Nancy Ann Olson (born July 14, 1928) is an American retired actress. She was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

for her role in ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

'' (1950). She co-starred with

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

in four films, and later appeared in ''

The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is based on the 1943 short story "A Situation of Gravity" (May 22, 1943 ''Liberty'') by ...

'' (1961) and its sequel, ''

Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is the sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961) and the first sequel to a Disney film. Fred MacMu ...

'' (1963), as well as the disaster film ''

Airport 1975 ''Airport 1975'' (also known as ''Airport '75'') is a 1974 American air disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film ''Airport''. It was directed by Jack Smight, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang, a ...

'' (1974). Olson retired from acting in the mid-1980s, although she has made a few rare returns, most recently in 2014.

Early life

Olson was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

on July 14, 1928, and raised there, along with her brother, David. Her parents were Evelyn Bertha (née Bergstrom), who was of Swedish descent, and Henry John Olson, a physician. See also: * Livingston, Nancy Olson (2022).
A Front Row Seat: An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour
'. Lexington, KE: The University of Kentucky Press. p. 185. . "The Bergstrom family. .. ''Top row, left to right:'' Nancy's mother, Evelyn Bergstrom; Edith Bergstrom; and Ethel Bergstrom." * "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:K72M-65Y : Wed Jul 12 17:13:05 UTC 2023), Entry for Henry John Olson and Evelyn Olson, 1940. * "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP6Q-J72 : 26 November 2014), Evelyn Bertha Olson, 25 Feb 1979; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento. Nancy Olson in Union Station trailer

Career

Olson was signed to a film contract by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

in 1948, and, after a few supporting roles, producers began to consider her for more prominent parts. She was up for the role of

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

's film '' Samson and Delilah'' (1949), for which Olson later said she was not suited. She was passed over in favor of Hedy Lamarr. Her first big role came in ''Canadian Pacific'' (also 1949) with

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

, then

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

cast her for his upcoming project. In ''

'' (1950), she played Betty Schaefer, for which she gained an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her pairing with

was considered a success, and she appeared with him in three other films (''

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

'', ''

Force of Arms ''Force of Arms'' (reissued under the title ''A Girl for Joe'') is a 1951 romantic war drama film set in the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian campaign of World War II, starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, and Frank Lovejoy. Directed ...

'', and '' Submarine Command'', the second and third released the following year), but none repeated their success in ''Sunset Boulevard''. Olson's success in ''Sunset Boulevard'' also led to her being cast in the September 15, 1950, episode of the radio program '' Dimension X'', titled "Hello Tomorrow". Other film credits include several films for Warner Bros. such as '' Big Jim McLain'' (1952), '' So Big'' (1953) and ''

Battle Cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...

'' (1955). Olson made several appearances in films for the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

studio. ''

'' (1961) and ''

'' (1963) paired her with

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

and were popular with movie-goers. She also appeared alongside

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promisi ...

in '' Pollyanna'' (1960),

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

in '' Smith!'' (1969) and Dean Jones in '' Snowball Express'' (1972). Olson then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where she appeared on Broadway. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she did guest roles on

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. Olson guest-starred on the Television series '' The Big Valley'' playing the mother of

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

in the December 1, 1965, episode titled "Night of the Wolf." Olson is the only female guest starring on '' The Big Valley'' to ever marry the character Nick Barkley. Olson has been retired since the mid-1980s, although she made a brief, uncredited appearance in '' Flubber'', the 1997 remake of ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' , and ''

Dumbbells The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It is usually used individually and/or in pairs, with one in each hand. History The forerunner of the dumbbell, halteres, were used in ancient Greece as li ...

'' (2014).

Personal life

In 1950, Olson became the third wife of lyricist

Alan Jay Lerner Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...

. They had two daughters, Liza and Jennifer. They divorced in 1957. In 1962, she married long-time

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

executive Alan W. Livingston, best known for creating

Bozo the Clown Bozo the Clown, sometimes billed as "Bozo, The World's Most Famous Clown", is a clown character created for children's entertainment, widely popular in the second half of the 20th century. He was introduced in the United States in 1946, and to tel ...

and for signing

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

and others to Capitol. He died in 2009; they have one son, Christopher.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Interview with Nancy Olson Livingston at Classic Film & TV Cafe, 5 September 2022
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Nancy 1928 births Living people American film actresses American people of Swedish descent American stage actresses Actresses from Milwaukee 20th-century American actresses Paramount Pictures contract players California Democrats Wisconsin Democrats 21st-century American women