Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Chase Olsen, born on February 16, 1989, is an American actress who started her acting career at the age of four, alongside her famous sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. She made her debut in the thriller "Martha Marcy May Marlene" in 2011, a role for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for a Critics' Choice Movie Award. Olsen later received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination and graduated from New York University two years later.


Olsen gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise. She appeared in several MCU films, including "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022). Additionally, Olsen starred in the critically acclaimed miniseries "WandaVision" (2021) and the second season of "What If...?" (2023), both set in the MCU. Her performance in "WandaVision" earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.


Beyond her work with Marvel, Olsen has appeared in various other films, including the monster film "Godzilla" (2014), the mystery film "Wind River" (2017), and the dramedy "Ingrid Goes West" (2017). She also served as an executive producer and starred as a widow in the drama series "Sorry for Your Loss" (2018–2019), for which she earned a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award. Recently, Olsen portrayed Candy Montgomery in the miniseries "Love & Death" (2023), earning another Golden Globe Award nomination.


Elizabeth Chase Olsen was born on February 16, 1989, in Sherman Oaks, California. Her parents are Jarnie, a former dancer, and Dave, a real estate agent. She has two famous older sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who are twin fashion designers and actresses, as well as an older brother and younger half-siblings. Olsen began her acting career at the age of four, appearing in projects alongside her sisters, such as the 1994 television film "How the West Was Fun" and the straight-to-video series "The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley." Despite her early start in acting, Olsen considered quitting the profession in 2004 due to media attention surrounding Mary-Kate's eating disorder.


Olsen attended Campbell Hall School in Studio City, California, before pursuing higher education at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. During her time at NYU, she took classes at the Atlantic Theater Company and spent a semester at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia. Olsen gained understudy roles in off-Broadway and Broadway productions, including the 2008 production of "Dust" and the 2009 production of "Impressionism," which helped her secure representation by an agent. She graduated from NYU in January 2013.


Elizabeth Olsen made her film debut in the 2011 thriller "Martha Marcy May Marlene." The film and her performance received critical acclaim following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Olsen portrayed the titular Martha, a young woman suffering from delusions after escaping her life in a cult and returning to her family. Her performance earned her nominations for several awards, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Olsen's interest in the character stemmed from her fascination with mental illnesses.


Following "Martha Marcy May Marlene," Olsen appeared in the horror film "Silent House" and the thrillers "Red Lights" and "Liberal Arts" in 2012. "Silent House," despite premiering alongside "Martha Marcy May Marlene" at Sundance, was released the following year.
In January 2013, Olsen received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. She portrayed Edie Parker in the biographical drama "Kill Your Darlings" and starred in the American remake of the South Korean film "Oldboy," playing Marie Sebastian. Olsen also took on the titular role in an off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," receiving praise for her portrayal.


In 2014, Olsen starred in the film adaptation of Émile Zola's novel "Thérèse Raquin," titled "In Secret." She also appeared in the monster film "Godzilla" and the drama "Very Good Girls," alongside Dakota Fanning.


Elizabeth Olsen's career expanded significantly when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the 2015 superhero film "Avengers: Age of Ultron," portraying Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch. She continued to portray the character in subsequent MCU films, including "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), and "Avengers: Endgame" (2019). Olsen's performance in these films propelled her to international fame.


In addition to her MCU role, Olsen starred as Audrey Williams in the biographical film "I Saw the Light" (2015) and received critical acclaim for her performances in the mystery film "Wind River" and the comedy-drama film "Ingrid Goes West," both released in 2017. She demonstrated her versatility as an actress in these roles, receiving praise for her portrayal of complex characters.


Olsen continued to diversify her filmography with roles in "Kodachrome" (2018) and as executive producer and lead actress in the Facebook Watch series "Sorry for Your Loss" (2018–2019). Her performance in the series earned her a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.


In 2021, Olsen starred in the Disney+ miniseries "WandaVision," where she received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Wanda Maximoff. Her performance earned her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. Olsen also reprised her role as Scarlet Witch in the film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022), receiving praise for her compelling performance.


Additionally, Olsen starred as Candy Montgomery in the HBO Max limited series "Love and Death," showcasing her range as an actress. She continues to be attached to various upcoming projects, including the drama film "The Assessment" and Todd Solondz's film "Love Child."

References

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10. ^ Bierly, Mandi (September 3, 2010). "Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley, makes name for herself". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
11. ^ Malkin, Marc; Malec, Brett (October 6, 2011). "Elizabeth Olsen Almost Quit Acting Because of Sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley (Thankfully, She Didn't!)". E!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
12. ^ THR Staff; Pyun, Jeanie (August 17, 2017). "The Hollywood Insider's Guide to L.A. Private Schools". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021. Famous alumni include all three Olsen sisters, Dakota and Elle Fanning and Modern Family's Ariel Winter; Denzel Washington has sent his kids there.
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