Despite trying to stake his claim in features films without much success, actor Jimmy Smits earned his greatest acclaim on the small screen in roles that were connected by their proximity to the law. Smits emerged into the public consciousness as a sharp, but uptight attorney on Stephen Bochco’s award-winning legal drama, “L.A. Law” (NBC, 1986-1994). After leaving the show before its run ended, he languished in a series of easily dismissed features and slightly better made-for-television movies before returning to television as an understated detective on the groundbreaking cop drama, “NYPD
