The Olsen Twins - Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are among the world's wealthiest twins, successfully transforming from child TV actresses to entrepreneurs and founders of popular fashion lines.
Biography
Born in Sherman Oaks, California on June 13, 1986 to Janette and David Olsen, fraternal twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were cast at just six months to collectively play the role of Michelle Tanner in the TV series, Full House, which ran on ABC-TV from 1987-95. For the first several seasons on the air, the credits for the show indicated that the Michelle Tanner character was played by Mary Kate Ashley Olsen but during the last season of the series, each sister received credit for the acting role which they shared.
The Olsen Twins began making videos during the run of Fall House and have appeared together in 16 theatrically-released or straight to videos in their careers as well as two video series, The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, and You're Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley's. They also appeared briefly together in two other TV series, Two of a Kind and So Little Time.
In 1993, the twins created a company called Dualstar to help brand their image which has led to successful business careers as their acting careers slowed. Dualstar's success has helped lead the twins to a combined net worth of more than $100 million dollars according to a Forbes Magazine 2007 ranking of the wealthiest Hollywood celebrities (11th on the list for women entertainers). Their parents divorced in 1995 and they have an older brother, Trent, and younger sister, Elizabeth, and two younger half-siblings, Taylor and Jake, who are children of their father's second marriage.
Television
Full House
(1987-95) |
An ABC-TV sitcom in which the Olsen Twins shared the role of Michelle Tanner, the youngest daughter of their widowed father, Danny (Bob Saget). Other actors on the show included John Stamos and Dave Coulier. |
Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action
(2001) |
An animated series that briefly ran on ABC-TV on Saturday mornings before being cancelled after airing just one season. Mary-Kate and Ashley leant their voices to their animated characters and the show featured the twins solving mysteries related to the sports or fashion worlds around the globe. There was also a spinoff series of books from the animated series, something that also took place in the Olsen Twins other TV shows. |
So Little Time
(2001-02) |
Another short-lived sitcom, this one airing for 26 episodes on the ABC Family cable TV network. The Olsens play the Carlson Twins, Riley (MK) and Chloe (Ashley) whose parents have amicably split from one another (they never seem to be within stable family situations, do they?) |
Two of a Kind
(1998-99) | Short-lived (22 episodes) ABC sitcom in which Mary-Kate played Mary-Kate Burke and Ashley played Ashley Burke, the pre-teen scheming daughters of a single dad (Christopher Sieber). Mary-Kate was the tomboy and Ashley the more studious student in the series. |
Weeds
(2007) | Mary-Kate Olsen is scheduled to appear in 10 episodes of the acclaimed Showtime Network series beginning in August, 2007 as Tara, a new arrival in the show's fictional city of Agrestic. Other guest stars on the 3rd season of the series include a pair of actors with memorable twin roles to their credit, Carrie Fisher and Matthew Modine. |
Videos/Movies
Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, The
(1994-97) | 30-minute mystery videos that tested the Olsen Twins abilities to solve mysteries and sing silly songs. There were 11 videos made in the series with typical titles being The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of the Fun House Mystery or The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley: The Case of the SeaWorld Adventure (the latter being a full-length movie). |
Billboard Dad
(1998) |
Straight to video feature starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The girls play sisters determined to find a new girlfriend for their single father. 90-minutes, G-rated. |
The Challenge
(2003) |
The Olsen Twins final straight-to-video offering, this one has a theme of estranged, very opposite twins being cast on the same team in a reality TV show as the producers hope that feuding twins will improve ratings. |
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
(1993) |
One of Olsen Twins first TV-movies (the cute "twin names" for the films were still available at this point) in which three friends come to the aid of Mary-Kate and Ashley who are out to rescue their kindly aunt from her sister's evil magic spell. |
Getting There
(2003) |
The Olsen Twins turn 16 and decide to attend the Winter Olympics in Utah after getting their driver's license and a convertible car as a birthday present. Mary-Kate and Ashley play twins Taylor and Kylie in this latest offering. |
Holiday in the Sun
(2001) |
Another straight-to-video release by the Olsen Twins; this one is rated PG. In this one, Mary-Kate and Ashley continue their whirlwind tour to the world's great vacation spots in their latest video offering, spending a holiday in the Bahamas with their parents. They play 15-year-old twin sisters, Alex and Madison, who live it up at the Atlantis Resort. |
How the West Was Fun
(1994) |
Another earlier Olsen Twins vehicle in which Mary-Kate and Ashley help a woman save her dude ranch from developers who would like to turn the property into a theme park. Martin Mull is one of the bad guys, Michele Greene (L.A. Law) is the dude ranch owner. |
It Takes Two
(1995) |
The Olsen Twins take on The Parent Trap theme with Kirstie Alley and Steve Guttenberg serving in the parent's roles. Interestingly, Mary-Kate and Ashley do not play separated twins but just look-alikes who are unrelated but interested in matching one girl's father with the other's mother after switching places. |
Little Rascals, The
(1994) |
Mary-Kate and Ashley have cameos in this theatrical release as girls coming to Darla's sleepover party. |
Mary-Kate and Ashley: You're Invited to a Christmas Party
(1997) |
The Olsen Twins celebrate Christmas. 30-minutes, G-rated. Part of the You're Invited series of videos which the twins starred in between 1995-99. |
New York Minute
(2004) |
The last theatrical release (as of this article publication date) to feature the Olsen Twins together, this film starred Mary-Kate and Ashley as Roxy and Jane Ryan, twins with different interests who go through a series of adventures one day in New York City. Movie also featured Eugene Levy, Andy Richter, Andrea Martin and real-life dad of triplets, Dr. Drew. |
Our Lips Are Sealed
(2000) |
Made for video film released in 2000 in which Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are entering high school but are first forced to enter the FBI Witness Protection Program and finally relocated to Sydney, Australia |
Passport to Paris
(1999) |
The twins play boy-crazy 13-year-olds set loose in Paris (they are there visiting their grandfather, the U.S. Ambassador to France). Harmless and fun. |
Switching Goals
(1999) |
Made-for-TV Movie now available on video in which Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are complete opposites who bond together on the soccer field. |
To Grandmother's House We Go
(1992) |
TV-Movie starring the Olson Twins as sisters whose trip to their grandmother's home is sidetracked by bumbling thieves. Rhea Perlman, Cynthia Geary and Jerry Van Dyke also star in this film. |
When in Rome
(2002) |
The Olsen Twins world tour moves on to Rome as they play teenage sisters Charli and Lola. In this film, the girls start their summer internship working for the legendary Derek Hanson - the totally cool international tycoon whose empire reaches from airlines to cutting-edge fashion. Another video that Olsen Twins fans should enjoy. |
Winning London
(2001) | The twins travel to London as part of their school's Model U.N. Team in an International competition. Lots of sight-seeing, summer bubblegum romance and music and fashion that young girls should enjoy.
|
Fashion
Much of the Olsen Twins fortune is attributable to their fashion lines of clothes and other branding items (dolls, accessories, books, magazines, etc.) which is marketed and sold at more than 5,000 stores worldwide. One of their fashion lines is targeted for girls ages 4-14 and sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. In 2007, they also a announced plans for a fashion line for older teens and young adults which they've named after their siblings.
Personal Lives
In the fall of 2004, both twins enrolled at NYU, however Mary-Kate dropped out of the school within a year. Mary-Kate also had a stay at a rehab center in 2004 at which time she admitted that she was suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Both twins celebrated their 21st birthdays in June, 2007 in Southern California.
Olsen Twins
