Ken Olin
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
A dark, handsome, sensitive leading actor of television who, after off-Broadway and TV experience, gained some attention amid stiff competition for his recurring role on two seasons of NBC's "Hill Street Blues." Olin was subsequently saddled with an archetypal soap opera role on CBS' "Falcon Crest" (to which, to his credit, he brought a certain low-keyed conviction): a priest who has a torrid affair with one of his parishioners. It was not until his fourth TV series, the acclaimed ABC drama "thirtysomething," that Olin really found a role that properly showcased his casual sincerity and charm, yuppie Michael Steadman, an advertising executive who introspectively worried about whether he was a good husband, a good father, a good friend, and a good Jew, sometimes simultaneously.
Like Michael Steadman, the product of a divorce, Olin made his Off-Broadway stage debut in 1978 in "Taxi Tales" and played Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1982), the year after making his film debut in "Ghost Story" (1981), playing John Houseman as a young man. He made his TV debut playing a cadet judging the future status of "Women at West Point" (CBS, 1979), and, in 1983, was a ballplayer in the short-lived Steven Bochco NBC series "Bay City Blues." "Hill Street Blues" and "Falcon Crest" followed before "thirtysomething" made Olin a TV star. He played Liz Taylor's agent in "There Must Be a Pony" (ABC, 1986) and starred in the miniseries "I'll Take Manhattan" (CBS, 1987). Olin also played Charles Stuart in "Good Night, Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston" (CBS, 1990), based on the true story of the Boston man who killed his wife and blamed an African American. Olin had his first big screen lead as one of the buddies returning for a wedding in the ensemble reunion movie "Queen's Logic" (1991).
Olin began directing with a 1989 episode of "thirtysomething" and went on to handle six additional assignments. He subsequently branched out into TV-movies, directing "The Broken Cord" (ABC, 1992), about a brain-damaged Lakota Indian adoptee and the first TV-movie produced by the Fox network: "Doing Time on Maple Drive" (1992), about a dysfunctional family, which also offered Jim Carrey his first dramatic role. In 1995, Olin directed Don Johnson in HBO's "In Pursuit of Honor," which chronicled several army officers during World War I who defied orders to slaughter healthy horses. Olin made his feature film directorial debut with "White Fang 2: The Myth of the White Wolf" (1994). He returned to series TV as a police detective in the short-lived, but highly acclaimed CBS drama series "EZ Streets" (1996-97) and again in the short-lived medical drama "L.A. Doctors" (CBS, 1998-99).
Olin is married to actress Patricia Wettig, who also starred on "thirtysomething" (though not as Olin's character's spouse). The duo has worked together in the TV-movies "Cop Killer" (ABC, 1988) and "Nothing But the Truth" (CBS, 1995). Olin was also one of the executive producers of "Kansas," a 1995 ABC TV-movie starring Wettig.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1981
Made his feature film debut in "Ghost Story"
1983
Was featured in the short-lived NBC series, "Bay City Blues"
1984
Played Detective Harry Garibaldi on NBC serial police drama "Hill Street Blues"
1985
Played Father Christopher on the CBS serial drama "Falcon Crest"
1987
Acted in CBS miniseries, "I'll Take Manhattan"
1987
Played Michael Steadman on ABC serial drama "Thirtysomething"
1989
Made his television-directing debut with the "No Promises" episode of "Thirtysomething"
1990
Directed the play "My Mother Said I Never Should", starring his wife, Patricia Wettig, and Estelle Parsons
1991
Had his first leading role in a film, playing Ray in the NYC-set comedy drama "Queens Logic"
1992
Directed first TV-movie, "The Broken Cord"
1994
Made his feature directorial debut with "White Fang 2: Myth of the White Fang"
1995
Starred with Wettig in CBS TV-movie "Nothing But the Truth"
1995
Was executive producer of "Kansas", an ABC TV-movie starring Patricia Wettig
1996
Returned to series TV as co-star of CBS drama series "EZ Streets"
1998
Starred in the CBS series "L.A. Doctors"; also executive consultant; directed episodes as well
2000
Helmed episodes of NBC's "The West Wing"
2001
Served as one of the executive producers of the TNT series "Breaking News"; also helmed pilot
2001
Co-executive produced and helmed episodes of the cult drama series "Alias"
2007
Executive produced, helmed, and starred on the ABC family drama, "Brothers & Sisters"
2013
Executive produced "Sleepy Hollow"
2015
Played professor Robert Oz on "Zoo"
2016
Began executive producing the drama series "This Is Us"
2018
Had a vocal cameo in the disappointing "Cloverfield" sequel "The Cloverfield Paradox"
Family
Companions
