Gabriel Olds
Encyclopedia
Gabriel Emerson Olds is an American actor and freelance
writer
. He is the son of poet Sharon Olds
.
(ABC
, 1988), a two-part Disney Sunday Movie with an age-shifting plot, similar to Big
. In 1992, Olds was hired by Dick Wolf
for an episode of Law & Order
, in which Olds played an ambitious student who murders his father.
In 1993, Olds made his Broadway
debut with the drama Any Given Day, a prequel to the Pulitzer Prize
-winning The Subject Was Roses
. Olds took time off from Yale University
to perform in the show. Soon after, Olds was cast in the Penny Marshall
-produced film Calendar Girl
, a nostalgic take on the teen road trip. Back at Yale, Olds starred in and directed the Shakespearean drama Richard II
, to positive notices. More work followed, with a supporting role in John Frankenheimer
's Civil War prison camp miniseries Andersonville
(TNT), and work on Party of Five
(Fox
), Sisters
(NBC
), and a well-reviewed appearance in Charmed
.
Soon after, Olds went back to Broadway, co-starring in Arthur Miller
's A View from the Bridge
at the Roundabout Theater, which won the Tony Award
for Best Revival of a Play. Olds was well received as Rodolpho, an illegal immigrant who stays with Eddie Carbone (Anthony LaPaglia
, Tony-winner for this performance) and falls in love with Catherine (Brittany Murphy
, in her Broadway debut).
Soon after, Olds took a supporting role opposite Billy Crudup
in the track and field-themed Steve Prefontaine biopic Without Limits
. In 2000, Law & Order producer Dick Wolf
, who'd worked with Olds before, offered him the lead role in The WB's political drama, D.C. (TV series)
. The actor was hired to play Mason Scott, a privileged idealist with a pragmatic roommate (Mark-Paul Gosselaar
) and a flaky twin sister (Jacinda Barrett
).
Olds then went onto playing a sexually deluded actor in the independent drama Urbania
(2000). Other credits include E-Ring
, Commander in Chief
, Six Feet Under, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, Law and Order: SVU, Cold Case, Numb3rs
, and Medium
. Olds also played the role of "Ed" in the Tommy Lee Jones
film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
(winner of two awards at the Cannes Film Festival
, 2005), though his scenes were deleted.
In 2007, Olds filmed two television pilots, Conspiracy (Lifetime), and Winters (NBC). The latter was executive produced by David Shore
, creator of House
. In the same year, Olds starred in the LA stage production of the two-person play Tryst, at the Black Dahlia Theater, which got him rave reviews, 6 nominations, and 2 wins for Best Actor, from LA Weekly Theater Award
s and the LADCC
.
Recent work includes the voiceover work for psychopath video game character Paul Carson in Capcom's
video game Dead Rising
, NBC's The Event (TV series)
, and NBC's Heroes
where he plays a shape-shifted version of Sylar
. Olds can be seen in the CBS dramas Criminal Minds
and The Mentalist
, and in the Bruce Willis action film The Surrogates
, in which he plays a cyborg cop.
Currently, Olds can be seen on TNTs "Franklin and Bash," and ABC's "Private Practice (TV series)."
Olds has a recurring part on season 2 of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."
and salon.com
. He has written about flying after 9/11 and plastic surgery in LA.
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He is the son of poet Sharon Olds
Sharon Olds
-Life:Sharon Olds was born in 1942 in San Francisco. She was raised as a “hellfire Calvinist”, as she describes it. She says she was by nature "a pagan and a pantheist" and notes "I was in a church where there was both great literary art and bad literary art, the great art being psalms and the bad...
.
Acting career
Olds began acting at age 15 at The Public Theater in New York, in a performance of Measure for Measure in 1987. Soon after, he was cast in 14 Going on 3014 Going on 30
14 Going on 30 is a 1988 made-for-TV movie broadcast by American Broadcasting Company and Buena Vista Television, and later distributed by Walt Disney Home Video. It stars Steven Eckholdt as Danny, a fourteen year old boy who is infatuated with his teacher Peggy Noble...
(ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, 1988), a two-part Disney Sunday Movie with an age-shifting plot, similar to Big
Big
Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight...
. In 1992, Olds was hired by Dick Wolf
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
for an episode of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, in which Olds played an ambitious student who murders his father.
In 1993, Olds made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut with the drama Any Given Day, a prequel to the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
-winning The Subject Was Roses
The Subject Was Roses
The Subject Was Roses is a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1964 play written by Frank D. Gilroy, who also adapted the work in 1968 for film with the same title.- Background :...
. Olds took time off from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
to perform in the show. Soon after, Olds was cast in the Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
-produced film Calendar Girl
Calendar Girl (1993 film)
Calendar Girl is a 1993 film starring Jason Priestley, Gabriel Olds, and Jerry O'Connell. The movie, set in 1962, tells the story of three young men who go on a trip to Hollywood to fulfil their dream of meeting Marilyn Monroe....
, a nostalgic take on the teen road trip. Back at Yale, Olds starred in and directed the Shakespearean drama Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
, to positive notices. More work followed, with a supporting role in John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
's Civil War prison camp miniseries Andersonville
Andersonville (film)
Andersonville is a film directed by John Frankenheimer about a group of Union soldiers during the American Civil War who are captured by the Confederates and sent to an infamous Confederate prison camp....
(TNT), and work on Party of Five
Party of Five
Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
(Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
), Sisters
Sisters (TV series)
Sisters is a television drama which aired on NBC for six seasons, from 1991 to 1996. The series was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who also created the Showtime series Queer as Folk and wrote the acclaimed Emmy and Peabody Award winning drama An Early Frost, also for NBC...
(NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and a well-reviewed appearance in Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
.
Soon after, Olds went back to Broadway, co-starring in Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
's A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller that was first staged on September 29, 1955 as a one-act verse drama with A Memory of Two Mondays at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The play was unsuccessful and Miller subsequently revised the play to contain two acts; this...
at the Roundabout Theater, which won the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Revival of a Play. Olds was well received as Rodolpho, an illegal immigrant who stays with Eddie Carbone (Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
, Tony-winner for this performance) and falls in love with Catherine (Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
, in her Broadway debut).
Soon after, Olds took a supporting role opposite Billy Crudup
Billy Crudup
William Gaither "Billy" Crudup is an American actor of film and stage. He is well known for his roles as guitarist Russell Hammond in Almost Famous, Will Bloom in Big Fish, and Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke. He also starred in the 2007 romantic comedy film Dedication, alongside Mandy Moore...
in the track and field-themed Steve Prefontaine biopic Without Limits
Without Limits
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc....
. In 2000, Law & Order producer Dick Wolf
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony "Dick" Wolf is an American producer, specializing in crime dramas such as Miami Vice and the Law & Order franchise. Throughout his career he has won several awards including an Emmy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Early life:Wolf was born in New York City, the son...
, who'd worked with Olds before, offered him the lead role in The WB's political drama, D.C. (TV series)
D.C. (TV series)
D.C. is a short-lived American television series that premiered and ended in April 2000 on The WB Network.Mason Scott , a young man fresh out of college who has dreamed his entire life of coming to Washington, D.C.. He truly believes that he can make a difference in this world of questionable...
. The actor was hired to play Mason Scott, a privileged idealist with a pragmatic roommate (Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
) and a flaky twin sister (Jacinda Barrett
Jacinda Barrett
Jacinda Barrett is an Australian American model turned actress. She first became known to audiences as a cast member on The Real World: London before appearing in films such as Ladder 49, The Namesake, The Human Stain, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.-Early life and career:Born in Brisbane,...
).
Olds then went onto playing a sexually deluded actor in the independent drama Urbania
Urbania (film)
For the Italian province, please see UrbaniaUrbania is a 2000 independent drama film based on the play Urban Folk Tales. It premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and played a number of LGBT film festivals as well as playing in limited release throughout the year.-Plot summary:Urbania follows...
(2000). Other credits include E-Ring
E-Ring
E-Ring is an American television military drama, created by Ken Robinson and David McKenna and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, that premiered on NBC on September 21, 2005...
, Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief (TV series)
Commander in Chief is an American drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascends to the role from the Vice Presidency after the death of the sitting President from a sudden cerebral...
, Six Feet Under, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, Law and Order: SVU, Cold Case, Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
, and Medium
Medium (TV series)
Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office...
. Olds also played the role of "Ed" in the Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a 2005 American drama film directed by Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Julio Cedillo, and Dwight Yoakam....
(winner of two awards at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, 2005), though his scenes were deleted.
In 2007, Olds filmed two television pilots, Conspiracy (Lifetime), and Winters (NBC). The latter was executive produced by David Shore
David Shore
David Shore is a Canadian writer, best known for his work writing and producing in television. As a former lawyer, Shore became known for his work on Family Law, NYPD Blue, and Due South...
, creator of House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. In the same year, Olds starred in the LA stage production of the two-person play Tryst, at the Black Dahlia Theater, which got him rave reviews, 6 nominations, and 2 wins for Best Actor, from LA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award
LA Weekly Theater Award is an annual critics' award established in 1979, given by the LA Weekly for outstanding achievements in small theatre productions in Southern California...
s and the LADCC
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards is an annual awards program presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle . Established in 1969, the awards recognize excellence in theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area....
.
Recent work includes the voiceover work for psychopath video game character Paul Carson in Capcom's
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
video game Dead Rising
Dead Rising
is an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
, NBC's The Event (TV series)
The Event (TV series)
The Event is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. The show was created by Nick Wauters, and premiered on NBC on September 20, 2010...
, and NBC's Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
where he plays a shape-shifted version of Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
. Olds can be seen in the CBS dramas Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
and The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
, and in the Bruce Willis action film The Surrogates
The Surrogates (film)
Surrogates is a 2009 American science fiction-action film, based on the 2005–2006 comic book series of the same name. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Bruce Willis as FBI Agent Tom Greer who ventures out into the real world to investigate the murder of surrogates, Radha Mitchell plays Greer's...
, in which he plays a cyborg cop.
Currently, Olds can be seen on TNTs "Franklin and Bash," and ABC's "Private Practice (TV series)."
Olds has a recurring part on season 2 of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."
Writing career
Olds writes screenplays and freelance journalism for Condé Nast PublicationsCondé Nast Publications
Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, is a magazine publisher. In the U.S., it produces 18 consumer magazines, including Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps...
and salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
. He has written about flying after 9/11 and plastic surgery in LA.
External links
- Demo Reel (acting) on YouTube
- Now Casting - Gabriel Olds Pics and Bio
- Article for salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...