Elizabeth Olsen grew up in the shadow of her famous twin sisters, but she’s crafted a career that’s all her own. She also has more siblings you may not know about. Here we breakdown all you need to know about the Olsen family.
Although Elizabeth Olsen used to be known as the lesser-known younger sister to superstar twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, she’s now made such a name for herself as an actress, arguably surpassing the twins’ fame. The California native, born February 16, 1989, started acting when she was four, but didn’t really start to find her stride until after she graduated from New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts in 2013 after studying drama and finding critical acclaim for her leading role in the 2011 indie flick Martha Marcy May Marlene. She went on to act in a slew of other indie films and subsequently found her place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring in many Avengers and Captain America films and also standing out as Scarlet Witch in Disney+’s WandaVision.
Due to her rise in fame, fans haven’t only grown interested in Elizabeth’s professional life, but her personal life, as well. Mary-Kate and Ashley aren’t Elizabeth’s only siblings, as she also has an older brother and two half siblings who are not as well known. Below we break down all you need to know about the Olsen family who have been incredibly supportive of each other over all these years!
The Olsen Family (Shutterstock).Trent Olsen
Trent Olsen is the oldest child in the Olsen tribe and did make several appearances in the twins’ straight-to-video movie hits of the ’90s. He is included in You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Sleepover Party plus some of the videos in The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley series. He also has an uncredited role on Full House.
Although Trent likes to keep things pretty low-key, he has written several comics and he also served as the inspiration for Mary-Kate and Ashley’s lifestyle brand, Elizabeth & James (his first name is actually James). In addition, per a 2014 New York Post profile, Trent is a University of Southern California grad who was working on a production company at the time.
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen, Elizabeth Olsen & Ashley Olsen at the 2016 CFDA Fashion Awards (Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock).Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are pretty well-known at this point, but any millennial knows the glory days of the ’90s when the twins reigned supreme with their straight-to-video series. They also both shot to serious fame by switching off playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the family-friendly hit Full House which originally ran from 1987-1995. The twins continued their success by launching the media company Dualstar, through which they could produce their videos, future TV shows, books, and more. The company made them some of the wealthiest women in the entertainment industry. In their pre-teen to teen years, the duo also starred in TV sitcoms Two of a Kind and So Little Time.
As the sisters mature, they enrolled in New York University in 2004 to an individualized study program, but ended up leaving early and fully pivoting to becoming fashion entrepreneurs. They launched the award-winning high-end line The Row in 2006 and were named Womenswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2012, winning the award again in 2015. The CFDA also named the twins Accessories Designer of the Year in 2014.
Courtney & Jake Olsen
Courtney Taylor Olsen and Jake Olsen are Elizabeth’s half siblings via their father and his second wife, McKenzie Olsen. Although Courtney doesn’t have as robust of an acting background as her half sisters, she did dabble in acting a bit, according to her IMDB page, where she goes by Taylor Olsen. The LA native, who was born in 1996, appeared in YOLO: The Movie and Malignant Spirits: Sense of Fiction a few years ago. She hasn’t really spoken out about her sisters publicly, but she did post a photo to Instagram back in 2014 in support of Elizabeth’s role in Avengers Infinity War. “Just admiring my badass of a sister,” she wrote in the caption.
In addition, Elizabeth’s other half sibling, Jake, is the youngest Olsen child and also a son to Dave and his second wife McKenzie. Although Jake didn’t follow in his sister’ footsteps with acting, he did dabble a bit in modeling. He also shared a sweet photo with Elizabeth to his Instagram back in 2016, saying how much he loves “family time.”
During a 2016 interview with Runway magazine, he also shared, “I learned about respect from everyone in my family. In a family of six kids, you learn it’s not always about you. I love every chaotic moment I have when my family is all together. It’s a lot more normal than you would think.” He added, “We all support each other’s dreams.”
