Jimmy Smits is heading for outlaw territory.
Former "NYPD Blue" star Smits has signed on for a season-long arc on FX's biker drama "Sons of Anarchy." Smits will play Neron "Nero" Padilla, a gang member who ends up mentoring newly installed SAMCRO president Jackson "Jax" Teller.
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Smits recently starred as Supreme Court justice-turned-private attorney Cyrus Garza in the short-lived NBC series "Outlaw," and had an arc as assistant district attorney on the Showtime series "Dexter" in 2008.
The fifth season of "Sons of Anarchy" will premiere in September.
Deadline first reported the news.