Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
September 15, 1940
Place of Birth:
Logan, Utah, USA
Social Media
Merlin Olsen
Biography
Merlin Jay Olsen (September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American professional football player, announcer, and actor. For his entire 15-year professional football career (1962 - 1976), he was a defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl a then-record 14 times (surpassed only by Tom Brady). He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, Olsen is best known for portraying farmer Jonathan Garvey on the fourth through seventh seasons of Little House on the Prairie (1977 - 1981). He went on to star as the title character in the Western series Father Murphy (1981 - 1983).
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Time Bomb | Jake Calahan |
| 1980 | The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story | Todd Simms |
| 1978 | A Fire in the Sky | Stan Webster |
| 1975 | Mitchell | Benton |
| 1971 | Something Big | Sgt. Fitzsimmons |
| 1971 | One More Train to Rob | Eli Jones |
| 1969 | The Undefeated | Little George |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure | Self (archive footage) |
| 1988 | Aaron's Way | Aaron Miller |
| 1986 | Fathers and Sons | |
| 1981 | Father Murphy | John Michael Murphy |
| 1974 | Little House on the Prairie | Jonathan Garvey |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Perlee Skowrin |
| 1972 | The Brian Keith Show | |
| 1970 | Monday Night Football | Defensive Tackle |
| 1970 | Monday Night Football | Left Defensive Tackle |
| 1970 | Monday Night Football | Defensive tackle |
| 1964 | Shindig! | |
| 1963 | Petticoat Junction |