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Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13,
1986) is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur, and actress. Ashley
co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row and the more affordable Elizabeth
and James with twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen.
Ashley Olsen began her career at the age of nine months, when she and her
sister Mary-Kate Olsen were hired to share the role of Michelle Tanner on
the popular television series Full House in 1987. To comply with strict
child labor laws regarding child actors, Ashley and Mary-Kate took turns
during taping of the show. Both girls were credited as "Mary Kate Ashley
Olsen" in an attempt to keep audiences from realizing that two children
played the role.
Following Full House, Ashley released a string of successful
straight-to-video movies and became a popular figure in the preteen market
during the late '90s and early 2000s. She became a household name, with
her likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and
posters t.v and many others. There were even fashion dolls of her made by
Mattel from 2000-2005.
She starred in the video series The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, the
ABC show Two of a Kind, and ABC Family's So Little Time. They were ranked
number three on the VH1 program 100 Greatest Child Stars.
In 2004, Ashley appeared alongside her twin sister in the theatrical
light-hearted romantic comedy, New York Minute, also starring Eugene Levy.
In 2008, Mary-Kate and Ashley released a book titled "Influence", which
contained interviews with many creative and influential people including
Karl Lagerfeld, Terry Richardson, Diane von Furstenberg and many more.
In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate became CEO of their company Dualstar
(created in 1993 following the success on Full House), the brand currently
selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores worldwide. Their
success has been marked on Forbes The Celebrity 100 list since 2002, and
in 2007 Forbes ranked the twins as the eleventh-richest women in
entertainment, with an estimated net worth of over $100 million each.
Following a high volume of public interest in their fashion choices, both
work in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the
public.
Starting as young girls, they have a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores
across America for girls ages 4–14 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 all the workers that sew their line of
clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee,
which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment
to worker rights. The director of the organization, Charles Kernaghan, is
quoted as saying:
“ The Olsen twins have done the right thing. Now it is up to Wal-Mart to
either support Mary-Kate and Ashley’s commitment to women’s rights, or
tragically to shut them down. ”
In 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after
their association with Wal-Mart tarnished their reputations, they were
tapped as the faces of the upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka.
Ashley and her sister have released The Row, a high-end fashion line
inspired by London's Savile Row. The clothing is sold at high-end
retailers such as Barneys, Maxfield, Harvey Nichols, Brown's, and others
around the world. Ashley and Mary-Kate continued their expansion in the
fashion industry with the Fall '07 launch of Elizabeth & James, their
contemporary collection inspired by many of their unique vintage finds and
pieces in their personal wardrobes.
In 2004, Ashley, along with her twin sister, enrolled at New York
University. Although Mary-Kate decided to leave the university in 2005,
Ashley remained enrolled at the university. In 2007, a year before she was
supposed to graduate, Ashley also decided to leave.
Though her fashion choices have become popular, Olsen has not been without
criticism for her wearing and promotion of fur.
In 2005, Ashley filed a $40 million lawsuit against tabloid magazine
National Enquirer for printing a headline reading "Ashley Olsen Caught In
Drug Scandal," and the associated story. |
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"We've stayed really normal
and down to Earth I think, and haven't let the success thing go to
our head."
(about Mary-Kate) "She's always there for me when I need her; She's
my best friend; she's just my everything."
"Some twins feel like they need to compare themselves to each other,
but we're not that way. That's because of my parents, though, and
having six kids in the family."
"Lizzie plays club volleball and Trent is an amazing writer. We're
lucky our parents didn't stereotype us, so we could figure out who
we are for ourselves."
"Since we were 9 years old we've been seeing ourselves everywhere.
We're so used to it, it doesn't really affect us." - on her
world-wide fame alongside her sister Mary-Kate
I am very down to earth and practical. |
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New York Minute (2004/I) ....
Jane Ryan
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) (uncredited) .... Future
Angel
The Challenge (2003) (TV) .... Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Dalton
When in Rome (2002/I) (V) .... Leila
"Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!" .... Ashley / ... (3 episodes,
2001-2002)
- Hot to Trot (2002) TV episode (voice) .... Ashley / Special Agent
Amber
- Rave Reviews (2002) TV episode (voice) .... Ashley / Special Agent
Amber
- Puppy Love (2001) TV episode (voice) .... Ashley / Special Agent
Amber
Getting There (2002) (V) .... Taylor Hunter
... aka Getting There: Sweet 16 and Licensed to Drive (USA: video
box title)
"So Little Time" .... Chloe Carlson (22 episodes, 2001-2002)
- Sweet 16 (2002) TV episode .... Chloe Carlson
- Waiting for Gibson (2002) TV episode .... Chloe Carlson
- Larrypalooza (2002) TV episode .... Chloe Carlson
- The Volunteer (2002) TV episode .... Chloe Carlson
- The Flat Tire (2002) TV episode .... Chloe Carlson
(17 more)
Holiday in the Sun (2001) (V) .... Alex Stewart
Winning London (2001) (V) .... Riley Lawrence
"7th Heaven" .... Sue Murphy (1 episode, 2000)
... aka 7th Heaven: Beginnings (USA: rerun title)
... aka Seventh Heaven
- Gossip (2000) TV episode .... Sue Murphy
Our Lips Are Sealed (2000) .... Abby Parker / Abby Turtleby / Andrea
Frauenfelder
Switching Goals (1999) (TV) .... Emma Stanton
Passport to Paris (1999) (V) .... Allyson 'Ally' Porter
"Two of a Kind" .... Ashley Burke (22 episodes, 1998-1999)
- Kevin Burke's Day Off (1999) TV episode .... Ashley Burke
- The Goodbye Girl (1999) TV episode .... Ashley Burke
- When a Man Leaves a Woman (1999) TV episode .... Ashley Burke
- The Odd Couples (1999) TV episode .... Ashley Burke
- Welcome Matt (1999) TV episode .... Ashley Burke
(17 more)
Billboard Dad (1998) .... Emily Tyler
It Takes Two (1995) .... Alyssa Callaway / Amanda Lemmon
... aka Me and My Shadow
"Full House" .... Michelle Elizabeth Tanner / ... (175 episodes,
1987-1995)
- Michelle Rides Again: Part 1 (1995) TV episode (as Mary Kate
Ashley Olsen) .... Michelle Elizabeth Tanner
- Michelle Rides Again: Part 2 (1995) TV episode (as Mary Kate
Ashley Olsen) .... Michelle Elizabeth Tanner
- All Stood Up (1995) TV episode (as Mary Kate Ashley Olsen) ....
Michelle Elizabeth Tanner
- Leap of Faith (1995) TV episode (as Mary Kate Ashley Olsen) ....
Michelle Elizabeth Tanner
- Up on the Roof (1995) TV episode (as Mary Kate Ashley Olsen) ....
Michelle Elizabeth Tanner
(170 more)
How the West Was Fun (1994) (TV) .... Jessica Martin
The Little Rascals (1994) .... Twin #1
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993) (TV) .... Lynn Farmer /
Young Aunt Agatha
To Grandmother's House We Go (1992) (TV) .... Julie Thompson
"Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" .... Michelle Tanner (1 episode, 1992)
- Hangin' with Michelle (1992) TV episode .... Michelle Tanner |
