ACTUALLY, I WANTED TO PLAY BASEBALL

Who are your heroes?

Cesar Chavez is probably the most influential man I’ve met. I never knew Ghandi. Toni Morrison is a brilliant person who is also kind and giving.

Is there a book or move that has changed your life?

The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying. Oh man, what a book. Basically, it helped me to understand what this life really is all about and how every moment has to be treasured as if it were your last moment of breathing, of being alive. It really puts you in tune with the basic fundamentals of living. It’s a great book.

What was your worst day ever?

The day my father died. Not that we weren’t ready for it, but it was one of the most tragic days. He was 75 years old. I was with him, but it was just a very, very difficult time because we were very close.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?

Working as a manager of a Major League baseball team. When I was real, real young, I was a baseball player, and that was my objective at the time.

Olmos, an Emmy-Award winner and Oscar nominee, stars inNBC’s four-hour miniseries “Steve Martini’s The Judge” startingtonight.