James Olson
Known for playing distant yet sensitive characters, James Olson began his acting career in the theater, eventually making his first on-screen impression with a stage adaptation, the bizarre military drama "The Strange One," which starred Ben Gazzara. Olson played Tuzenbach in a film version of the Lee Strasberg-directed Chekhov play "The Three Sisters," starring Geraldine Page and Kim Stanley. He also appeared in a television film version of Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" before winning his best part, Nick Kazlik, the blunt childhood friend of Joanne Woodward's spinster schoolteacher, in Paul Newman's "Rachel, Rachel." In 1971, Olson played a banker in the Blake Edwards western "Wild Rovers," and following this role, he spent most of his career guest-starring on various television shows, mostly crime dramas like "The Streets of San Francisco" and "Police Woman." Olson also made several appearances on the police drama "Hawaii Five-O" in 1972 and "Murder, She Wrote" in 1990. Olson also made notable film performance as a priest in the horror sequel "Amityville II: The Possession" and as Major General Kirby in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action film "Commando." James Olson died on April 17, 2022 in Malibu, CA at the age of 91.
Photos
James Olson
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
68% |
|
Commando | Major General Franklin Kirby (Character) | $34.9M | 1985 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Parade | Andy Janacek (Character) | - | 1984 |
27% |
|
Amityville II: The Possession | Father Adamsky (Character) | - | 1982 |
84% |
|
Ragtime | Father (Character) | - | 1981 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Silent Lovers | Victor Seastrom (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet |
|
My Sister, My Love | David (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Operation: Runaway | Burt Williams (Character) | - | 1978 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Spell | Glenn (Character) | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer | Gen. George A. Custer (Character) | - | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Law and Order | Insp. Ed Shea (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet |
|
Someone I Touched | Sam Hyatt (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet |
|
Strange New World | Surgeon (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Man on the Outside | Gerald Griffin (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Family Nobody Wanted | Carl Doss (Character) | - | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Sex Symbol | Calvin Bernard (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Manhunter | Walt Hovis (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | McShane (Character) | - | 1974 |
No Score Yet |
|
Incident on a Dark Street | Joe Dubbs (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet |
|
Crescendo |
Georges Ryman/ |
- | 1972 |
38% |
|
The Groundstar Conspiracy | Senator Stanton (Character) | - | 1972 |
60% |
|
Wild Rovers | Joe Billings (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet |
|
Paper Man | Art Fletcher (Character) | - | 1971 |
68% |
|
The Andromeda Strain | Dr. Mark Hall (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet |
|
Moon Zero Two | Capt. William H. Kemp (Character) | - | 1970 |
92% |
|
Rachel, Rachel | Nick Kazlik (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Sharkfighters | Ens. Harold Duncan (Character) | - | 1956 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | 89% | Murder, She Wrote | Clarence La Rue (Guest Star) | 1990 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Jake and the Fatman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1988 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Little House on the Prairie | Reverend Jacob Danforth (Guest Star) | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1979 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | B.J. and the Bear | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1979 |
43% | 83% | Battlestar Galactica | Thane (Guest Star) | 1978 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bionic Woman | Rod Kyler (Guest Star) | 1977 |
100% | 82% | Wonder Woman | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Police Woman | Curry (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Streets of San Francisco | Dr. Jonas Rabb (Guest Star) | 1972 1975-1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Barnaby Jones | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1973 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cannon | Judge Norman Killian (Guest Star) | 1972 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Maude | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Harry O | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | 100% | Kung Fu | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mannix | George Lassiter (Guest Star) | 1969 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Marcus Welby, M.D. | George Baxter (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Police Story | Sgt. Walters (Character) | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | McMillan and Wife | W.T. Knox (Guest Star) | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Rookies | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bonanza | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1969 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Gunsmoke | Bebe Stalcup (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | 80% | Columbo | Paul Rifkin (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | McCloud | Thomas Dane (Guest Star) | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Route 66 | Thad School (Guest Star) | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Have Gun -- Will Travel | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1958 |