Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are known for their unlikely evolutions from child stars to high fashion moguls. You may even be familiar with their younger sister Elizabeth, an established actress. But did you know the Olsen sisters have a fourth female sibling? Courtney Taylor Olsen is the youngest of the bunch, and even though information on her is scarce, we have a few details to help provide a clearer picture of the Olsen family.
How Did The Olsen Family Get Famous?
Any child of the 1980s remembers Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen taking turns playing Michelle Tanner on the sitcom Full House. The twin sisters spent almost the entire first decade of their lives on the show, working from nine months to nine years old. Starting in 1993, they starred in countless tween films produced by their own company, DualStar Entertainment Group. The last film they starred in together was New York Minute in 2004, co-starring Eugene Levy and Jared Padalecki.
Through branding deals and DVDs, DualStar helped make them two of the wealthiest little girls in show business. But in 2012, Mary Kate and Ashley announced that they had retired from acting to focus on their fashion careers. Their priority was The Row, a designer label they co-founded in 2006. It was a smashing success with high-end fashionistas. In 2012, the duo received the Womenswear Designer of the Year award from the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Mary Kate and Ashley’s younger sister Elizabeth Olsen followed in their footsteps. The 31-year-old got her start at age 4 with small parts in her sisters’ films. Her first big starring role was in 2011’s Martha Marcy May Marlene. Her performance earned praise at that year’s Sundance Film Festival, and since then, the offers have only gotten better. Today, Olsen juggles a mix of indie films and blockbuster productions—superhero geeks may recognize her as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in The Avengers franchise.
Fun fact: the twins named their second lifestyle brand, Elizabeth and James, after their sister Elizabeth and brother Trent.
The one thing all three Olsen gals have in common is their aversion to the spotlight. They live extremely private lives and share little about themselves in interviews with the press. Perhaps that’s why so few of us know that the Olsens come from a large family and have more siblings.
Mary-Kate And Ashley Have A 4th Sister
You may be surprised to learn that in addition to Mary Kate, Ashley, and Elizabeth, there is a fourth Olsen sister.
Courtney Taylor Olsen, born in 1996, is the ladies’ half-sister from their father’s second marriage. (The twins’ dad, David, divorced wife Jarnie in 1995; he re-married McKenzie Olsen the following year and divorced her in 2014.) She has one brother, Jake, who is often misidentified as another actor and producer with the same name.
Courtney Taylor Olsen Has Never Been In Any Movies
Jake is not the only one who is a victim of mistaken identity. Courtney is often confused with a working actor by the name of Taylor Olsen. An IMDb page claims that they are one and the same, and questionable sources on the web credit Courtney for roles in minor budget films like Malignant Spirits: Sense of Fiction and YOLO: The Movie.
However, in the YouTube comments section for YOLO: The Movie, the film’s producers clear up the confusion. aha that’s interesting, never heard that one. “There is a Taylor Olsen in this film, but it’s a dude,” wrote a user on behalf of All But 1 Productions.
Courtney Taylor Olsen Tries To Stay As Private As Possible
Courtney seems to have adopted her sisters’ penchants for keeping a low profile. There is very little info about her online, and the few details she shares is through her Instagram account.
One thing we do know is that she’s friends with Disney child star Madison Pettis (Cory in the House, Hannah Montana, Phineas and Ferb). Check out a snap from Pettis’ socially-distanced birthday party, hosted by Courtney in July 2020:
We also discovered that Courtney is proud of her half-sister Elizabeth’s career achievements. Check out a pic of her beaming in front of a poster for The Avengers: Infinity War world premiere:
However, it’s worth noting that there’s no indication Courtney has a relationship with Mary Kate and Ashley. Perhaps they don’t stay in touch. Or maybe she’s simply respecting their wishes to stay away from social media. Either way, we are happy to discover that their family is larger than many might have guessed. Should Courtney pursue a future in film or fashion, we’ll be keeping an eye on her work.