Biography
Date of Birth
13 December 1986, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name
Ashley Fuller Olsen
Nickname
Ash
Height
5' 1" (1.55 m)
Mini Biography
Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American fashion designer, producer, author, businesswoman and former actress. She co-founded luxury fashion brands The Row, Elizabeth and James, and the more affordable lines Olsenboye and StyleMint with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen. She is also the older sister of actress Elizabeth Olsen.
Ashley was born in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Jarnette "Jarnie", a personal manager, and David "Dave" Olsen, a real estate developer and mortgage banker. Along with her twin, Mary-Kate, they have an older brother, Trent Olsen, a younger sister, Elizabeth Olsen who is also an actress, and younger half siblings Taylor and Jake from their father's second marriage.[ Olsen's parents divorced in 1996. The twins and their siblings have Norwegian ancestry on their father's side.
Olsen began her career at the age of nine months old, when she and Mary-Kate were hired to share the role of Michelle Tanner on the popular television series Full House in 1987. Following the end of Full House, Olsen released a string of successful straight-to-video movies and became a popular figure in the preteen market during the late 1990s and early 2000s. She became a household name, with her likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies, and posters, among others. There were fashion dolls of her made by Mattel from 2000 to 2005. She 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. She and her sister were jointly ranked number three on the VH1 program 100 Greatest Child Stars. In 2004, the twins appeared in the theatrical light-hearted romantic comedy, New York Minute. In 2007, when Mary-Kate and Ashley were 21 they said that if they got involved in movies together again it would be as producers. When asked about acting again in 2009 Ashley said, "Never say never." In 2009 Olsen contemplated returning to acting. She changed her mind and in 2012 the sisters decided to quit acting permanently and focus on fashion. In October 2013, Olsen appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Nickelodeon acquired the rights to Mary-Kate and Ashley's video library in 2015.
In 2015, it was announced that John Stamos had signed on with Netflix to produce and co-star in Fuller House, a spin-off Full House that would reunite the original cast members. Mary-Kate and Ashley originally announced in May that they would not reprise their role as Michelle Tanner, however in July, according to Netfix's Ted Sarandos, the Olsen twins were "teetering" on an agreement to join the series.
In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen became co-presidents of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success of Full House), the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores worldwide. Their success has been marked on Forbes' The Celebrity 100 list since 2002. In 2007, Forbes ranked the twins as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated combined net worth of $300 million.
Following a high volume of public interest in their fashion choices, both worked in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the public. They started a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4 to 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 idea for The Row started as a personal project in 2005 when Ashley Olsen challenged herself to create a perfect T-shirt. She tested the design on a variety of women of all body shapes and ages in an attempt to find a "commonality in fit and attitude."
By 2006, the sisters had created a 7-piece collection that included the T-shirt, a pair of cotton sateen leggings, and a cashmere wool tank dress. Barneys New York bought the entire first collection. The brand has expanded to include ready-to-wear, resort, handbags, sunglasses, and shoes.
In 2006, they were tapped as the faces of the upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka. As adults, the Olsens have devoted much of their attention to the world of fashion. They head a couture fashion label, The Row, as well as the Elizabeth and James, Olsenboye, and StyleMint retail collections. Ashley Olsen has appeared on best-dressed lists. The Olsens designed an Olsenboye Change Purse in 2011 and donated the money to "Pennies From Heaven".
In 2011, the Olsen sisters teamed up with TOMS Shoes to design footwear for kids without shoes in more than 20 countries worldwide. Mary-Kate and Ashley are now the creative directors for the Italian brand Superga. The Olsens released an Elizabeth and James perfume in early 2013. StyleMint is now available in the UK.
In October 2012, Ashley and Mary-Kate won the WSJ magazine Innovator of The Year Award.
Ashley and Mary-Kate won the top prize at the 2012 CFDA Fashion Awards.
Ashley with her twin was nominated for Council Of Fashion Designers in 2015.
In 2008, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen wrote Influence, a book featuring interviews with fashion designers that have inspired the Olsens' fashion lines.
In 2005, Olsen filed a $40 million lawsuit against tabloid magazine National Enquirer for depicting her as being involved in a drug scandal. Her case was dismissed by a federal court in Los Angeles in November of the same year.
In May 2004, Olsen and high school sweetheart Matt Kaplan split up after three years of dating. In May 2008, Olsen began dating fellow actor Justin Bartha. They split up in March 2011 after almost three years of dating.
As of January 2014, Olsen has been dating film director Bennett Miller.
Trivia
Twin sister of Mary-Kate Olsen.
Older sister of Elizabeth Olsen. Younger sister of Trent Olsen. Has a younger half-sister, Taylor Olsen, and a younger half-brother, Jake Olsen.
In real life, she and Mary-Kate are very close to John Stamos, who played their uncle Jesse on Full House (1987).
Enjoys shopping, going to the movies, listening to rock music (i.e. Counting Crows), cheer leading and Tae Bo with her sister.
Her hobbies include a great deal of sports, like dancing, golf and tennis.
At age 6, she and Mary-Kate became the youngest producers in history.
She and Mary-Kate both had to wear fake teeth during the later years of Full House (1987) because their baby teeth were falling out. However, the director made an exception when the girls lost their two front teeth.
Had a bi-monthly magazine called "Mary-Kate and Ashley Magazine" that only ran for three issues.
Had a line of clothing with sister Mary-Kate that was sold at Wal-Mart until 2006.
When she was young, she and Mary-Kate used to call their Full House (1987) co-stars by their characters names so they would not mess them up during taping.
In 1993, she and Mary-Kate were supposed to play young Eves (Teena and Cindy) on The X-Files (1993), but were eventually replaced by the Krievins twins (Erika Krievins and Sabrina Krievins) from the nearby city of Vancouver. The reason was very strict child labor laws.
Ranked #61 on the 2003 FHM list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World.
On their 17th birthday (June 13, 2003), the U.S.'s Cable News Network (CNN) announced not only their birthday but the twins' total financial worth -- $150,000,000 for EACH. The same news source predicted the twins may be billionaires by the time they're 21.
During the earlier seasons of Full House (1987), the producers did not want this known that Michelle was played by twins, so Mary-Kate and Ashley were credited as Mary Kate Ashley Olsen.
She and her sister became the youngest self-made millionaires in American history before they were 10 years old.
At age 17, she and her twin sister Mary-Kate were rated 2003's second hottest teen female stars.
On February 14, 2005, she filed a $20M libel suit against the "National Inquirer" for alleging her involvement in a drug scandal.
She donated many signed head-shots to Rocky Stone to be auctioned off to raise money to buy more toys for less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign 2004.
She is of Danish and Norwegian descent.
She appeared alone on the cover of the July issue of Harpers Bazaar magazine (2005).
Ranked #3 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars" with sister Mary Kate.
Parents are David Olsen and Jarnette Olsen (divorced).
Named #32 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.
Her film New York Minute (2004) earned only $5.96 million during its opening weekend. This was the lowest amount ever earned for any film opening in over 3,000 theaters.
She and her sister Mary-Kate were both ranked #6 in E's 50 most cutest child stars all grown up (2005).
Ranked #37 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2007 list. (She was listed alone, her sister Mary-Kate did not appear anywhere on the list).
Was ranked #5 on Forbes List of the 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars with sister Mary Kate (2007).
In 2004, her wealth was estimated to be $137 million.
Was cast as "Christie" in The Informers (2008) but dropped out at the last minute for undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by Amber Heard.
She and her sister originally had their ears pierced when they were ten, but the piercings became infected and they had to remove the earrings and let the holes in their ears heal up. They then waited until they were sixteen before having them pierced again.
Ranked #47 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2008 list. (Once again she was listed alone, her sister Mary-Kate was not on the list).
Abandoned her acting career to pursue her dream of fashion designing full-time on May 13, 2009.
She and her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, dedicated the Holland-America Line cruise ship, the "MS Zaandam". [May 2000]
Was in a relationship with Justin Bartha [2009-2011].
With her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, attended school with Briana Evigan.
Ashley is taller than her twin sister Mary-Kate by one inch.
Ashley is older than her twin sister Mary-Kate by about two minutes.
Mentioned with her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, in Jay-Z's and Ye's song, "Paris".
As a child she took ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop dance lessons.
Ashley and Mary-Kate decided to quit acting and focus on their fashion careers. [March 2012]
She and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 29, 2004.
She helped in raising 2,206 toys for the Less Fortunate Kids as part of the 2005 Toy Mountain Campaign with Kids Talent Agent Rocky Stone. [December 2005]
Ashley and Mary-Kate currently manage four clothing lines called "The Row", "Elizabeth and James", "Olsenboye" and "StyleMint".
As of May 2015, this has been reported that she is battling Lyme Disease.
Ordered to pay $140,000 to former interns for unpaid wages in Manhattan Federal Court.[March 2017].
Owns Dualstar Entertainment Group with her sister Mary Kate.
She and her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen, are the only regulars of Full House (1987) not to appear on its revival Fuller House (2016).
To prepare for her role in It Takes Two (1995), Ashley had to listen to a tape with an English accent and repeat after it over and over again. She also went with her dialogue coach to Tiffany's and an art gallery for brunch. They watched how the people ate there and also learned how to sit up properly like the "rich" ladies.
In 1991, she and Mary-Kate Olsen were both placed in 6th place in the Q-Ratings (television popularity rating), with 42% of the people surveyed describing them as one of their favorites.
She and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen attended Laurel Hall Lutheran School in North Hollywood, California during the years of 1989-1997.
Graduated from Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood, California, Class of 2004.
She and Mary-Kate Olsen were Teen Ambassadors for the 1999 Women's World Cup Soccer.
Attended Dixie Canyon Avenue Elementary School in Sherman Oaks, California.
For college, she and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen attended a couple of years of New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
She and Mary-Kate Olsen attended Aaron Carter's 13th birthday party. In addition, the singer said that if he was to pick any famous girl to date, it would be Mary-Kate Olsen.
She and Mary-Kate Olsen were once dubbed Holland America Teen Admirals.
She and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, began their schooling at the Christian Nursery School in Los Angeles, California in 1989.
Ex-stepdaughter of McKenzie Olsen.
Her second home at Sherman Oaks had five bedrooms and is 4,800 square feet. It is a ranch style house built in 1940. She and her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, had lived in there for 5 years before moving in 1998.
During 8th grade, the only class she and her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen had together was French and it was their first year taking a foreign language.
Learned the 8 dances for her and her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen's, "Dance Party" CD-ROM in only 2-3 hours.
Went to the same school as Ethan Peck, who had played her sister Mary-Kate Olsen's boyfriend in Passport to Paris (1999).
Her friends used to travel with her and her sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, to their filming locations. Their friends had also been extras in their movies before, a cafeteria scene in The Wonderful World of Disney: Switching Goals (1999) and a scene in Our Lips Are Sealed (2000) that was filmed in Los Angeles.
Hardly ever fights with her sister Mary-Kate Olsen , but the times they fight is usually over clothes.
Dating Louis Eisner since October 2017.
Trademarks:
Wearing oversized Bohemian-style clothes, oversized sunglasses, and handbags.
Big, round green eyes
Petite-sized body
Blonde hair
Quotes
We've stayed really normal and down to Earth I think, and haven't let the success thing go to our head.
[on her sister Mary-Kate] She's always there for me when I need her; She's my best friend; she's just my everything.
Some twins feel like they need to compare themselves to each other, but we're not that way. That's because of my parents, though, and having six kids in the family.
Lizzie plays club volleball and Trent is an amazing writer. We're lucky our parents didn't stereotype us, so we could figure out who we are for ourselves.
[on her worldwide fame with her sister Mary-Kate] Since we were 9 years old, we've been seeing ourselves everywhere. We're so used to it, it doesn't really affect us.
I am very down to earth and practical. Never say never.
I'm the type of person who would rather stay home than get my picture taken. I'm the most private person.
I don't think you necessarily need to show off your stomach and boobs to be sexy. I'm just not attracted to that type of dressing.
I don't think of myself as hot or cool or anything, just a dork.
I love driving, but sometimes, I'm not too good at it because I spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror if I know I'm being followed. You don't respond like, 'Oh, there's paparazzi.' It's more like, 'There's a man, and he's going to attack me.' That's how your body responds.
Fame is an illusion. Things can be given to you quite easily, but they get ripped away so quickly as well.
I live a very normal life. I have friends, and I've always gone to school. The part that's not normal is that I've been working since I was 9 months old, but at the same time, it's completely normal to me.
The Aly loafer is our modern take on the penny loafer with a subtle slit across the top. I wear loafers with everything these days- skinny jeans, long skirts and dresses.
Stay true to what makes you happy, because that always ends up producing the best result.
Never say never - in fashion and life.
I check Style.com to look at the collections and love to poke around some of the other fashion blogs to see what's going on.
[Girlfriend Australia, October 2002] Our personalities are somewhat the same, but we definitely have differences. Mary-Kate is a little bit more of a free spirit, while I tend to be more structured and organized. We both love fashion, music, hanging out with our friends and watching good movies, but the basic difference? Probably that Mary-Kate loves to ride horses and I love to dance more.
[Girlfriend Australia, October 2002] We are so used to having a busy day on a daily basis. Sometimes it gets hard when we have to do a million things at once, but that hardly ever happens because our manager usually takes care of most of the stuff.
[Girlfriend Australia, October 2002] I think it's safe to say that the whole world knows everything that we want them to know about us. We don't have any dark hidden secrets!
[her advice to young girls, Girlfriend Australia, October 2002] Go after your dreams, act responsibly and know that you can do anything you set your mind to.
[Girlfriend Australia, October 2002] We enjoyed So Little Time (2001) and Two of a Kind (1998) a lot. We only shut down So Little Time (2001) because we want to make feature films.
