James Olson

Born: 1930-10-08

Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois, USA

Biography

James Olson (October 8, 1930 – April 17, 2022) was an American actor.

From 1952 until 1954, he was a military policeman in the United States Army. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters.

His Broadway credits include Of Love Remembered (1967), Slapstick Tragedy (1966), The Three Sisters (1964), The Chinese Prime Minister (1964), Romulus (1962), J.B. (1958), The Sin of Pat Muldoon (1957), and The Young and Beautiful (1955). He starred alongside Joanne Woodward in the Academy Award nominee for Best Picture Rachel, Rachel in 1968. He made numerous stage, feature film, and TV appearances from the mid-1950s until 1990, when he retired.

On television, Olson portrayed Mickey Mantle in The Life of Mickey Mantle. His other TV appearances included guest roles on scores of shows, including episodes of Kraft Television Theatre; Ironside; Murder, She Wrote; Little House on the Prairie; Hawaii Five-O; Battlestar Galactica; Lou Grant; The Bionic Woman; Wonder Woman; Mannix; Bonanza; Have Gun-Will Travel; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Police Woman; Barnaby Jones; The New Land; Columbo; Maude; The Virginian; The Streets of San Francisco; and Cannon. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Olson (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Commando
Ragtime
The Andromeda Strain
Amityville II: The Possession
The Mafu Cage
The Stalking Moon
Moon Zero Two
The Parade
Someone I Touched
Rachel, Rachel

Top Movie Credits

Commando Major General Franklin Kirby
Ragtime Father
The Stalking Moon Cavalry Officer (uncredited)
Moon Zero Two Capt. William H. Kemp
The Parade Andy Janacek
Rachel, Rachel Nick Kazlik