Joaquin Smits is the son of American actor Jimmy Smits and his former wife, Barbara Smits. He has one sister, Taina. That family link is the only part of his life that reliable sources confirm. Joaquin is a private person, so there is no confirmed acting career, public profile or official social media account to point to.
Most people search his name after seeing his father on screen and wondering about the family. Below, we set out what is confirmed, what is not, and why you should be careful with the long “biographies” that appear online. Last reviewed: 13 November 2026.
Who Is Joaquin Smits?
Joaquin Smits is publicly known as one of Jimmy Smits’s two children with Barbara Smits. Encyclopedia.com names the couple’s children as Taina and Joaquin, and Wikipedia lists the pair as married in 1981 and divorced in 1987, with two children.
His only link to the entertainment industry is through his father. We found no independent career, interviews or press profile for Joaquin himself. Union Post does not publish personal details that reliable sources cannot back up, and you can read how we check facts in our editorial policy.
Joaquin Smits’s Family Background
Who Is His Father, Jimmy Smits?
Jimmy Smits is an American actor, born in Brooklyn, New York, on 9 July 1955. He studied at Brooklyn College and then Cornell University, where he earned a master’s degree in fine arts. Wikipedia lists one Golden Globe and one Primetime Emmy among his awards. His best-known roles are below.
| Role | Title | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Sifuentes | L.A. Law | 1986 to 1991 |
| Bobby Simone | NYPD Blue | 1990s |
| Matt Santos | The West Wing | 2000s |
| Senator Bail Organa | Star Wars films | 2002, 2005 and 2016 |
| Nero Padilla | Sons of Anarchy | 2012 to 2014 |
| Kevin Rosario | In the Heights | 2021 |
These same biographies list his family, which is how Joaquin’s name ends up in search results. If you want to see what a fully sourced career profile looks like, our Danny DeVito biography is a good example.
Who Is His Mother, Barbara Smits?
Barbara Smits was Jimmy Smits’s first wife. The Cornell Chronicle reports that she worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York City for 29 years, starting on the Ithaca campus in 1981 while Jimmy was a student there. She died on 16 April 2010, aged 54. The obituary says she was survived by a son and a daughter.
Does Joaquin Smits Have Any Siblings?
Yes, one sister. Jimmy Smits has two children with Barbara Smits: Taina and Joaquin. We use the spelling “Taina”, which reliable sources use. Some low-quality sites write “Tania”. We do not add details about her private life.
What Is Publicly Known About Joaquin Smits?
Very little, and all of it is about family. The reliable material falls into three groups:
- Biographies of Jimmy Smits that name his two children.
- The 2010 Cornell Chronicle obituary for his mother, which confirms a son and a daughter without naming them.
- Old coverage of his father that mentions him as a child or teenager.
Nothing in that list covers his adult life. No reputable outlet has profiled him, and we found no interview in which he speaks for himself.
Joaquin Smits Age
Joaquin Smits’s age has not been confirmed by any reliable source. No birth record, interview or official biography gives his date of birth, so we do not state a number. What we can say is that he is an adult: Jimmy Smits has spoken about his “adult kids” in interviews.
Some websites print a birth year or an exact age for him, but none of them names a source, and the figures often differ from site to site. If you search “Joaquin Smits age”, treat any precise answer with caution until a reputable outlet or the family confirms it.
Is Joaquin Smits an Actor?
No reliable source says so. Celebrity websites attach film titles and job descriptions to his name, but none of them points to an interview, an official credit or a company announcement. Until a reputable source confirms a credit, we do not list one. A famous father does not make someone an actor, and the credits in the table above belong to Jimmy alone. Compare that with a star whose screen career is well documented, such as the one in our guide on who Millie Bobby Brown is.
What Do We Know About Jimmy Smits’s Children?
Jimmy Smits has two children, Taina and Joaquin, with Barbara Smits. Encyclopedia.com names both, Wikipedia lists two children, and People reports that he shares them with his ex-wife. Jimmy has also spoken about his “adult kids” in interviews without going into detail. Some children of famous parents build public careers of their own, as our Justin Combs bio shows. Many others, like the Smits children, do not.
Verified Facts vs. Unverified Online Claims
Of the nine details people most often search for about Joaquin, only three can be confirmed. All three are about family.
| Detail | What can be reported | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Father | Jimmy Smits | Confirmed |
| Mother | Barbara Smits (died 2010) | Confirmed |
| Sister | Taina | Confirmed |
| Birth year | Not independently verified | Unverified |
| Age | Not reliably confirmed | Unverified |
| Acting career | Not independently verified | Unverified |
| Professional career | Not independently verified | Unverified |
| Net worth | No reliable information | Unverified |
| Relationship status | Not publicly confirmed | Unverified |
You may see a birth year repeated online. We found no primary record for it, so we do not print an age. The same applies to jobs, money and relationships: these claims spread because sites copy one another, not because anyone has checked them.
Before you trust any page about a private person, ask three questions:
- Does it name an interview, official credit or news report?
- Is the same wording on several other sites?
- Would the person want this detail public?
Why Is Joaquin Smits Not Frequently in the Public Eye?
Being related to a celebrity does not make someone a public figure. People such as Oprah Winfrey, whose life we cover in our Oprah Winfrey bio, chose public careers and speak about their lives. Relatives usually have not made that choice. Joaquin has given no interviews that we could find and has no media profile, which is why reputable coverage stops at the family link. We have not guessed at his reasons, and we respect his privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Joaquin Smits
Who is Joaquin Smits?
He is publicly identified as the son of actor Jimmy Smits and Barbara Smits.
Is Joaquin Smits Jimmy Smits’s son?
Yes. Reference works and published coverage name him as Jimmy Smits’s son.
Who is Joaquin Smits’s mother?
Barbara Smits, Jimmy Smits’s former wife, who died in 2010.
Does Joaquin Smits have a sister?
Yes. She is named as Taina Smits.
How old is Joaquin Smits? What is Joaquin Smits’s age?
Joaquin Smits’s age cannot be reliably confirmed from reputable sources. He is an adult, but no verified date of birth has been published.
Is Joaquin Smits an actor?
There is no reliable evidence of an acting career.
What is Joaquin Smits’s net worth?
There is no reliable public information on his finances.
Is Joaquin Smits on Instagram?
No official account has been verified, so we do not point to any.
Final Thoughts on Joaquin Smits
The documented facts are short: Joaquin Smits is the son of Jimmy and Barbara Smits, and the brother of Taina. Everything else you read about him online is unverified, however often it is repeated. Gaps in the record are better left as gaps than filled with guesses, and we wish him privacy. For more carefully sourced profiles, browse our entertainment section.
Sources and Further Reading
- Cornell Chronicle: Barbara Smits of CCE-NYC dies at age 54 (2010)
- Encyclopedia.com: Smits, Jimmy 1955(?)
- Wikipedia: Jimmy Smits
- People: Where Is the Sons of Anarchy Cast Now?
- People: Jimmy Smits on reuniting with his family at the In the Heights premiere
