characters, recalled extensive chemo and radiation on his throat, pointing out that the part of his body that was getting battered by the aggressive cancer and subsequent treatment was where you eat, swallow, breathe and talk. He was shocked when the doctors told him they didn’t know what his voice would sound like afterward, which is understandable for an actor whose career has included plenty of voice work.
However, that was the course of action he had to take to save his life, as he said friends of his have not survived their own battles with cancer. He continued:
It’s a very strong disease. Cancer is, period, but in the throat it’s really difficult, because it’s, whew, man, it took a lot — months and months and months.
What he went through sounds frankly awful, as he apparently lost the ability to swallow. Doctors wanted to put feeding tubes in to get him nutrients, and he had to take water intravenously because he couldn’t drink. He said it was “ridiculous” and “so hard,” recalling that there were times his body gave up.
In the months since his last treatment, the Battlestar Galactica star said he’s been working out — swimming and rowing — to regain his muscle and some of the 55 pounds he lost through treatment. He said the ordeal has altered how he sees life, telling the podcaster:
It was an experience that changed me, changed me totally. The understanding of how wonderful this life is. I've been through some experiences that have gotten me close to death, but that was, whew, that was really close.
What a scary and painful experience that must have been for Edward James Olmos. We at CinemaBlend wish the actor the best in his continued recovery, and if you’d like to see more of him in what is arguably his most famous role, you can check out Battlestar Galactica, available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
