Ashley Olsen

Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, and former actress. She began her acting career at the age of nine months, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen in the television sitcom Full House (1987–1995). They also starred in numerous films together.

In 1993, the production company Dualstar Entertainment Group was founded, which produced a long string of TV movies and direct-to-video releases featuring the twins; they starred in It Takes Two (1995), Passport to Paris (1999), Our Lips Are Sealed (2000), Winning London (2001), Holiday in the Sun (2001), and in the television series So Little Time (2001–2002). They starred in Getting There (2002), When in Rome (2002), and The Challenge (2003); and made cameos in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). The last film Olsen starred in with her twin sister was New York Minute (2004). She continued with her acting career independently, appearing with a few guest-star roles in films and in a music video.

In March 2012, Mary-Kate and Ashley officially indicated their intention to retire as actresses in order to focus on their careers in the fashion industry. The twins co-founded luxury fashion brand The Row, lifestyle brand Elizabeth and James, and more affordable fashion lines Olsenboye and StyleMint. They co-authored a book, Influence, featuring interviews with fashion designers that have inspired their fashion lines. The twins are also members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

Ashley Fuller Olsen and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, were born on June 13, 1986, in Sherman Oaks, California. Ashley is two minutes older than Mary-Kate. She is the daughter of Jarnette "Jarnie" Olsen (née Jones; born 1954), a personal manager, and David "Dave" Olsen, a real estate developer and mortgage banker. Along with Mary-Kate, they have an older brother Trent, a younger sister and actress Elizabeth, and younger half-siblings Courtney and Jake (from their father's second marriage). Olsen's parents divorced in 1996.

Olsen attended the Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles. After graduating from Campbell Hall in 2004, she and Mary-Kate went on to attend New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

She began her acting career at the age of six months when she and Mary-Kate were hired to share the role of Michelle Tanner on the popular television sitcom Full House (1987–1995).

She starred alongside Mary-Kate in the films To Grandmother's House We Go (1992), Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (1993), How the West Was Fun (1994), It Takes Two (1995), Billboard Dad (1998) and the television series, Two of a Kind (1998–1999).

In the 1990s, associates of Olsen and her twin sister, recognizing their marketing potential, built a production company around them called Dualstar Entertainment Group, which produced a long string of successful TV movies and direct-to-video releases featuring the girls. They starred in Passport to Paris (1999), Switching Goals (1999), Our Lips Are Sealed (2000), Winning London (2001), Holiday in the Sun (2001) and the television series, So Little Time (2001–2002).

She and her twin sister became household names and popular figures in the preteen market during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with their likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies, and posters, among others. There were fashion dolls of her made by Mattel from 2000 to 2005. They also starred in the films Getting There (2002), When in Rome (2002), The Challenge (2003) and made cameos in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003). In 2004, the sisters appeared in their theatrical light-hearted romantic comedy film, New York Minute. It would be their last film together, as well as Ashley's last acting role. Mary-Kate continued with her acting career independently, appearing in a few films and shows, with her final acting project being the 2011 movie Beastly.

In 2004, upon the twins' 18th birthday, they became co-presidents of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success of Full House), the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in the United States and 5,300 stores worldwide.

Following a high volume of public interest in their fashion choices, Mary-Kate and Ashley collaborated on a series of fashion lines available to the public. They released clothing in Wal-Mart stores across the US for girls ages 4 to 14, as well as a beauty line called Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real Fashion for Real Girls.

In 2004, they made news by signing a pledge to allow all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights.

The idea for The Row started as a personal project in 2005 when Olsen challenged herself to create a perfect T-shirt. She tested the design on a variety of women of all body shapes and ages in an attempt to find a "commonality in fit and attitude." By 2006, the sisters had created a 7-piece collection that included the T-shirt, a pair of cotton sateen leggings, and a cashmere wool tank dress. Barneys New York bought the entire first collection. The brand has expanded to include ready-to-wear, resort, handbags, sunglasses, and shoes. That same year, they were selected as the faces of the upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka.

In 2008, Mary-Kate and Ashley published Influence, a book featuring interviews with fashion designers that have inspired their fashion lines.

In 2007, the Olsens released a fashion line called Elizabeth and James. The brand was named after their younger sister, actress Elizabeth Olsen, and older brother, writer James "Trent" Olsen. In 2009, Mary-Kate and Ashley announced that their new women's retail line, Olsenboye, would release for JCPenney. Olsenboye would be much cheaper than The Row, with all products under US$50. It debuted on November 6, 2009, in select stores and online, and launched nationwide in Spring of 2010. The twins designed a limited edition Olsenboye change purse in August 2011 to raise money for Pennies From Heaven, an organization that donates to after-school programs. In July 2011, they founded StyleMint, another retail line, in partnership with BeachMint. That same year, the sisters collaborated with TOMS Shoes to design footwear for children without shoes in Honduras. The sisters traveled to the country together, fitting feet and socializing with the children there. In early 2013, Elizabeth and James launched a perfume line, headed by two fragrances called Nirvana White and Nirvana Black. In 2019, the Elizabeth and James line became exclusively available at Kohl's stores.

In 2001, Olsen began dating Columbia University quarterback Matt Kaplan, whom she met while attending high school. The couple split amicably in 2004. Olsen later called the relationship "pretty boring." In 2008, Olsen began dating actor Justin Bartha. Throughout their relationship, which ended amicably in 2011, they were rumored to be engaged. In 2014, Olsen began a relationship with director Bennett Miller. The relationship ended at an unknown date.

In February 2005, Olsen filed a $40 million lawsuit against tabloid magazine National Enquirer for depicting her as being involved in a drug scandal. The tabloid later apologized to Olsen and stated it did not intend to suggest that she was involved in the scandal.