Mary-Kate Olsen
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Mary-Kate Olsen | |
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Mary-Kate Olsen at Luna Park, Sydney |
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Born | Mary-Kate Olsen June 13, 1986 Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. |
Occupation | actress |
Years active | 1987 – present |
Mary-Kate Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is a Daytime Emmy Award-nominated American actress. She has had a successful acting career beginning at a very young age, in roles with her twin sister Ashley Olsen[1] and has quickly become a fashion icon in her own right.
Beginning in 2006, she has appeared in movie roles independent of her sister.
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[edit] Career
[edit] As a twin
Mary-Kate Olsen began her career in 1987 at the age of nine months when she and her twin sister Ashley were hired for the role of Michelle Tanner on the popular television series Full House. To comply with strict labor laws regarding child actors, they alternated in the role during the taping of the show. They were credited as "Mary Kate Ashley Olsen" in an attempt to deter audiences from realizing that the role was played by two children.
In 1995, following Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen released a string of successful straight-to-video movies and became popular figures in the preteen market during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their names became a cottage industry, with their likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and posters. There were even fashion dolls made by Mattel from 2000–2005.
They starred in the video series The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, the ABC show Two of a Kind, and ABC Family's So Little Time, for which Mary-Kate received a nomination for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series at the 2002 Daytime Emmy Awards.
They were ranked number three on the VH1 program 100 Greatest Child Stars.
Mary-Kate appeared alongside her sister in the light-hearted romantic comedy, New York Minute, also starring Eugene Levy. [as of 2004]
[edit] Solo Career
She appears frequently on Weeds, in the role of Tara. Weeds is a dark comedy series on the Showtime network. [2007-2008 season].
[edit] Not the Olsen Twins
Most currently, Mary-Kate has urged the public and the media to see her separately from Ashley by following a request to be referred to, not as 'The Olsen Twins' but as Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. Subsequently, Mary-Kate's first solo acting appearance was in the movie Factory Girl, released in December 2006. In addition, she has had a recurring role on Showtime's "Weeds" as Tara Lindman, a devout Christian who believes it is OK to smoke marijuana, because it grows from the earth. 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 by saying "Mary-Kate's portrayal of this girl is perfect—she's hysterical. She's a pro. It makes sense. She's been in this business a lot longer than I have."[2]
[edit] CEO
In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen became CEO of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success on Full House), the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores world-wide. Their success has been marked on Forbes The Celebrity 100 list since 2002, and in 2007 Forbes ranked the twins as the eleventh-richest woman in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $100 million.[3]
[edit] Fashion designer
Following a high volume of public interest in the sisters' fashion choices, both worked in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the public.
Starting as young girls, they have 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. The director of the organization, Charles Kernaghan, is quoted as saying, "The Olsen twins have done the right thing. Now it is up to Wal-Mart to either support Mary-Kate and Ashley’s commitment to women’s rights, or tragically to shut them down."[4] However their collaboration with Wal-Mart tarnished their fashionable reputations amongst the fashion industry until they were tapped as the faces of upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka in 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after their association with Wal-Mart.[5]
In a more matured fashion project, Mary-Kate and her sister have released The Row, a high-end fashion line inspired by London's Savile Row, the line a direct reflection of their own popular personal style. The line features shirts and tank tops selling for hundreds of dollars each, a stark contrast to their previous line for young girls. The clothing is sold at high-end retailers such as Barneys, Maxfield, Harvey Nichols, Brown's, and others around the world.
Ashley and Mary-Kate continued their expansion in the fashion industry with the Fall '07 launch of Elizabeth and James, their contemporary collection inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes. [6]
[edit] Personal life
In 2005, Mary-Kate Olsen ended her romance with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III. Mary-Kate said that the breakup was one of the main factors in her leave of absence from New York University. "I miss him and I love 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."[7] The breakup and Niarchos's pairing with Paris Hilton led to a rift between Hilton and Mary-Kate. "[Paris and I] always only had nice things to say about each other," Olsen said. "Now I guess you can tell we're not talking."
[edit] Health issues
In mid-2004, following a period filled with speculation, shock and concern regarding her weight loss, Olsen announced she had entered treatment for an eating disorder,anorexia.[8] On November 20, 2007 she was hospitalized for a reported kidney infection.[9]
[edit] Filmography
- For productions in which Mary-Kate appeared with her sister Ashley, see Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
[edit] Television
- 7th Heaven (1 episode, 2000) — Carol
- Weeds (2008) — Tara
[edit] Movies
- Factory Girl (2006) — Molly Spence
- The Wackness (2008) — Union
[edit] Further reading
- Olsen, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, with Damon Romine. Mary-Kate and Ashley: Our Story: Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen's Official Biography. HarperEntertainment 2000. ISBN 0061075698.
[edit] References
- ^ Rich Girls: The Olsen Twins. Retrieved on 2008-04-06. “"Fraternal twins Mary-Kate and Ashley had been splitting a role on the television network sitcom “Full House” since they were 9 months old and in diapers"”
- ^ Williamson, Kevin. "Kingsley bonds with 'real actor' Olsen". Edmonton Sun.com. 22 January 2008.
- ^ Goldman, Lea and Kiri Blakeley. "In Pictures: The Richest 20 Women In Entertainment". forbes.com. 17 January 2007.
- ^ Grossberg, Josh. Mary-Kate, Ashley: No Sweat. E! Online. 9 December 2004.
- ^ Hall, Sarah. Olsen Twins Strike a Pose. E! ONline. February 15, 2006.
- ^ Ashley and Mary-Kate's sisterly bond. Times of India. 11 August 2007.
- ^ Sherpe, Gina. Mary-Kate Talks Paris, Stavros. E! Online. 9 December 2005.
- ^ Soriano, César G. "Mary-Kate Olsen seeks treatment for eating disorder." USA Today. 22 June 2004.
- ^ "Mary-Kate Olsen hospitalized for kidney infection". USA Today.com. 20 November 2007.
[edit] External links
- Mary-Kate Olsen at the Internet Movie Database
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen the Official Website
- Mary-Kate Olsen at PEOPLE.com
- Mary-Kate Olsen at TV.com
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen at AskMen.com