James Olson Movies and Career Information

James Olson (born October 8, 1930) is an American actor. Olson was born in Evanston, Illinois and graduated from Northwestern University. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters. From that point, he continued to appear in numerous film and television productions all the way through the early nineties. Olson's television appearances include guest roles on countless shows including episodes of Kraft Television Theatre, Murder, She Wrote, Little House on the Prairie, Hawaii Five-O, Battlestar Galactica, Lou Grant, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Mannix, Bonanza, Police Woman, Barnaby Jones and Maude, among many others. Despite being a likeable onscreen presence and turning in consistently solid performances through the years, Olson never achieved top Hollywood status. His latest appearance on-screen was in a November 1990 episode of Murder, She Wrote. The Sharkfighters (1956)