Ken Olin

Biography

His dark, sincere good looks were steadily put to use on the small screen during the 80s, but, in retrospect, actor Ken Olin will probably be considered more of a major force behind the camera. Born in Chicago, Ken went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and headed for Hollywood in the late 70s. After the typical route of bit parts, he started moving up in leaps and bounds on TV's top shows. A couple of strong, single season regular parts on both Hill Street Blues (1981)and Falcon Crest (1981) ultimately led to his casting as the introspective and quietly sexy Michael Steadman on Thirtysomething (1987), which ran for four seasons and nabbed numerous awards for its liberal writing and sensitive content. Ken co-starred with wife Patricia Wettig on the show, but the multi-Emmy winner Wettig did not play Ken's wife (actress Mel Harris did) and the public was often confused as to who Ken's wife really was. Ken also earned the chance to direct occasionally on Thirtysomething (1987) and this would have a significant impact as to the direction of his career in the years to come. Following Thirtysomething (1987), Ken pursued acting work in mini-movies as both hero ( Police St…

Movies & TV Shows

1. Alias (2001) — David McNeil (uncredited)
2. Zoo (2015) — Professor Robert Oz
3. Murder, She Wrote (1984) — Perry Revere
4. Brothers and Sisters (2006) — David Caplan
5. Ghost Story (1981) — Young Sears James
6. Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) — Self - Guest
7. Hill Street Blues (1981) — Harry Garibaldi
8. Falcon Crest (1981) — Christopher Rossini
9. Queens Logic (1991) — Ray
10. 'Til There Was You (1997) — Gregory
11. The Hitchhiker (1983) — Steve
12. thirtysomething (1987) — Michael Steadman
13. Hotel (1982)
14. The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie (2005) — Ken Olin
15. Golden Globe Awards (1944) — Self - Audience Member
16. A Stoning in Fulham County (1988) — Jim Sandler
17. Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (1984) — David Frank
18. Telling Secrets (1993) — Det. Jay Jensen
19. I'll Take Manhattan (1987) — Nat Lammerman
20. The Advocate's Devil (1997) — Abe Ringel
21. Y2K (1999) — Nick Cromwell
22. EZ Streets (1996) — Cameron Quinn
23. The Story of Soaps (2020) — Self
24. Dead by Sunset (1995)
25. There Must Be a Pony (1986) — Jay Savage
26. Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston (1990) — Charles Stuart
27. Tonight's the Night (1987) — Henry Fox
28. Evolution's Child (1999)
29. Police Story: Cop Killer (1988) — Officer Manny Mandell
30. Americana (2012) — Martin Garano
31. L.A. Doctors (1998) — Roger Cattan
32. Bay City Blues (1983) — Rocky Padillo
33. Nothing But the Truth (1995) — Dr. Peter Clayman
34. Women at West Point (1979) — Board Member
35. Breaking News (2002)
36. Stars in the House (2020) — Self
37. Police Story (1988) — Officer Manny Mandell

Directed

1. This Is Us (2016) — Director
2. The Man in the High Castle (2015) — Director
3. Sleepy Hollow (2013) — Director
4. Freaks and Geeks (1999) — Director
5. Alias (2001) — Director
6. The West Wing (1999) — Director
7. Paradise (2025) — Director
8. Tracker (2024) — Director
9. Brothers and Sisters (2006) — Director
10. Grand Hotel (2019) — Director
11. White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994) — Director
12. Felicity (1998) — Director
13. Judging Amy (1999) — Director
14. Eli Stone (2008) — Director
15. The Mob Doctor (2012) — Director
16. The Slap (2015) — Director
17. thirtysomething (1987) — Director
18. Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) — Director
19. In Pursuit of Honor (1995) — Director
20. Phenomenon II (2003) — Director
21. EZ Streets (1996) — Director
22. The Broken Cord (1992) — Director
23. L.A. Doctors (1998) — Director