James Olson

Acting

James Olson

Born October 8, 1930Evanston, Illinois, USA70 credits

James Olson (October 8, 1930 – April 17, 2022) was an American actor. From 1952 until 1954, he was a military policeman in the United States Army. He performed stage work in and around Chicago before his 1956 film debut in The Sharkfighters. His Broadway credits include Of Love Remembered (1967), Slapstick Tragedy (1966), The Three Sisters (1964), The Chinese Prime Minister (1964), Romulus (1962), J.B. (1958), The Sin of Pat Muldoon (1957), and The Young and Beautiful (1955). He starred alongside Joanne Woodward in the Academy Award nominee for Best Picture Rachel, Rachel in 1968. He made numerous stage, feature film, and TV appearances from the mid-1950s until 1990, when he retired. On television, Olson portrayed Mickey Mantle in The Life of Mickey Mantle. His other TV appearances included guest roles on scores of shows, including episodes of Kraft Television Theatre; Ironside; Murder, She Wrote; Little House on the Prairie; Hawaii Five-O; Battlestar Galactica; Lou Grant; The Bionic Woman; Wonder Woman; Mannix; Bonanza; Have Gun-Will Travel; Marcus Welby, M.D.; Police Woman; Barnaby Jones; The New Land; Columbo; Maude; The Virginian; The Streets of San Francisco; and Cannon. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Olson (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Filmography

Rachel River
1989Rachel River
as Jack CanonMovie
One Police Plaza
1986One Police Plaza
as Whitney ZanglineMovie
North Beach and Rawhide
1985North Beach and Rawhide
as Bill CassidyMovie
Commando
1985Commando
as Major General Franklin KirbyMovie
Murder, She Wrote
1984Murder, She Wrote
as Clarence La RueTV
The Parade
1984The Parade
as Andy JanacekMovie
Cave-In!
1983Cave-In!
as Tom ArlenMovie
Amityville II: The Possession
1982Amityville II: The Possession
as Father AdamskyMovie
Ragtime
1981Ragtime
as FatherMovie
The Silent Lovers
1980The Silent Lovers
as Victor SeastromMovie
No Prince for My Cinderella
1978No Prince for My Cinderella
as Burt WilliamsMovie
The Mafu Cage
1978The Mafu Cage
as DavidMovie
The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
1977The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer
as Gen. George Armstrong CusterMovie
The Spell
1977The Spell
as GlennMovie
Law and Order
1976Law and Order
as Insp. Ed SheaMovie
Strange New World
1975Strange New World
as SurgeonMovie
Man on the Outside
1975Man on the Outside
as Gerald GriffinMovie
Someone I Touched
1975Someone I Touched
as Sam HyattMovie
The Sex Symbol
1974The Sex Symbol
as Calvin BernardMovie
Manhunter
1974Manhunter
as Walt HovisMovie
L
1973Legend in Granite
as Mas McGeeMovie
Barnaby Jones
1973Barnaby Jones
as Randall StoneTV
Kung Fu
1972Kung Fu
as DamionTV
Maude
1972Maude
as Sen. Bob MyersTV
The Groundstar Conspiracy
1972The Groundstar Conspiracy
as Senator StantonMovie
Paper Man
1971Paper Man
as Art FletcherMovie
McMillan & Wife
1971McMillan & Wife
as W.T. KnoxTV
Columbo
1971Columbo
as Paul RifkinTV
Wild Rovers
1971Wild Rovers
as Joe BillingsMovie
The Andromeda Strain
1971The Andromeda Strain
as Dr. Mark HallMovie
Crescendo
1970Crescendo
as Georges Ryman / Jacques RymanMovie
Moon Zero Two
1969Moon Zero Two
as Capt. William H. KempMovie
Medical Center
1969Medical Center
as Dave TolandTV
The Stalking Moon
1968The Stalking Moon
as Cavalry Officer (uncredited)Movie
Rachel, Rachel
1968Rachel, Rachel
as Nick KazlikMovie
The Three Sisters
1966The Three Sisters
as Baron TuzenbachMovie
The F.B.I.
1965The F.B.I.
as Sheriff Bill TempleTV
Bonanza
1959Bonanza
as VanceTV
The Strange One
1957The Strange One
as Roger GattMovie
The Sharkfighters
1956The Sharkfighters
as Ens. Harold DuncanMovie
Gunsmoke
1955Gunsmoke
as Bede StalcupTV
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame
as General George A. CusterTV