James Olson (actor)
American actor (1930–2022)
title: "James Olson (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1930-births", "2022-deaths", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "military-personnel-from-illinois", "northwestern-university-alumni", "male-actors-from-evanston,-illinois", "western-(genre)-television-actors"] description: "American actor (1930–2022)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Olson_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor (1930–2022) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | James Olson |
| image | James Olson Reverend Jacob Danforth Little House on the Prairie 1969.jpg |
| caption | Olson in Little House on the Prairie, 1979 |
| birth_name | James Olson |
| birth_date | |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Malibu, California, U.S. |
| birth_place | Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| years_active | 1956–2001 |
| occupation | Actor |
| alma_mater | Northwestern University |
| :: |
| name = James Olson | image = James Olson Reverend Jacob Danforth Little House on the Prairie 1969.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Olson in Little House on the Prairie, 1979 | birth_name = James Olson | birth_date = | death_date = | death_place = Malibu, California, U.S. | birth_place = Evanston, Illinois, U.S. | years_active = 1956–2001 | occupation = Actor | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = Northwestern University
James Olson (October 8, 1930 – April 17, 2022) was an American actor.
Early life
Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois, From 1952 until 1954, he was a military policeman in the United States Army.
Career
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-as Owen Deaver S1 E32 (1958); Marcus Welby, M.D.; Police Woman; Barnaby Jones; The New Land; Columbo; Maude; The Virginian; The Streets of San Francisco; and Cannon.
Death
Olson died at his home in Malibu, California on April 17, 2022, at the age of 91. He was survived by two nieces, Susan Baker and Robin Olson, a nephew, David James Olson, and three grandnephews.
Selected filmography
- The Sharkfighters (1956) as Ens. Harold Duncan
- The Strange One (1957) as Roger Gatt
- The Three Sisters (1966) as Baron Tuzenbach
- Rachel, Rachel (1968) as Nick Kazlik
- The Stalking Moon (1968) as Cavalry Officer (uncredited)
- Moon Zero Two (1969) as Kemp
- Crescendo (1970) as Georges Ryman / Jacques Ryman
- The Andromeda Strain (1971) as Dr. Mark Hall
- Wild Rovers (1971) as Joe Billings
- Paper Man (1971) as Art Fletcher
- Columbo: Etude in Black (1972, TV movie) as Paul Rifkin
- The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) as Sen. Stanton
- The Rookies (1973) as Steve Wainz
- Incident on a Dark Street (1973) as Joe Dubbs
- The Missiles of October (1974, TV movie) as McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant for National Security Affairs
- Strange New World (1975, TV movie) as Surgeon
- The Spell (1977) as Glenn
- The Mafu Cage (1978) as David
- Hawaii Five-O (1978) as Stoner
- Ragtime (1981) as Father
- Amityville II: The Possession (1982) as Father Adamsky
- Cave-In! (1983) as Tom Arlen
- Commando (1985) as Major General Franklin Kirby
- Rachel River (1987) as Jack Canon
References
References
- "("James Olson" search results)".
- (2022-04-28). "Obituary: James R. Olson". [[The Malibu Times]].
- (July 2022). "James Olson, 91".
- (February 17, 1957). "James Olson, 'Promising' Young Actor". [[The Boston Globe]].
- "The Shark Fighters (1956)".
- (November 26, 1969). "James Olson Enjoys Life". [[The Pittsburgh Press]].
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