Maria Olsen (born July 22, 1966) is a South African film producer and actress known for her many roles in horror films. These include '' Paranormal Activity 3'', '' The Lords of Salem'', '' Gore Orphanage,'' and ''

Starry Eyes ''Starry Eyes'' is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. The film had its world premiere on March 8, 2014 at South by Southwest and features Alexandra Essoe as a hopeful young starlet who finds th ...

''. Non-horror roles include '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''.

Early life

Olsen was born on July 22, 1966, in

East London, Eastern Cape East London (; ) is a city on the southeastern coast of South Africa, in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, Province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River ( ...

, South Africa.

Career

Olsen has appeared in over 100 roles since 2005. Many of these are supporting roles, which she credits as allowing her to work on more projects than actors who focus primarily on leading roles. She says her favorite roles have been in ''African Gothic'', ''Percy Jackson'', '' Die-ner (Get It?)'', ''The Haunting of Whaley House'', and ''Live-In Fear'', which was the first film she produced. In 2011, she founded the production company MOnsterworks66. In 2018, Olsen starred in, "The Exorcist: Forbidden Screening," a 4D theater attraction at Warner Bros. "Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights." The attraction took place inside the Midwest St. Church on the Warner Brothers backlot, and Olsen played the role of the host of the horror attraction, based on the 1973 film, ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Personal life

Olsen came to America in January 2005. Her hobbies include reading and knitting. She is out as a lesbian.

References

External links

* Living people 21st-century South African actresses People from East London, South Africa South African lesbian actresses South African LGBTQ entertainers South African film actresses 1966 births {{SouthAfrica-actor-stub