Emmy Award-winning actor and avid sports fan Jimmy Smits will host the 2000 ESPY Awards when ESPN's annual gala honoring excellence in sports will be aired live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Monday, Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Smits presented Sammy Sosa with the ESPY Humanitarian Award during last year's telecast.

	Smits will host the eighth annual ESPY Awards.

Smits, who has established himself as one of the most versatile actors working today, recently completed a successful run on the ABC hit series NYPD Blue. He has also just completed a starring role in a sports-related film by New Line Cinema called Price of Glory. The film, due for release this spring, tells the story of Arturo Ortega (Smits), who shows promise as a boxer until his career crashes. Arturo attempts to realize his dreams vicariously by training his three sons to become champions.

Smits has also completed roles in Million Dollar Hotel and Bless The Child.

Smits has enjoyed an exemplary television career and has the distinction of having received an Emmy nomination for every year he has been on television. He received six consecutive Emmy nominations for his role as Bobby Simone on the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning drama, NYPD Blue.

Additionally, he has three Golden Globe nominations - one of which he won - and four SAG Award nominations. His highly touted departure from NYPD Blue also recently won the Humanities Award.

A native of New York City and an avid Knicks fan, Smits' big career crossroads came when he switched from outside linebacker on the city-champion Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn) football team to star of the drama club. ("I found out that I couldn't be in drama and football at the same time, so that was traumatic," said Smits. "I had to give up my jacket.....but I didn't regret it-I probably would've had a twenty-inch neck.") The football team filled the first three rows when he made his starring debut in a school production ("I said, they have tomatoes! I know they have tomatoes! But at the end, they all stood up and yelled, 'Yo Jim!").

The ESPY Awards, given annually for excellence in sports performance, pay tribute to the best and most memorable moments from the previous year. This millennium year, in addition to the annual honors, the show will honor the top performers of the past decade.

ESPN's Jeff Ruhe and John A. Walsh serve as executive producers of the ESPY Awards. Steve Anderson is ESPN's executive vice president, production; Fred Gaudelli is the show's senior producer, Chip Dean is director and Rich Feinberg, Maura Mandt and "Saturday Night Live" writer Hugh Fink serve as co-producers.