Biography
American actor Elizabeth Olsen became best known for her critically-acclaimed dramatic performance in 2011's "Martha Marcy May Marlene," as well as for playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in a series of films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." Olsen was born into a showbusiness family in Sherman Oaks, California. She was the younger sister of twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who became household names in the 1990s for their portrayal of the adorable Michelle Tanner on the family series "Full House" (ABC, 1987-1995). Since her older sisters were already in the business, it was only natural that Elizabeth Olsen would want to join them. She began acting professionally at the age of 4, and by the age of 10, Olsen had already appeared in six straight-to-video films starring her famous older sisters. When she was 18, Olsen enrolled in New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to study acting. She would also go on to study at the Moscow Art Theater in Russia, as well as the Atlantic Theater Company in New York. Then in 2011, over 15 years since she had her last credited on-screen performance, Olsen nabbed her breakout role in the drama "Martha Marcy May Marlene." In the film, Olsen played an emotionally scarred young woman who attempts to reconnect with her family after escaping a cult. Her performance earned Olsen widespread critical acclaim, as well as various award nominations for her acting. After her riveting performance in "Martha Marcy May Marlene," the film roles began pouring in. Over the next three years Olsen appeared in "Liberal Arts" (2012), "Kill Your Darlings" (2013), "Oldboy" (2013), and "Godzilla" (2014), thus supercharging her still fledging screen acting career. In 2014 Olsen became a familiar face to the worldwide fanbase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After first making an uncredited appearance as Wanda Maximoff in "Captain America: Winter Soldier" (2014), Olsen would go on to play Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015), "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), and "Avengers: Endgame," thus making her a recognizable face to the MCU's millions of hardcore fans all over the world. In 2017 Olsen also earned plaudits for her roles in the comedy-drama "Ingrid Goes West" and the crime-mystery "Wind River." After appearing in movies almost exclusively for nearly a decade, Olsen began appearing on the TV series "Sorry for Your Loss" (Facebook Watch, 2018- ) in September of 2018. The series, about a young woman played by Olsen who is forced to reassess her life after the unexpected death of her husband, appeared on Facebook's streaming video service Facebook Watch. The second season of "Sorry for Your Loss" premiered in October of 2019, with Olsen reprising her role as the lead.
