Mary-Kate Olsen

Did You Know?

• She attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.
• Her parents divorced in 1996.

Acting career

Olsen began acting at six months old when she and Ashley were hired to share the role of Michelle Tanner on Full House. She starred alongside her twin in films such as To Grandmother's House We Go, Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, How the West Was Fun, It Takes Two, Billboard Dad, and the television series Two of a Kind. In 1993, Dualstar Entertainment Group was created to produce Mary-Kate and Ashley-branded products, leading to a string of TV movies and direct-to-video releases including Passport to Paris, Switching Goals, Our Lips Are Sealed, Winning London, Holiday in the Sun, and the series So Little Time. The twins became household names in the preteen market, with Mary-Kate's likeness appearing on clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies, and posters; fashion dolls were made by Mattel from 2000 to 2005. They also starred in Getting There, When in Rome, The Challenge, and made cameos in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Their final film together was New York Minute in 2004. Upon turning 18 that year, both twins took control of Dualstar, becoming joint-CEOs and presidents; the company's merchandise was carried in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 worldwide. Olsen's first solo acting appearance was in Factory Girl (2006), though her scene was cut from the theatrical release but included on the unrated DVD and Blu-ray. In 2007, she had a recurring role on Weeds.

Fashion career

Following public interest in their fashion choices, the Olsen twins collaborated on a clothing line for Wal-Mart for girls ages 4 to 14 and a beauty line called 'Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls'. In 2004, they signed a pledge allowing workers sewing their clothing line in Bangladesh full maternity leave; the National Labor Committee later praised them for their commitment to worker rights. As adults, they head the designer label The Row, as well as Elizabeth and James, Olsenboye, and StyleMint. The Row began as a personal project in 2005 when Ashley challenged herself to create a perfect T-shirt. In 2006, the twins were the faces of Badgley Mischka. They co-authored the book Influence in 2008, featuring interviews with fashion designers. In 2011, they collaborated with TOMS Shoes to design footwear for children without shoes in over 20 countries, and designed an Olsenboye Change Purse to benefit 'Pennies From Heaven'. In October 2012, they won the WSJ magazine Innovator of The Year Award. Mary-Kate's fashion choices have placed her on both best and worst dressed lists, particularly for wearing fur. The twins are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and creative directors for Superga.

Equestrian career

Olsen began horse riding in 1992 at age six. At Campbell Hall, she was on the school's equestrian team. After moving to New York in 2004, she quit riding temporarily but later resumed, stating she missed it every day. In 2013, her horse Marvelous, ridden by James Anderson, won the 38th Hampton Classic Horse Show. She began competing in the Hampton Classic Horse Show in 2013. On September 17, 2016, she competed at The American Gold Cup in North Salem, New York. In August–September 2017, she and Dunotaire V finished sixth in the amateur owner jumper (1.20 meter) event and third in the amateur owner jumper classic at the Hampton Classic. In September 2017, she and Feu d'Amour won The American Gold Cup. In 2018, she and Dunotaire V ranked 7 out of 40 at the Palm Beach Masters in Wellington, Florida. In May 2019, she competed at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Madrid, placing sixth with Naomi, while she and Fatum were disqualified for an error of course. On July 12, 2019, she and Fatum won a 1.25m two-phase showjumping class in Chantilly, France. In September 2021, she competed in Rome, finishing second with Iowa Van Het Polderhof in the 2 Phases Special and third with Dunotaire V in an Against the Clock No Jump Off event.

Personal life

Olsen dated David Katzenberg, photographer Maxwell Snow, and artist Nate Lowman. In May 2012, she began a relationship with Olivier Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa, half-brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. They married on November 27, 2015, in New York City. She filed for divorce on April 17, 2020; an emergency order to proceed despite COVID-19 delays was denied. The divorce was finalized on January 25, 2021. In 2004, she entered treatment for anorexia nervosa; a Got Milk? advertisement featuring the twins was pulled. On November 20, 2007, she was hospitalized for a reported kidney infection. She was a close friend of Heath Ledger; after his death, his massage therapist called Olsen twice before contacting police, and Olsen sent a private security guard. Her attorney stated that Olsen provided the government with relevant information about the chronology of events and that she does not know the source of the drugs Ledger consumed.