Susan Marie Olsen (born August 14, 1961) is a former American kid television celebrity, present animal welfare supporter, radio host, as well as a creator of pop artwork. Olsen got several supporting characters in television, most notably in Ironside, Gunsmoke, and Julia, and appearing in the Elvis Presley 1968 film The Trouble With Girls (and The Best Way To Get Into It) as a squeaky-clean vocalist in a singing competition. At age eight she was cast as Cindy on The Brady Bunch. As an adult, Olsen has expressed that impersonating Cindy made camaraderie hard for her as a kid. Olsen has stated the episode she dislikes the most is the second-season “tattletale” episode, in which Cindy incessantly snitches on her sibs. Due to the episode, she was shunned by her real life peers, who failed to comprehend the difference between celebrities as well as their characters. For the reason that film, Cindy Brady was played by Jennifer Runyon. As an adult, Olsen moved to the graphic design company as well as in 1998 briefly promoted a brand of glow in the dark shoes for Converse. Olsen has additionally been an advocate for migraine sufferers since 1998. She described her head aches on Larry King Live.
Wilbur Avenue Elementary School, William Howard Taft Charter High School, Hollywood Professional School
Nationality
United States of America
Spouse
Mitch Markwell (m. 1995–2004), Steve Ventimiglia (m. 1988–1990)
Children
Michael Markwell
Siblings
Christopher Olsen, Larry Olsen, Diane Olsen
Nicknames
Susan Marie Olsen
Awards
TV Land Pop Culture Award
Nominations
TV Land Most Memorable Mane Award, TV Land Favorite Singing Siblings Award
Movies
"The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974), “Julia”, “Ironside”, “The Trouble with Girls”, Gunsmoke (1968-69), "The Boy Who Stole the Elephant" (1970), "Pacific Blue" (1999), "Holiday Road Trip" (2013)
TV Shows
"The Brady Girls Get Married" (1981), "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1976-1977), "The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie" (1972), “Ober and Olsen”, “Space Ghost Coast to Coast”, “Larry King Live”, “Gimme My Reality Show”
Star Sign
Leo
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Quote
1
[Of Robert Reed]: I don't know what one thing Robert Reed had to do to keep calm, but I do know that he was very, very calm, nice and good to us kids, and we were never aware of the problems that he was creating with the producers, he never let that show. Oh, and he did very much, and I got to say that he was really good about that and it's only been [as an adult] that I've learned 'Did you saw all guys?' When I grow up and I did the last carnation of The Brady Bunch (1969), with the original cast, which was called The Bradys (1990), I got to watch Bob have a hissy fit, and I admired the guy so much. He was such a wonderful actor. There are so many reasons to go, 'Well, of course, this wonderful Shakespearean actor is stuck on this wretched sitcom, and it's so silly and stupid', I got to witness some of the dumb stuff he was having a fit about. He had an absolute tirade over Ann B. Davis [who played "Alice"], she had to walk in the door with a lit birthday cake, singing 'Happy Birthday'. OK, well there's a Brady moment for you, 'Well, Bob's going, there's no way he's could light those candles and not have the door blow them out and come in here all by herself, who cares, who cares? And he walked off the set, after that. It was just anything he could find, yeah, but it was the first time I saw him witnessed getting mad.
2
[on her on- and off-screen chemistry with Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady]: Robert Reed, for all the complaining he did about The Brady Bunch (1969), this is the man that walked unto the set, refused to do lines about "Strawberry's Smelling Good when they're Cooked", because strawberries don't have an odor, when they're cooked, and this is the guy that's willing to do anything for Sid & Marty Krofft, wearing a bunny suit, wear dresses, sing and dance. Well, if you watch, there's one segment where he gets to play a retarded Christopher Columbus, and he's in his element, he loved broad comedy, loved it, and nobody knew that he did that. That was the reason why he wanted to do the show, I think it was for the comedy sketches.
3
[When asked if Robert Reed was very uncomfortable with his own personality]: No. He was uncomfortable, probably in the same way that I was uncomfortable, this annoying that I wasn't good at it, and he knew, he kind of had 2 left feet, and he couldn't sing, but he wanted to do it. So, he was finding it very interesting. He took it on like another performance adventure. He was a real actor, so he thought it'd be fun, and certainly, when it come to doing the comedy and particularly, the broad sketch comedy, he was having a ball!! He was having more fun than anybody on the set, etc. for when he was dancing --- it looked like he was enjoying it, but was in pain.
4
I think in order to have eternal life, you have to have a soul, and the soul of the show is that we all really did love each other. I think that really came across.
5
[Of her autistic child]: We went swimming last night and my son did so well, socially, we're making a habit of this.
6
[on working on various The Brady Bunch (1969) reunion specials]: We missed each other. I think the idea of working together again was appealing.
7
I would rather be at Reggae Sunsplash, which happens once a year, than doing some horrible Brady Bunch reunion.
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Fact
1
An L.A. radio show called "Ober and Olsen" with Ken Ober.
Once worked as an illustrator for children's books.
4
She is still best known for her role as Cindy Brady, the youngest of three sisters, on The Brady Bunch (1969).
5
Olsen launched a coffee table book in 2009 entitled, "Love to Love You Bradys: the bizarre story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour." The publication is a satirical and benevolent look back the Bradys' 1976-1977 variety show that was named to TV Guide's top five 'Worst Shows of All-Time' in 2002.