Jimmy Smits, 71, Saved ‘NYPD Blue’ After Its Star Walked Out — 40 Years With the Same Woman and Still Not Married

In 1998, seasoned actor Jimmy Smits joined NYPD Blue, stepping in after original cast member David Caruso abruptly walked away.

Before joining NYPD Blue, Smits was beloved by many fans for playing Victor Sifuentes on L.A. Law for over 100 episodes. Smits’ addition to NYPD Blue boosted the show’s ratings, propelling it to become a top-rated television show during those days.

Off-camera, Smits has been in a relationship with fellow entertainer Wanda De Jesus since 1986. The two have never married, but their commitment to one another has had fans swooning for decades.

Smits and De Jesus opened up about their relationship in a 1995 interview with The Washington Post. The two met when Smits was performing in theater after getting a master’s degree in fine arts at Cornell University. De Jesus shared, “We knew each other as two people and artists before the external validation by Hollywood.”

She continued, “That’s our foundation, and [it] helps put things in perspective. There’s a belief in each other, and that’s the core of our relationship.” At the time, Smits said that the concept of getting married was “an ongoing discussion.”

De Jesus added, however, “I feel married. We both do. And genuine love, that’s not easy work. The real-life-genuine stuff develops after you’ve journeyed over a couple of rough roads together.”

In February, Smits and De Jesus talked about working together on stage in a Berkeley Repertory Theatre production of Arthur Miller‘s All My Sons. They appeared in shows from late February through March.

Smits played central character Joe Keller, and De Jesus played Joe’s wife, Kate. The two also worked together in the 2003 Berkeley Rep production The Guys.

The former NYPD Blue star told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Any role that I’ve ever gotten to do, she’s a part of that role.”

Working alongside her on stage brought a deep authenticity to his work, Smits explained. “All I have to do is look into her eyes, and there is an added layer for any kind of, for any emotional thing that you can possibly conceive of: joy, pain, loss, grief, anger, heartache, despair.”

He continued, “Because we have had a shared life together, it resonates in a deeper kind of way. But this is an added kind of thing that is special. And when I reread the play and was talking about it, it was like, ‘I can’t conceive of, like, opening myself up and bearing Joe’s soul in a way without having a partner on stage.'”

Smits also told Culture Vulture, “This business is a roller coaster ride, so to have someone who is pragmatic, who shares the artist’s life with you … makes it so much more resonant and meaningful, practically and artistically.”