| Kaitlin Olson | |
| Birth Name: | Kaitlin Willow Olson |
| Birth Place: | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Yearsactive: | 2000–present |
| Alma Mater: | University of Oregon |
| Children: | 2 |
| Footnotes: | [1] [2] [3] |
Kaitlin Willow Olson McElhenney (born August 18, 1975)[4] is an American actress. She began her career in the Sunday Company at the Groundlings, an improvisational theatre and school in Los Angeles. She had minor roles in several television series before being cast as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present).
Olson starred as Mackenzie "Mickey" Molng in the Fox comedy series The Mick (2017–2018)[5] and as Cricket Melfi in the Quibi comedy series Flipped (2020) earning her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.[6] She has appeared in films, including Leap Year (2010), The Heat (2013), Vacation (2015), Finding Dory (2016), and Arizona (2018). In 2022 and 2024, she earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as DJ Vance in HBO's Hacks.
Olson was born in Portland, Oregon,[7] on August 18, 1975[4] to Donald Lee Olson, a publisher, and Melinda Leora, a nurse.[8] Shortly after she was born, Olson moved with her family to Spokane, Washington[9] then to Vashon Island, Washington in Puget Sound. Olson lived there until she was eight.[10] Kaitlin's family went back to the Portland area, settling in Tualatin, where she grew up on a farm.[11] Her father worked as the publisher of the Portland Tribune from 2000 to 2001.[12]
At age twelve, Olson was in a serious bicycle accident involving a vehicle, resulting in a fractured skull requiring reconstructive surgery.[13] She graduated from Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon in 1993.[12] [14] She studied theater at the University of Oregon, graduating with a bachelor's degree in theater arts in 1997. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally.
Olson was a member of The Groundlings Sunday Company along with Dax Shepard.[15] She toured with the USO to Bosnia, Kosovo and Norway. In 2000, she made her debut television appearance on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm in the recurring role of Cheryl Hines's sister. Olson also made several guest appearances in films and television series including The Drew Carey Show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Out of Practice, Miss Match, Family Guy, and Punk'd. She had a minor role in the film Coyote Ugly.[16]
In 2004, Olson was cast as Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds in the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.[17] She voiced the role of Ethel in the first season of the Comedy Central animated series Brickleberry. In the 2013 film, The Heat, she appeared as a Bulgarian drug addict who engages in an exchange of cultural perspectives (and insults) with Melissa McCarthy's character. Olson played a recurring role as Hartley Underwood, the "one-armed" neighbor in the FX series The Riches. In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Olson and others narrated the stories of the people killed there.[18] [19] Also in 2016, she provided the voice of Destiny in Disney's Finding Dory.[20]
She starred in the Fox sitcom The Mick, which premiered in January 2017. She served as the executive producer for the series.[21] The second season of The Mick premiered in September 2017. Fox canceled the series after the second season ended in April 2018. She appears in Hacks as DJ, Deborah Vance's troubled daughter.[22]
Olson married her It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-star, Rob McElhenney, in Malibu, California on September 27, 2008.[23] [24] [25] The couple started secretly dating during the second season of the series.[26] [27]
In 2009, McElhenney and Olson announced their purchase of Skinner's Bar in Philadelphia; it was renamed Mac's Tavern.[28] In 2010, Olson went into labor at a home game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies; their son was born in their California home as planned.[29] They have a second son born in 2012.[30]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Eyes to Heaven | Unknown | |
| 2000 | Jacks | Jocelyn | |
| 2000 | Coyote Ugly | Bidding Customer | |
| 2001 | Fugly | Cha Cha | Short film |
| 2003 | Scapegoats | Jeannie | Short film |
| 2009 | Weather Girl | Sherry | |
| 2010 | Leap Year | Libby | |
| 2010 | Held Up | Rocky II | |
| 2012 | Trading Up | Barbara Manzer | Short film |
| 2013 | Escape from Planet Earth | 3D Movie Girl (voice) | |
| 2013 | The Heat | Tatiana | |
| 2015 | Vacation | Arizona Cop | |
| 2016 | Finding Dory | Destiny (voice) | |
| 2018 | Arizona | Vicki | |
| 2023 | Champions | Alex | |
| 2024 | Incoming | Ms. Nielsen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2020 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Becky | 7 episodes |
| 2002–2004 | The Drew Carey Show | Traylor | 12 episodes |
| 2002 | Meet the Marks | Kaitlin Marks | Main role; 7 episodes |
| 2003 | Punk'd | Field Agent | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Jillian | Episode: "Who's Sari Now?" |
| 2003 | The Man Show | Crazy Hot Girl in the Bar | Season 5, Episode 20 |
| 2004 | Significant Others | Lauren | Episode: "The First Time" |
| 2004 | George Lopez | Janet | Episode: "Home Sweet Homeschool" |
| 2005 | Various roles | 6 episodes; writer | |
| 2005–present | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds | Main role; 162 episodes |
| 2006 | Out of Practice | Debbie | Episode: "Model Behavior" |
| 2007 | The Riches | Hartley Underwood | 5 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Family Guy | Brenda Quagmire (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Unsupervised | Carol / Danielle (voice) | 7 episodes |
| 2012 | Brickleberry | Ethel Anderson (voice) | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | New Girl | Ashley | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2019 | Bob's Burgers | Helen (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Cassius & Clay | Ordwood Cassius (voice) | Unsold pilot |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Quinn (voice) | Episode: "The Girl Code" |
| 2017–2018 | The Mick | Mackenzie "Mickey" Molng | Lead role; 37 episodes; executive producer |
| 2018 | Mean Jean | Birdie | Unsold pilot |
| 2020 | Flipped | Cricket Melfi | Main role; 11 episodes |
| 2020 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Herself | Episode: "Dr. Phil, Kaitlin Olson & Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2020 | Space Force | Edison Jaymes | Episode: "Edison Jaymes" |
| 2021–present | Hacks | DJ Vance | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Agent Elvis | CeCe Ryder (voice) | Main role |
| 2024 | High Potential | Morgan[31] | Upcoming series; Main role; producer |