Misplaced Pages

Mary-Kate Olsen

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 108.249.22.222 (talk) at 06:34, 23 April 2013. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 06:34, 23 April 2013 by 108.249.22.222 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For details about Mary-Kate Olsen's career and activities shared with her sister, see Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Mary-Kate Olsen
Olsen at the premiere of Whatever Works at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 22, 2009
BornMary-Kate Olsen
(1986-06-13) June 13, 1986 (age 38)
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation(s)Actress, fashion designer, author, producer, businesswoman
Years active1987–present
RelativesAshley Olsen (twin sister)
Elizabeth Olsen (sister)

Mary-Kate Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American actress, fashion designer, producer, author, and businesswoman. She co-founded luxury fashion brands The Row, Elizabeth and James, and the more affordable lines Olsenboye and StyleMint alongside her fraternal twin sister Ashley Olsen. Olsen pursued acting independently as an adult until 2012.

Birth and family

Olsen was born in Sherman Oaks, California to David Olsen and Jarnette "Jarnie". Along with her twin, Ashley, Olsen has an older brother, Trent Olsen; a younger sister, Elizabeth, who is also an actress; and two younger half siblings, Taylor and Jake, from her father's second marriage. Olsen's parents divorced in 1995.

Career

Along with Ashley, Olsen was cast at the age of nine months to share the role of Michelle Tanner on the ABC sitcom Full House. The Olsen twins portrayed Michelle throughout the series' 1987–1995 run. In the early 1990s, Olsen and her twin sister established a company, Dualstar, which produced a long string of TV movies and direct-to-video releases featuring the girls. The Olsens continued to release direct-to-video films up to the early 2000s, along with starring in the 1995 feature film It Takes Two. In 1997, the Olsen twins guest starred in an episode of Sister, Sister, alongside Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry. After Full House, the sisters starred in two other sitcoms (Two of a Kind and So Little Time) and an animated series (Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!), each of which lasted only one season while So Little Time ran for two seasons. These ventures, combined with an array of licensing deals for their names and likenesses, made Olsen wealthy at a young age. In 2004, Olsen's wealth was estimated at $137 million.

Olsen and her sister became co-presidents of Dualstar upon their eighteenth birthday. Olsen's first solo acting appearance was in the movie Factory Girl, released in December 2006. Olsen's one short scene was ultimately cut from theatrical release, but was included on the film's DVD. In 2007, Olsen and her twin sister said that if they became involved in movies together again it would be as producers. Olsen had a recurring role on Weeds as Tara Lindman. She appears in the 2008 film The Wackness as Union. At the Sundance Film Festival, co-star and Academy Award–winner Sir Ben Kingsley praised her.

Olsen made a one-episode appearance in 2008 on the ABC comedy Samantha Who?, playing a self-destructive girl whom Samantha tries to help while doing community service. Olsen appeared in the movie Beastly, which was based on the book of the same name by Alex Flinn. Olsen signed on to play Stacey in the movie Story of a Girl, but the movie appears to have been put on hold.

In March 2012, Olsen and her twin sister expressed an interest in quitting acting for good in order to focus on their fashion career, including the opening of a fashion shop, as she considers fashion, rather than acting, as her future.

Dualstar

Main article: Dualstar
Mary-Kate Olsen in 2006

In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate became co-presidents of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success of Full House), the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores worldwide. Their success has been marked on Forbes The Celebrity 100 list since 2002, and in 2007 Forbes ranked the twins as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated combined net worth of $ 100 million.

Fashion

Following a high volume of public interest in their fashion choices, Olsen and her twin sister work in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the public. Starting as young girls, the Olsen twins started a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4–14 as well as a beauty line called "Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls". In 2004 they made news by signing a pledge to allow all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights. In 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after their association with Wal-Mart tarnished their reputations, they were tapped as the faces of the upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka. As adults, the Olsen twins have devoted much of their attention to the world of fashion. They head a couture fashion label, "The Row," as well as "Elizabeth and James", "Olsenboye", and "StyleMint" retail collections. In addition, Mary-Kate has embarked on a solo fashion project with celebrity stylists Jane Belfry and Fred Holston. The line was reportedly in development as of 2009. Mary-Kate's sometimes controversial fashion choices have often found her on both the best and worst dressed fashion lists, particularly for her decision to wear fur. Mary-Kate and Ashley designed an Olsenboye Change Purse in 2011 and donated the money to "Pennies From Heaven". In 2011 Mary-Kate and Ashley teamed up with TOMS Shoes to design footwear for kids without shoes in more than 20 countries worldwide. Mary-Kate and Ashley are now the creative directors for Superga (brand). Mary-Kate and Ashley will release an Elizabeth and James perfume in Spring 2013. The girls won the top prize at the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards. StyleMint is now available in the UK. In October 2012 Mary-Kate and Ashley won the WSJ magazine Innovator of The Year Award.

Book

In 2008, Olsen and her twin sister co-authored Influence, a book featuring interviews with fashion designers that have inspired the twins' fashion lines.

Personal life

In 2004, Olsen graduated from Campbell Hall School and began attending New York University with Ashley. Both of them withdrew from NYU the following year, a few months apart, and returned to California. Also in 2005, Olsen ended her romance with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III. "I miss him and I adore him," Olsen said. "It's a hurtful and a painful subject." When asked if there was a specific reason for her leaving NYU, she replied, "I think we can all guess."

Olsen dated Maxwell Snow, the younger brother of the late New York-based artist Dash Snow, from September 2006 until the summer of 2007. In 2008 Olsen started dating artist Nate Lowman. The two split up in February 2010. In May 2012, it was revealed that Olsen was dating Olivier Sarkozy, half brother of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. During a 2010 interview with Marie Claire Magazine Mary-Kate revealed that she doesn't have fond memories of being on Full House.

Health issues

In mid-2004, Olsen announced she had entered treatment for an eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. A Got Milk? ad featuring the twins was pulled following the announcement. On November 20, 2007, she was hospitalized for a reported kidney infection.

Death of Heath Ledger

Mary-Kate was a close friend of late actor Heath Ledger. After discovering Ledger unconscious in his bed in January 2008, his masseuse called Olsen twice before contacting police. Olsen sent a private security guard to the scene.

Responding to a claim by an anonymous law enforcement official that she would not speak to federal investigators without a promise of legal immunity, Olsen's attorney Michael C. Miller said, "We have provided the government with relevant information including facts in the chronology of events surrounding Mr. Ledger's death and the fact that Ms. Olsen does not know the source of the drugs Mr. Ledger consumed".

Filmography

For productions in which Mary-Kate appeared with her sister Ashley, see Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Year Title Role Notes
1987–95 Full House Michelle Tanner Alternated with Ashley (except for 3 episodes where they appeared together)
2006 Factory Girl Molly Spence
2007 Weeds Tara Lindman Season 3
2008 Samantha Who? Karen McNeicep "Help!" (season 2; episode 5)
2008 The Wackness Union Main role
2011 Beastly Kendra Hilferty Main role

References

  1. ^ "Mary-Kate Olsen". People. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  2. ^ "Olsen twins: We're all about fashion". Yahoo! News. May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "bio" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. Two Cool
  4. Hopkins, Jim (May 6, 2005). "Billion-dollar teens take business seriously". USA Today. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  5. Act 2 for the Olsen twins: A fashion career
  6. "Mary-Kate Olsen steps out solo as "Weeds" regular". Reuters. May 24, 2007.
  7. "Mary-Kate Olsen Guest Stars on Samantha Who?". People. June 24, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  8. "A 'Beastly' Halloween Treat Features Mary-Kate Olsen". Bloody-disgusting.com. October 30, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  9. F.A.Q.
  10. "Olsen twins: We won't act again". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 7, 2012.
  11. "Mary-Kate, Ashley Olsen 'want to launch shop'". Digital Spy. May 30, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  12. "'We think big... huge!': Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen pose in pyjamas as they reveal secrets behind their billion dollar empire". Daily Mail. March 23, 2011
  13. Goldman, Lea and Kiri Blakeley (December 18, 2007). "In Pictures: The Richest 20 Women In Entertainment". Forbes.
  14. Grossberg, Josh. Mary-Kate, Ashley: No Sweat. E! Online. 2004-12-09.
  15. Hall, Sarah.Olsen Twins Strike a Pose. E! Online. 2006-02-16.
  16. "Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen launch StyleMint". SheKnows. July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  17. Mary Kate Olsen Biography. Biography. 2009.
  18. Balser, Erin (June 25, 2009). "Mary-Kate and Ashley are on Glamour UK's Best Dressed List". Crushable.com. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  19. Lomrantz, Tracey (February 24, 2010). "Best Dressed In The Front Row Of Burberry: Vote Now! : Slaves to Fashion: Fashion". Glamour (magazine). Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  20. "peta2's 'Worst-Dressed' Celebrities 2009 | peta2.com". PETA. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  21. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Create a Change Purse for Charity. Stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com (2011-08-08). Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  22. Olsen Twins Join Forces with TOMS Shoes. Usmagazine.com (2011-07-22). Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  23. Mary Kate & Ashley team with Italian sneaker brand Superga. Prettytough.com (2011-09-13). Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  24. Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen Launch Perfume For Elizabeth and James Brand
  25. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Win Top Prize At CFDA Fashion Awards
  26. Fashion's favourite twins Mary-Kate and Ashley launch high-street clothing line alongside Cheryl Cole's shoes
  27. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen complete their transformation from child stars to serious designers as they are honoured for fashion label The Row
  28. Caplan, David. (2008-07-31) SNEAK PEEK: Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen's New Book. People.com. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  29. Fenbert, Abbey (September 10, 2007). "Don't cover thyself with leaves of spirituality | nyunews.com". Media.www.nyunews.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  30. Sherpe, Gina. Mary-Kate Talks Paris, Stavros. E! Online. 2005-12-09.
  31. Levy, Ariel (January 7, 2007). "Chasing Artist and Downtown Legend Dash Snow". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  32. Mary-Kate Olsen Is Dating Nicolas Sarkozy’s Brother: Reports. Tv.yahoo.com (2012-05-31). Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  33. Mary-Kate Olsen Breaks Her Silence
  34. Soriano, César G. "Mary-Kate Olsen seeks treatment for eating disorder." USA Today. 2004-06-22.
  35. Soriano, César G. (June 22, 2004). "Mary-Kate in treatment". USA Today.
  36. "Olsen Twins' 'Got Milk?' Ad Pulled" All Business. 2004-06-08. Accessed 2011-02-19.
  37. "Olsen twins no longer 'Got milk'" MSNBC. 2004-07-07. Accessed 2011-02-19.
  38. "Mary-Kate Olsen hospitalized for kidney infection". USA Today, 2007-11-20.
  39. "Masseuse who found Heath Ledger's body made two calls to actress Mary-Kate Olsen before calling emergency services". Daily Mail. London. January 25, 2008.
  40. "Olsen twin denies Ledger drugs link". AFP. August 6, 2008.
  41. "Mary-Kate Olsen keeps mum about Ledger's death: police". CBC News. August 4, 2008.
  42. Andy Newman and Al Baker (January 24, 2008). "Autopsy on Actor Is Inconclusive As Calls for Help Are Revealed". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2008.
  43. Tom Hays (2008-08-04). "Official: Olsen seeks immunity in Ledger probe", Associated Press

Further reading

External links

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Companies
TV Shows
Direct-to-Video Films
Video games
Related
Category

Template:Persondata

Categories: