Nancy Olson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Olson
Olson in Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Born	Nancy Ann Olson (1928-07-14) July 14, 1928 (age 96) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Other names	Nancy Livingston
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1948–1984, 1997, 2014
Spouse(s)	Alan Jay Lerner Alan W. Livingston
Children	3

Nancy Ann Olson (born July 14, 1928) is an American actress who is now retired. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the movie Sunset Boulevard (1950). An Academy Award is a very special prize given for great work in movies.

Nancy Olson acted alongside William Holden in four films. She also appeared in popular movies like The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and its sequel, Son of Flubber (1963). Another movie she was in was the disaster film Airport 1975 (1974). Olson stopped acting regularly in the mid-1980s, but she has made a few special appearances since then, most recently in 2014.

Early Life of Nancy Olson

Nancy Ann Olson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 14, 1928. Her mother, Evelyn Bertha, had family from Sweden. Her father, Henry John Olson, was a doctor. Nancy also has a brother named David.

Nancy Olson's Acting Career

Nancy Olson began her film career in 1948 when she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. After playing a few smaller parts, producers started to notice her talent. They considered her for bigger roles. She was thought of for the part of Delilah in the 1949 film Samson and Delilah. However, the role eventually went to actress Hedy Lamarr.

Her first major role was in the movie Canadian Pacific (1949), where she acted with Randolph Scott. Soon after, director Billy Wilder chose her for his next film. In Sunset Boulevard (1950), Nancy Olson played a character named Betty Schaefer. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Nancy Olson and William Holden worked very well together on screen. They appeared in three more films after Sunset Boulevard. These movies were Union Station, Force of Arms, and Submarine Command. While these films were also good, none were as successful as Sunset Boulevard.

Her success in Sunset Boulevard also led her to appear on a radio show called Dimension X in 1950. She was in an episode titled "Hello Tomorrow."

Nancy Olson also acted in several films for Warner Bros. These included Big Jim McLain (1952), So Big (1953), and Battle Cry (1955).

She made many appearances in movies for the Walt Disney studio. She starred with Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Son of Flubber (1963). Both of these movies were very popular with audiences. She also appeared with Hayley Mills in Pollyanna (1960). Other Disney films included Smith! (1969) with Glenn Ford and Snowball Express (1972) with Dean Jones. After her film work, Olson moved to New York City to perform on Broadway.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Nancy Olson also had guest roles on television shows. She appeared on the TV series The Big Valley in 1965. In that episode, titled Night of the Wolf, she played the mother of a character played by Ron Howard.

Nancy Olson has been mostly retired from acting since the mid-1980s. However, she did have a small, uncredited role in Flubber (1997). This movie was a remake of The Absent-Minded Professor. She also appeared in the film Dumbbells in 2014.

Nancy Olson's Personal Life

In 1950, Nancy Olson married Alan Jay Lerner, who was a lyricist (someone who writes song lyrics). They had two daughters together, Liza and Jennifer.

Later, in 1962, she married Alan W. Livingston. He was a well-known executive at Capitol Records. Alan Livingston was famous for creating the character Bozo the Clown. He also signed many famous singers like Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland to Capitol Records. Nancy and Alan had one son, Christopher. Alan Livingston passed away in 2009.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

See Also

• Academy Award
• Walt Disney
• Hollywood