Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing

Michelle Tanner Michelle Elizabeth Tanner is a fictional character on the long-running ABC sitcom ''Full House'', who was portrayed by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. She first appeared in the show's 1987 pilot, "Our Very First Show", and continued to appear up t ...

on the television series ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television Situation comedy, sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best ...

''. At the age of six, Mary-Kate and

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

began starring together in other TV shows, film, and video projects, which continued to their teenage years. Through their company

Dualstar Dualstar Entertainment Group, LLC is a privately held American limited liability company owned by twin sister actresses Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, which produced films, television series, magazines, video games, and other popular media. ...

, the Olsens joined the ranks of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry at a young age.

Lives and career

Childhood and acting career

The fraternal twins were born in Sherman Oaks, California, to David "Dave" Olsen and Jarnette "Jarnie" (née Jones). They have an elder brother, Trent, and a younger sister, actress

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, as well as a half-sister, Courtney Taylor, and a half-brother, Jake. The twins' parents divorced in 1995; Taylor and Jake are from their father's second marriage. The Olsen twins have

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

ancestry. In 1987, at the age of six months, the twins were cast in the role of

on the ABC

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

''. They began filming at nine months old. In order to comply with

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

laws that set strict limits on how long a child actor may work, the sisters took turns playing the role. The Olsens continued to portray Michelle throughout the show's run, which concluded in 1995. In 1992, Mary-Kate and Ashley shared the role of Michelle Tanner when they guest-starred on the ''Full House'' crossover episode of '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper''. While starring on ''Full House'', the Olsens also began appearing (as separate characters) in films for

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...

and television. The first such film, ''

To Grandmother's House We Go ''To Grandmother's House We Go'' is a 1992 made-for-television Christmas film directed by Jeff Franklin and starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The film's title comes from a part of one of the first lines of Lydia Maria Child's Thanksgiving so ...

'', debuted in 1992 and featured cameos from several other ''Full House'' actors. In 1993, the Olsens established the company

, which would produce the twins' subsequent films and videos, including 1993's '' Double, Double, Toil and Trouble'' and 1994's ''

How the West Was Fun ''How the West Was Fun'' is a 1994 Revisionist western film starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Synopsis 8-year-old twin girls Jessica and Susie Martin (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) live with their father, Stephen ( Patrick Cassidy), in Philadelp ...

''. A series of musical mystery videos called ''

The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley ''The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley'' is a series of musical mystery videos starring twin actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The series was also written as children's books. A set of books was written as a companion piece to the show, showi ...

'' premiered in 1994 and continued through 1997. In 1995, following the end of ''Full House'', the Olsens made their feature film debut in '' It Takes Two'', co-starring

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including ''Cocoon'', ''Police Academy'', ''Three Men and ...

and Kirstie Alley. In the same year, they introduced a second video series, '' You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's...'', which continued to release new entries until 2000. The following year, the Olsens appeared in an episode of '' All My Children''. In 1997, they appeared once again as guest stars in an episode of '' Sister Sister''. Also, in 1998, the twins returned to series television with another ABC sitcom, '' Two of a Kind'', co-starring Christopher Sieber as their characters' widowed father. The series lasted only one season but aired in reruns on cable for several years afterward. 1998 also saw the release of ''

Billboard Dad ''Billboard Dad'' is a 1998 American direct-to-video comedy film directed by Alan Metter starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. It was produced by Warner Bros. in collaboration with Dualstar Productions and Tapestry Films (now Screendoor). Plot S ...

'', the first of a new string of direct-to-video films starring the Olsens. The final such film, '' The Challenge'', debuted in 2003. In 2000, the Olsens appeared in an episode of '' 7th Heaven'' as bad girls Sue and Carol Murphy. The following year, the sisters starred in two new series: ''

So Little Time ''So Little Time'' is an American sitcom starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in their third television series. It aired on Fox Family: the first half of the series aired from June 2 to August 15, 2001, and the series then went on a four-month ...

'', a live-action sitcom on Fox Family (later ABC Family); and '' Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!'', an animated series airing Saturday mornings on ABC. Both shows were canceled after one season, although Mary-Kate received a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

nomination for her performance on ''So Little Time''. In early 2004, Mary-Kate and Ashley had a cameo voice role in an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' as the readers of Marge's book-on-tape, ''The Harpooned Heart''. Also in 2004, the twins starred in a second feature film, '' New York Minute''. It would be their last film together, as well as Ashley's last acting role. Mary-Kate has continued to appear in film and television. Mary-Kate and Ashley had a fan club until 2000, "Mary-Kate & Ashley's Fun Club", where fans would pay to receive Mary-Kate and Ashley collectibles and photos. Each subscription included an issue of ''Our Funzine'', Mary-Kate and Ashley's fan club magazine, exclusively available through the club, and a collectibles catalog, where one could purchase T-shirts, posters, baseball caps, key rings, school folders, postcards, and various other items. Subscribers would also receive "surprise gifts" (usually key rings, book excerpts, or back issues of the ''Funzine''), lyric sheets to Mary-Kate and Ashley's songs, a school folder, a membership card, a full-sized poster, two black and white photos (one of each girl), and a color photo with reprint autographs. The club was advertised at the beginning of Mary-Kate and Ashley movies until 1998. Mary-Kate and Ashley were popular figures in the

preteen Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is ...

market during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Their names and likenesses extended not only to movies and videos, but to clothes, shoes, purses, hats, books, CDs and cassette tapes, fragrances and makeup, magazines, video and board games, dolls, posters, calendars, and even telephones and CD players—with a market share made up mostly of the tween demographic.

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

produced various sets of Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls from 2000 to 2005, along with separate outfits and accessory packs. The sisters became co-presidents of Dualstar on their 18th birthday in 2004. Upon taking control of the company, Mary-Kate and Ashley made moves to secure the future of the company by releasing products that appealed to the teen market, including home decoration and fragrances. The Dualstar brand has been sold in more than 3,000 stores in the United States and over 5,300 stores worldwide. The Olsens have appeared on the ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' "Celebrity 100" list since 2002; in 2007, ''Forbes'' ranked them (collectively) as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of US$100 million.

Fashion career

As the sisters have matured, they expressed greater interest in their fashion choices, with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' declaring Mary-Kate a fashion icon for pioneering her signature "homeless" look. The style sometimes referred to by fashion journalists as "ashcan" or "bohemian-bourgeois",La Ferla, Ruth
"Mary-Kate: Fashion Star."
March 6, 2007. is similar to the boho-chic style popularized in Britain by Kate Moss and

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian '' Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli c ...

. The look consists of oversized sunglasses, boots, loose sweaters, and flowing skirts, with an aesthetic of mixing high-end and low-end pieces. The twins were tapped as the faces of upscale fashion line

Badgley Mischka Badgley Mischka is an American fashion label designed by Mark Badgley (born January 12, 1961 in East St. Louis, MO) and James Mischka (born December 23, 1960 in Burlington, WI). Their collections are said to be largely influenced by the style ...

in 2006. The Olsens had a clothing line for girls ages 4–14 in

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

stores across North America, 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 full

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" an ...

to all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh. The

National Labor Committee The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, formerly known as the National Labor Committee (until 2011), is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) that investigates human and labor rights abuses committed by large multinational c ...

, which organized the pledge, praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights. The Olsens have also launched their own couture fashion label, The Row, named after

Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

in London. In 2007, they launched ''Elizabeth & James'', a contemporary collection inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and pieces in their personal wardrobes. They have also released a women's clothing line for J.C. Penney, called ''Olsenboye'', and a T-shirt line called "StyleMint". In 2008, the sisters published the book ''Influence'', a compilation of interviews with many of the most prominent people in the field of fashion. In August 2013, the twins launched a new fashion line in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

, Norway. The Olsens were first named Womenswear Designer of the Year by the

Council of Fashion Designers of America The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory d ...

(CFDA) for The Row in 2012. They received the award again in 2015. The CFDA also named the Olsens Accessories Designer of the Year in 2014 for their work with The Row."And the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards Winners are…"
. cfda.com June 3, 2014.

Filmography

: ''This filmography is of the twins as a duo. See

Mary-Kate Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, equestrian, and former actress. She began her acting career nine months after her birth, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Ashley Olsen ...

for other productions in which she has appeared.''

Awards and nominations

Footnotes

References

External links

Dualstar Entertainment Group Corporate Website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Mary-Kate And Ashley 1986 births Living people Actresses from California American child actresses American child singers American women singers American film actresses American television actresses American women in business People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles American people of Norwegian descent American people of English descent Sibling duos Olsen family Fraternal twin actresses American twins Businesspeople from Los Angeles