# Mary-Kate Olsen
**Mary-Kate Olsen** (born 1986) is an American fashion designer and former child actress who, with her fraternal twin sister [Ashley Olsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashley-olsen), shared the role of [Michelle Tanner](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-tanner) on the ABC sitcom *Full House* and later co-founded the luxury fashion label The Row.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Sherman Oaks, California; daughter of mortgage banker David Olsen and manager Jarnie Olsen[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) |
| First role | Michelle Tanner on *Full House* (ABC, 1987–1995), shared with Ashley; hired at six months old, filming began at nine months[2](https://walkoffame.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen/) |
| Early credit | The sisters were originally credited as a single person, "Mary Kate Ashley Olsen", so viewers would not know Michelle was played by twins[2](https://walkoffame.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen/) |
| Business scale | By age 12, Olsen twins products were estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales per year; in 2007 Forbes ranked the twins the 11th-richest women in entertainment[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) • [3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html) |
| Fashion labels | The Row (2006, luxury), Elizabeth and James (2007, contemporary), plus the affordable lines StyleMint and Olsenboye[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) |
| CFDA honors | Won the top prize at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2012 and shared Womenswear Designer of the Year for The Row in 2015[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) |
| Marriage | Married French banker Olivier Sarkozy in 2015; filed for divorce in May 2020[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) |
## Full House and the shared role
The twins began acting before they could walk. They were hired for *Full House* at six months old and started filming at nine months, taking turns playing Michelle Tanner, the youngest Tanner daughter, so that production could comply with child labor laws limiting how long a child could be on camera[2](https://walkoffame.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen/). In the first season Mary-Kate had more screen time, because Ashley cried when brought on set[2](https://walkoffame.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen/). Co-star [Jodie Sweetin](https://www.edgepedia.org/jodie-sweetin) later recalled that producers initially favored working with Ashley, who was more willing to be out in the lights and chaos of the set, while Mary-Kate needed more coaxing[4](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/full-house-producers-had-preferred-olsen-twin-to-work-with-mary-kate-ashley).
The show ran for eight years, ending when the twins were eight years old[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) • [5](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3221404/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsens-journey-child-stars-fashion-gurus-celebrity-twins-turned-their-backs). By the end of the run, their popularity in American television was second only to [Bill Cosby](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-cosby)'s, according to a 2008 profile[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html).
## Dualstar and the merchandising empire
**Dualstar Entertainment Group** was set up when the girls were six years old, together with their lawyer-manager Robert Thorne, who had previously represented the musician Prince, to convert their brand recognition into products[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/jan/30/shopping.fashion). Under the Dualstar name the twins produced straight-to-video movies, the musical detective video series *The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley*, the *You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's* party tapes, and companion books; in 1993, *Our First Video* reached the top of the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) video music chart[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen). They starred in more than 37 films distributed by Dualstar[7](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-movies-fashion-nostalgia), made their big-screen debut in *[It Takes Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/it-takes-two-1995-film)* (1995), and headlined the ABC series *Two of a Kind* and *So Little Time*[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) • [8](https://www.insideedition.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-where-are-the-olsen-twins-now-52609). Merchandise bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and a Wal-Mart clothing line, generated an estimated $1 billion in retail sales per year by the time they were 12[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen).
On their eighteenth birthday in 2004, the twins took control of the company built on their childhood earnings, buying out the former owners[9](https://www.vogue.com/article/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-balancing-act). In 2005 they purchased the minority shares of Dualstar, taking full control[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen).
## The Row and the move into fashion
The sisters entered high-end fashion with The Row, launched in 2006 while they were enrolled at New York University. The label began with the idea of a perfectly made basic white T-shirt and a few leather leggings, and Ashley tested the shirt on women of many shapes and ages to find a common fit[9](https://www.vogue.com/article/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-balancing-act). The name was chosen to sound anonymous, loosely derived from [Savile Row](https://www.edgepedia.org/savile-row), the home of British tailoring, and the founders deliberately aimed at buyers skeptical of celebrity lines; early showroom visits involved customers drilling them about fabrics and manufacturing before stores returned[9](https://www.vogue.com/article/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-balancing-act).
The strategy worked. The Row grew into a luxury house known for tailored, minimalist daywear, with prices to match; a 2015 *Time* profile described it as a favorite of fashion editors making items such as $39,000 backpacks[10](https://time.com/3713774/what-kanye-west-can-learn-from-the-olsen-twins-2/). The twins layered the market beneath it: Elizabeth and James as a contemporary line named for their sister and brother, and Olsenboye, priced for teens and sold with JCPenney[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) • [9](https://www.vogue.com/article/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-balancing-act). Industry recognition followed, with the CFDA's top prize in 2012 and the shared Womenswear Designer of the Year award for The Row in 2015[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen). [John Stamos](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-stamos), their *Full House* co-star, likened the CFDA award to "winning an Oscar," noting the twins were nominated alongside [Tom Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-ford)[11](https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/).
## Adult acting and withdrawal from the screen
After a hiatus from acting following the Dualstar buyout, Mary-Kate returned selectively. She played a drug dealer in the third season of the HBO drama *Weeds* in 2007, appeared in *The Wackness* (2008) opposite [Ben Kingsley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-kingsley), and had a co-starring role in the 2011 fantasy drama *[Beastly](https://www.edgepedia.org/beastly-film)*[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen) • [3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html). She described acting as something she hoped to do well while doubting she would ever have full confidence in it[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html).
The twins did not return for the 2016 sequel series *Fuller House*. Executive producer Bob Boyett told *People* that Ashley said she had not been in front of a camera since she was 17 and did not feel comfortable acting, and that Mary-Kate said the timing was bad for them; production also conflicted with the design schedule for The Row and Elizabeth and James[11](https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/). In the spin-off, Michelle's absence was explained by having her running her fashion empire in New York[11](https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/).
## Health, education, and personal life
In 2004, shortly after the twins announced they would attend New York University, Mary-Kate checked herself into a rehabilitation facility for the eating disorder anorexia[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen). After her freshman year she left school and returned to California to focus on business ventures[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen).
She began dating the French banker [Olivier Sarkozy](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivier-sarkozy), half-brother of the former French president [Nicolas Sarkozy](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicolas-sarkozy), in 2012; they became engaged in 2014 and married in New York City in November 2015. She filed for divorce in May 2020[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen).
Both twins maintain a deliberately low public profile, granting few interviews and declining most celebrity-oriented opportunities[12](https://ir.mtu.edu.ng/article/who-are-the-olsen-sisters-a-verified-profile-of-mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen). Sweetin has said the twins worked constantly as children and did not get the chance to be normal kids the way she did after *Full House*[13](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-olsen-twins-didnt-get-normal-kids-full-house-jodie-sweetin).
## References
1. [Mary-Kate Olsen: Biography, Actor, Fashion Entrepreneur, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/mary-kate-olsen)
2. [Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Hollywood Walk of Fame](https://walkoffame.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen/)
3. [Mary Kate Olsen - she wants to be alone, The Independent (2008)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mary-kate-olsen-she-wants-to-be-alone-846156.html)
4. [Turns Out Full House's Producers Had A Preferred Olsen Twin To Work With Early On, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/full-house-producers-had-preferred-olsen-twin-to-work-with-mary-kate-ashley)
5. [Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's journey from child stars to fashion gurus, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3221404/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsens-journey-child-stars-fashion-gurus-celebrity-twins-turned-their-backs)
6. [Get used to them, The Guardian (2002)](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/jan/30/shopping.fashion)
7. [Mary-Kate and Ashley's Early 2000s Movies Invented Every Gen Z Trend, W Magazine](https://www.wmagazine.com/story/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-movies-fashion-nostalgia)
8. [Where Are Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Now?, Inside Edition](https://www.insideedition.com/mary-kate-and-ashley-where-are-the-olsen-twins-now-52609)
9. [Behind The Row: Meet Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Vogue (2011)](https://www.vogue.com/article/mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen-balancing-act)
10. [What Kanye West Can Learn From the Olsen Twins, Time (2015)](https://time.com/3713774/what-kanye-west-can-learn-from-the-olsen-twins-2/)
11. [Here's Why Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Won't Be Back for Fuller House, Time (2016)](https://time.com/4169471/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-fuller-house-absence-explained/)
12. [Who Are the Olsen Sisters? A Verified Profile of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen](https://ir.mtu.edu.ng/article/who-are-the-olsen-sisters-a-verified-profile-of-mary-kate-and-ashley-olsen)
13. [Why The Olsen Twins Didn't Get To Be 'Normal Kids,' According To Full House Co-Star Jodie Sweetin, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-olsen-twins-didnt-get-normal-kids-full-house-jodie-sweetin)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames O to Pa*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license