Edwin Eddie Velez (June 4, 1958 New York City, New York, USA) is an American actor.
Whether in comedy or drama, as a hero or villain, in theatre, film or television, Velez has displayed versatility as an actor throughout his career. His first television role was as a love-struck soldier in the NBC Pilot For Love And Honor in 1983. That same year he was cast in a recurring role as the shortstop Pepe Garcia in Steven Bochco's baseball series Bay City Blues for NBC.
Velez went on to star as a regular in six prime-time television series starting in 1984 with NBC's night-time soap Berrenger's as Julio Morales, an up-and-coming fashion designer opposite Anita Morris and Sam Wannamaker; the CBS sitcom Charlie & Co. with Flip Wilson in 1985; NBC's The A-Team in 1986; the lead role in the CBS sitcom Trial And Error as the rookie attorney John Hernandez opposite Paul Rodriguez in 1988 (this role brought Velez a Golden Eagle Award from the Nosotros Organization and a Cesar Award from the Hispanic Achievement Society); as Officer Frankie Avila in Sonny Grosso's cop rescue drama True Blue for NBC in 1990 where he got to shoot in his beloved New York City, and as reporter Ricardo Sandoval in Live Shot, a satire on local newscasts for UPN during the network's inaugural season.
Velez' other television work include several Movies of the Week, most notably starring as the infamous 'Carlos' in the NBC movie C.A.T. Squad directed by William Friedkin; the Emmy Award-winning NBC mini-series Drug Wars: The Camarena Story where he worked with Treat Williams and a very young Benicio Del Toro for the first time; Bitter Vengeance opposite Virginia Madsen; From The Files Of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury Of One opposite John Spencer; The Presence for NBC; and as the lead Detectives in Lifetime's By Appointment Only and A Father's Choice for CBS with Peter Strauss and Mary McDonnell.
Velez' numerous television guest-star appearances include Numbers, Charmed, Just Shoot Me, Profiler, Soldier Of Fortune, Gun, Jag, L.A. Firefighters, High Tide, Walker: Texas Ranger, The Commish, Flying Blind, recurring in The Trials Of Rosie O'Neill opposite Sharon Gless, Empty Nest, Midnight Caller, Shannon's Deal, Tour Of Duty, Tracy Takes On... opposite Tracy Ullman, Hill Street Blues, Cagney And Lacey, Murder, She Wrote, and in the daytime soaps Port Charles, General Hospital, Capitol and Days Of Our Lives.
