NAMES IN THE NEWS : Smits Wants Non-Latino Roles

Jimmy Smits, who plays Victor Sifuentes on NBC’s “L.A. Law,” says he is looking forward to some non-Latino roles.

Smits played an Italian in the TV movie “Glitz” and last year played Dr. David Redding in a film called “Vital Signs.”

“As I become more successful, I am aware that it affects other Latinos,” he told Parade magazine in Sunday’s issue. “It’s imperative that I don’t forget the homeboys and the old neighborhood. But I’m also an artist and an actor. The one thing I want to do with my career is be versatile--not limit myself.”

Smits, 34, holds a master’s degree in fine arts from Cornell University. His mother is Puerto Rican and his father is from Suriname.

“I don’t recall overt acts of prejudice, but I must have felt them,” said Smits, who grew up in New York City. “I always felt that I had to prove something because I’m Hispanic.

“When I started studying acting, it wasn’t good enough for someone to say, ‘For a Latino, he’s OK,’ so I studied twice as hard as anybody.”