James Olson

James Olson (October 8, 1930 – April 17, 2022) was an American actor born in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated from Northwestern University and served in the United States Army as a military policeman from 1952 to 1954. Following his military service, Olson built his early performance experience through stage work in and around Chicago before transitioning to professional acting on a broader scale.

Olson's Broadway career spanned from 1955 to 2013, encompassing a range of productions across multiple decades. His earliest Broadway credit was The Young and Beautiful in 1955, followed by The Sin of Pat Muldoon in 1957 and J.B. in 1958. He continued to appear on Broadway into the 1960s with Romulus in 1962, The Chinese Prime Minister and The Three Sisters both in 1964, and Slapstick Tragedy — which included the one-act The Mutilated — in 1966. His later Broadway work included Of Love Remembered in 1967.

His screen career began with a 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters. Among his notable film roles, Olson appeared alongside Joanne Woodward in Rachel, Rachel in 1968, a film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. His other film credits included The Andromeda Strain in 1971, in which he played Dr. Mark Hall, Ragtime in 1981, Amityville II: The Possession in 1982, and Commando in 1985, where he portrayed Major General Franklin Kirby.

On television, Olson portrayed Mickey Mantle in The Life of Mickey Mantle and accumulated guest appearances across numerous series, including Bonanza, Have Gun-Will Travel, Columbo, Hawaii Five-O, Battlestar Galactica, Little House on the Prairie, Murder She Wrote, Marcus Welby M.D., The Virginian, Mannix, Ironside, Maude, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Lou Grant, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, and Kraft Television Theatre, among others. Olson retired from acting in 1990 after several decades of stage, film, and television work.

Olson died on April 17, 2022, at his home in Malibu, California, at the age of 91. He was survived by two nieces, Susan Baker and Robin Olson, a nephew, David James Olson, and three grandnephews.