Leading Ladies Nancy Olson
Sunset Boulevard/ Betty Schaeffer
Canadian Pacific/ Cecille Gautier
The Absent Minded Professor/ Betsy Carlisle
Force Of Arms/ Lt. Eleanor McKay
Per Quinlan's Film Stars:
Pretty - very personable, light haired American actress with round, fresh looking face. Came to films straight from college and although soon nominated for an Oscar ( in Sunset Boulevard) was mostly typed as a sensible sorts and waiting wives.
Nancy Olson was born at Milwaukee, WI in 1928. Her father was Henry Olson, a physician and her mother was Evelyn Bergstrom who parents came from Swedden.
Ms. Olson went into films right after college . She had been discovered on the stage after transferring to U C L A and working with their drama group.
She was very much the peaches and cream type and was signed with Paramount Studios in 1948.
Ms. Olson was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress in 1950 for her role as script girl Betty Schaefer in the film Sunset Boulevard.
Some of the film roles of Nancy Olson were:
Portrait Of Jennie (1949) as Teenager At Art Gallery
Canadian Pacific (1949) as Cecile Gautier
Sunset Boulevard (1950) as Betty Schaefer
Union Station (1950) as Joyce Willecombe
Mr. Music (1950) as Katherine Holbrook
Force Of Arms (1951) as Lt. Eleanor McKay
Submarine Command (1951) as Carol
Big Jim McLain (1952) as Nancy Vallion
So Big (1953) as Dallas O'Mara
The Boy From Oklahoma (1954) as Katie Brannigan
Battle Cry (1955) as Mrs. Pat Rogers
Pollyanna (1960) as Nancy Furman
The Absent Minded Professor (1961) as Betsy Carlisle
Son Of Flubber (1963) as Betsy Brainard
Smith! (1969) as Nora Smith
Snowball Express (1972) as Sue Baxter
Airport 1975 (1974) as Mrs. Abbott
Making Love (1982) as Christine
Flubber (1992) as Ford Secretary
Dumbells (2014) as Bianca Cummings
She appeared in several films for Disney Studios such as The Absent Minded Professor, Pollyanna, Son Of Flubber and Snowball Express.
Ms. Olson also appeared on television in such programs as Medallion Theater, The Ford Television Theater, Lux Video Theater, The Best Of Broadway, Producers Showcase, Ford Star Jubilee, The United States Steel Hour, General Electric Theater, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Time, Alcoa Presents, Channing, The Big Valley, The Name Of The Game, Gunsmoke, Love Story, Banacek, The Streets Of San Francisco, Kingston Confidential, Barnaby Jones, Paper Dolls and Big Love.
Ms Olson was married twice. Her first husband was Alan Jay Lerner whom she married in 1950. However the marriage ended in divorce and produced two children.
Her second husband was Alan W. Livingston , a Capitol Records executive. The marriage lasted until his death in 2009. The couple had one child.
Ms. Olson retired in the mid 1980's.
It's too bad such an attractive actress did not make more films.
I enjoyed Ms. Olson in the films Force Of Arms, Sunset Boulevard, Union Station, Canadian Pacific, The Absent Minded Professor and Son Of Flubber.
Louie The Movie Buff