Kaitlin Olson

Last updated

Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin Olson by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
Olson at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Kaitlin Willow Olson

(1975-08-18) August 18, 1975 (age 49)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Alma mater University of Oregon
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active2000–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2008)​
Children2
Notes

Kaitlin Willow Olson McElhenney (born August 18, 1975) [4] is an American actress. She began her career in the Sunday Company at the Groundlings, an improvisational theatre and school in Los Angeles. She had minor roles in several television series before being cast as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present).

Contents

Olson starred as Mackenzie "Mickey" Molng in the Fox comedy series The Mick (2017–2018) [5] and as Cricket Melfi in the Quibi comedy series Flipped (2020) earning her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. [6] She has appeared in films, including Leap Year (2010), The Heat (2013), Vacation (2015), Finding Dory (2016), and Arizona (2018). In 2022 and 2024, she earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as DJ Vance in HBO's Hacks . [7] [8]

Early life

Olson was born in Portland, Oregon, [9] on August 18, 1975 [4] to Donald Lee Olson, a publisher, and Melinda Leora, a nurse. [10] Shortly after she was born, Olson moved with her family to Spokane, Washington [11] then to Vashon Island, Washington in Puget Sound. Olson lived there until she was eight. [12] Kaitlin's family went back to the Portland area, settling in Tualatin, where she grew up on a farm. [13] [14] Her father worked as the publisher of the Portland Tribune [13] from 2000 to 2001. [15]

At age twelve, Olson was in a serious bicycle accident involving a vehicle, resulting in a fractured skull requiring reconstructive surgery. [13] She graduated from Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon in 1993. [15] [16] She studied theater at the University of Oregon, graduating with a bachelor's degree in theater arts in 1997. [10] After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally. [17]

Career

Olson was a member of The Groundlings Sunday Company along with Dax Shepard. [13] She toured with the USO to Bosnia, Kosovo and Norway. In 2000, she made her debut television appearance on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm in the recurring role of Cheryl Hines's sister. Olson also made several guest appearances in films and television series including The Drew Carey Show , The Jamie Kennedy Experiment , Out of Practice , Miss Match , Family Guy , and Punk'd . She had a minor role in the film Coyote Ugly . [18]

In 2004, Olson was cast as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds in the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . [19] She voiced the role of Ethel in the first season of the Comedy Central animated series Brickleberry . In the 2013 film, The Heat, she appeared as a Bulgarian drug addict who engages in an exchange of cultural perspectives (and insults) with Melissa McCarthy's character. Olson played a recurring role as Hartley Underwood, the "one-armed" neighbor in the FX series The Riches . In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Olson and others narrated the stories of the people killed there. [20] [21] Also in 2016, she provided the voice of Destiny in Disney's Finding Dory . [22]

She starred in the Fox sitcom The Mick , which premiered in January 2017. She served as the executive producer for the series. [23] The second season of The Mick premiered in September 2017. Fox canceled the series after the second season ended in April 2018. [5] She appears in Hacks as DJ, Deborah Vance's troubled daughter. [24]

Personal life

Olson with husband Rob McElhenney, 2010 Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson (12063880473).jpg
Olson with husband Rob McElhenney, 2010

Olson married her It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-star, Rob McElhenney, in Malibu, California on September 27, 2008. [25] [26] [27] The couple started secretly dating during the second season of the series. [28] [29]

In 2009, McElhenney and Olson announced their purchase of Skinner's Bar in Philadelphia; it was renamed Mac's Tavern. [30] In 2010, Olson went into labor at a home game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies; their son was born in their California home as planned. [31] Their second son was born in 2012. [32]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000Eyes to HeavenUnknown
2000JacksJocelyn
2000 Coyote Ugly Bidding Customer
2001FuglyCha Cha Short film
2003ScapegoatsJeannieShort film
2009 Weather Girl Sherry
2010 Leap Year Libby
2010Held UpRocky II
2012Trading UpBarbara ManzerShort film
2013 Escape from Planet Earth 3D Movie Girl Voice role
2013 The Heat Tatiana
2015 Vacation Arizona Cop
2016 Finding Dory DestinyVoice role
2018 Arizona Vicki
2023 Champions Alex
2024 Incoming Ms. Nielsen

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2000–2020 Curb Your Enthusiasm Becky7 episodes
2002–2004 The Drew Carey Show Traylor12 episodes
2002Meet the MarksKaitlin MarksMain cast
2003 Punk'd Field Agent2 episodes
2003 Miss Match JillianEpisode: "Who's Sari Now?"
2003 The Man Show Crazy Hot Girl in the BarSeason 5, Episode 20
2004 Significant Others LaurenEpisode: "The First Time"
2004 George Lopez JanetEpisode: "Home Sweet Homeschool"
2005 Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show Various roles6 episodes; writer
2005–present It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds Main cast
2006 Out of Practice DebbieEpisode: "Model Behavior"
2007 The Riches Hartley Underwood5 episodes
2009–2011 Family Guy Brenda Quagmire2 episodes; voice role
2012 Unsupervised Carol / Danielle7 episodes; voice role
2012 Brickleberry Ethel AndersonMain cast; voice role
2014–2015 New Girl Ashley2 episodes
2015–2019 Bob's Burgers Helen2 episodes; voice role
2016Cassius & ClayOrdwood Cassius Unsold pilot; voice role
2016 The Simpsons QuinnEpisode: "The Girl Code"; voice role
2017–2018 The Mick Mackenzie "Mickey" MolngMain cast; executive producer
2018Mean JeanBirdieUnsold pilot
2020 Flipped Cricket MelfiMain cast
2020 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire HerselfEpisode: "Dr. Phil, Kaitlin Olson & Lauren Lapkus"
2020 Space Force Edison JaymesEpisode: "Edison Jaymes"
2021–present Hacks DJ VanceRecurring role
2023 Agent Elvis CeCe RyderMain cast; voice role
2024 High Potential MorganMain cast; producer

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Destiny Voice role

Web

YearTitleRoleNotes
2022The Always Sunny PodcastHerself3 episodes

Music videos

YearArtistTitleNotes
2021 Imagine Dragons "Follow You"Co-starring with Rob McElhenney, both appearing as themselves [33]

Related Research Articles

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> American sitcom

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed with Glenn Howerton for FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and was moved to FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie Day, Howerton, McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. The series follows the exploits of a group of narcissistic and sociopathic friends who run the Irish dive bar Paddy's Pub in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spend most of their free time drinking, scheming, arguing among themselves, and plotting elaborate cons against others, and at times each other, for personal benefit, financial gain, revenge, or simply due to boredom or inebriation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Day</span> American actor, writer and producer (born 1976)

Charles Peckham Day is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly on the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), which he stars in with Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton and Danny DeVito, and of which he is also a writer and an executive producer. In 2011, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Satellite Award for the role. He subsequently co-created the Fox sitcom The Cool Kids (2018–2019) with Paul Fruchbom and the Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest (2020–present) with McElhenney and Megan Ganz, and continues to executive-produce the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob McElhenney</span> American actor and screenwriter (born 1977)

Robert McElhenney III is an American actor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his role as Mac on the FX/FXX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), a show he created and co-developed with Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton and on which he continues to serve as an executive producer and writer. He is also known for playing Ian Grimm on the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest (2020–present), which he co-created with Day and Megan Ganz as executive producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Howerton</span> American actor (born 1976)

Glenn Franklin Howerton III is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dennis Reynolds on the long-running sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present) on FX/FXX, a series he co-developed with Rob McElhenney, and on which he serves as an executive producer and writer. On film, he is best known for his portrayal of Jim Balsillie in the Canadian film BlackBerry (2023), for which he received widespread critical acclaim.

Boldly Going Nowhere is a proposed American science fiction single-camera comedy television series created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Adam Stein to be aired in 2009 on the Fox network. The series was planned as a parody of the Star Trek franchise in the format of a workplace sitcom; the title was a reference to the famous phrase "To boldly go where no man has gone before" from the opening speech in the first two Star Trek series. A pilot was shot in 2008, but the project was shelved indefinitely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Elizabeth Ellis</span> American actress (born 1979)

Mary Elizabeth Ellis is an American actress. She is best known for her recurring roles as The Waitress on the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), Nick's ex-girlfriend Caroline in the Fox sitcom New Girl (2011–2018), and Lisa Palmer on the Netflix horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019). She starred as Amy in the shortlived NBC sitcom Perfect Couples (2010–2011) and Debbie Sanderson in the Fox sitcom The Grinder (2015–2016). Most recently, she played Gary's mother Anita in Licorice Pizza (2021), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gang Gets Racist</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia

"The Gang Gets Racist" is the pilot episode of the American television sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It was written by series creator Rob McElhenney and executive producer Charlie Day, and directed by John Fortenberry. It originally aired on FX on August 4, 2005.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. The season contains 7 episodes and concluded airing on September 15, 2005.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on June 29, 2006. The season contains 10 episodes and concluded airing on August 17, 2006.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on September 17, 2009. The season contains 12 episodes and concluded airing on December 10, 2009. Beginning with this season, the series' aspect ratio was changed from 4:3 to 16:9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Ganz</span> American comedy writer, podcaster

Megan Ann Ganz is an American comedy writer, podcaster, and former associate editor of The Onion. She has been a writer and executive producer on the FXX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia since 2017. She previously wrote for the NBC series Community for three years from 2010 to 2013, and left to write for Modern Family from 2013 to 2015, where she won an Emmy. She also wrote for the Fox comedy series The Last Man on Earth, and co-created the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest alongside Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 10 Season of television series

The tenth season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on January 14, 2015. The season consists of 10 episodes and concluded on March 18, 2015. The tenth season was released on DVD in region 1 on January 5, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Work</span> 4th episode of the 10th season of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia

"Charlie Work" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American television sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 108th overall episode of the series, and was written by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and series creator Rob McElhenney, and directed by Matt Shakman. It originally aired on FXX on February 4, 2015.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 11 Season of television series

The eleventh season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on January 6, 2016. The season consists of 10 episodes and concluded on March 9, 2016.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 13 Season of television series

The thirteenth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on September 5, 2018. The season consists of 10 episodes and concluded on November 7, 2018.

<i>Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia</i> season 15 Season of television series

The fifteenth season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on December 1 and concluded on December 22, 2021. This season had next day availability on FX on Hulu and FXNOW. The season consists of eight episodes and makes the series the longest-running live-action scripted comedy series in American television history, surpassing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

"2020: A Year In Review" is the first episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 155th overall episode of the series and was written by series developers, executive producers and lead actors Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by Todd Biermann. It originally aired on FXX on December 1, 2021, airing back-to-back with the following episode, "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7".

"The Gang Goes to Ireland" is the fifth episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 159th overall episode of the series and was written by main cast members Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on December 15, 2021, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "The Gang's Still in Ireland".

"The Gang's Still in Ireland" is the sixth episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 160th overall episode of the series and was written by main cast members Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on December 15, 2021, airing back-to-back with the previous episode, "The Gang Goes to Ireland".

The seventeenth season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is expected to premiere on FXX in 2025, and consist of eight episodes. The season will star Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito as "the Gang". In December 2020, after the fourteenth season aired, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was renewed for four additional seasons. Filming began in October 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Kaitlin Willow McElhenney". Ancestry.com .
  2. ↑ "KAITLYN OLSON" . Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  3. ↑ Haynes, Dana (April 10, 2017). "Kaitlin Olson Turns Shining Stat". Portland Tribune . Retrieved August 4, 2022. Kaitlin Olson was born in Portland and spent her earlier years living on Vashon Island Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 "Celebrity Birthdays for the week of Aug 13-19". The Associated Press . August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2023. Actor Kaitlin Olson is 48
  5. 1 2 Swift, Andy (May 10, 2018). "The Mick Cancelled at Fox". TVLine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ "2020 Primetime Emmy® Awards – Nomination Press Release" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2022". Television Academy. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2024". Television Academy. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  9. ↑ Valentino, Silas (November 15, 2013). "Q&A with Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenny from 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'". The Daily Emerald. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Fullmer, Chelsea (December 12, 2013). ""It's Always Sunny" Star Returns to Her Alma Mater". CAS. University of Oregon. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  11. ↑ Olson, Kaitlin (July 18, 2018). "Armchair Expert" (Interview). Episode 23. Interviewed by Dax Shepard.
  12. ↑ "One on One with Kaitlin Olson". Hobotrashcan.com (Interview). Interviewed by Joel Murphy. September 18, 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Bartels, Eric (June 27, 2006). "Comedian gets funny in Philly". Portland Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  14. ↑ "Q&A: Kaitlin Olson, Tualatin native, stars in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. September 15, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Haynes, Dane (April 10, 2017). "Kaitlin Olson Turn Shining Star". Portland Tribune. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  16. ↑ Baker, Jeff (April 28, 2014). "18 actors you (maybe) didn't know were from Portland". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  17. ↑ "In 'High Potential,' Kaitlin Olson gets smart". artdaily.com. September 13, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Seen on the screen". News & Observer . September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  19. ↑ Cunningham, Amrie (September 13, 2007). "Interview: Kaitlin Olson". thetvaddict.com. Retrieved January 17, 2008.
  20. ↑ "49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  21. ↑ Rothaus, Steve (June 12, 2016). "Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family'". The Miami Herald. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Ty Burrell, Kaitlin Olson star in animated film, Finding Dory". FOX5. FOX Beat. Washington, D.C. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  23. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (February 2, 2016). "Fox Orders Comedy Pilot 'The Mick'". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  24. ↑ "The Women of 'Hacks' Tease 'Comedy That's Dramatic' and a 'Unique' Mentorship Tale". May 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ Gross, Dan (September 8, 2007). "It's Sunny for McElhenney". Philadelphia Daily News . Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  26. ↑ "'It's Always Sunny' Stars Wed!". UPI.com. October 3, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  27. ↑ "OK! Exclusive: Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney Wed". OK! . October 1, 2008. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Still 'Sunny' after all these years: Kaitlin Olson talks 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'". Metro . September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  29. ↑ Rainey, Candice (November 11, 2009). "Interview with actress Kaitlin Olson". Elle . Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  30. ↑ Klein, Michael (December 17, 2009). "Mac and Dee from "Always Sunny" getting into bar business for real" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  31. ↑ Wihlborg, Ulrica (September 2, 2010). "Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney Welcome Son Axel Lee". People . Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  32. ↑ Johnson, Zach (April 10, 2012). "Meet Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney's Son Leo Grey!". US Magazine . Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  33. ↑ Imagine Dragons - Follow You (Official Music Video) , retrieved November 24, 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.