Actress. Born June 13, 1986 in Sherman Oaks, California. The daughter of mortgage banker David Olsen and manager Jarnie Olsen, Ashley and her twin sister, Mary-Kate, have become among the most popular—and bankable—female personalities in America. They made their acting debut in 1987 at nine months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom Full House. The series ran for eight years, during which the Olsen twins’ career took off.
By the age of twelve, the girls had starred in home videos, feature films, multi-media entertainment and another TV series, Two of a Kind. Under the name Dualstar Entertainment, they produced several straight-to-video movies, a line of musical detective videos entitled The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, and the enormously successful You’re Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's party tapes. They have also introduced a series of companion books to accompany the videos. In 1993, Our First Video went to the top of the Billboard video music chart, and was followed shortly by I Am The Cute One and Brother for Sale. The twins made their big screen debut in 1995 in It Takes Two.
In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing. Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales alone per year.
Mary-Kate and Ashley announced plans to attend New York University in the fall of 2004. That same year, the released their second feature film, New York Minute,and became full owners of Dualstar after they bought the minority shares of the company.
The next year, the sisters began appearing together in the Badgley Mischka ad campaign. They also made their foray into the world of high-end fashion by launching a line of their own called The Row. In 2007, they announced another line of more contemporary clothing, Elizabeth and James, which is named after their brother and sister.
Two years later, in 2007, Forbes magazine ranked Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment. Their estimated net worth sits at nearly $100 million.
In October of 2008, the twins released the book Influence, a work introducing readers to the artists and designers who have influenced the Olsens over the last decade. Released through a division of the Penguin Young Readers Group, the work features figures such as Christian Louboutin, Lauren Hutton and Bob Colacello. It became an instant best seller, and the twins are currently wrapping up a promotional tour for the book.
After her split from long-time beau Matt Kaplan, Ashley Olsen has been romantically linked to several big names including actor/singer Jared Leto and cyclist Lance Armstrong.
