# Ty Olsson
**Ty Olsson** (born 1974) is a Canadian actor and voice actor from [Halifax, Nova Scotia](https://www.edgepedia.org/halifax-nova-scotia), known for playing the vampire Benny Lafitte on *Supernatural*, the voice of Ord in the animated series *Dragon Tales*, and supporting roles in films such as *X2: X-Men United* (2003), *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* (2011), and *War for the Planet of the Apes* (2017).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-olsson/bio/3030523330/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) |
| Training | 1997 graduate of Studio 58, the theater school at Langara College in Vancouver[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) |
| Signature TV role | Benny Lafitte, a vampire, on *Supernatural* (seasons 8, 10, and 15); earlier played the vampire Eli in the 2006 episode "Bloodlust"[3](https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Ty_Olsson) |
| Best-known voice role | Ord in *Dragon Tales*[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-olsson/bio/3030523330/) |
| Notable film roles | Mitchell Laurio in *X2: X-Men United* (2003), Chief John Hamil in *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* (2011), Red Donkey in *War for the Planet of the Apes* (2017)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) |
| Genre TV credits | Captain Aaron Kelly on *Battlestar Galactica*; Major Tod Metzger on *The Man in the High Castle* (2018 to 2019)[4](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) |
| Personal life | Married to Leanna Nash from 2005 to 2012 with two children; engaged to fellow *Supernatural* actor DJ Qualls[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-olsson/) |
## Training and early career
Olsson attended Canterbury High School, an arts-focused school, and then graduated in 1997 from Studio 58 at Langara College in Vancouver, where he drew favorable notices for roles including Monsieur Martin in a 1960s-set updating of Feydeau's *Hotel Paradiso* and Macbeth in a "technoshamanist" production of Shakespeare's tragedy.[4](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) His one-act play *Walking the Line* was produced at Studio 58, and he performed at the Shaw Festival in [Niagara-on-the-Lake](https://www.edgepedia.org/niagara-on-the-lake) during the 1997 season.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/otherworks/)
His first screen part came in an episode of *The X-Files*, after which he took frequent supporting roles, often as tough characters such as truck drivers and police officers.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson) Early television work included *Stargate SG-1*, *Dead Like Me*, and the TV movie *Flight 93*, in which he played passenger [Mark Bingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-bingham), one of the travelers who fought back on the hijacked 9/11 plane.[4](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson)
## Film and genre television
Olsson built a career of supporting parts in 2000s action and science-fiction productions. In the superhero sequel *X2: X-Men United* (2003) he played Mitchell Laurio, the guardian of the captive [Magneto](https://www.edgepedia.org/magneto-marvel-comics), the villain played by [Ian McKellen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-mckellen).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson) His other film credits include *The Chronicles of Riddick* (2004), *2012*, *Just Friends*, and the ape films *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* (2011), as Chief John Hamil, and *War for the Planet of the Apes* (2017), as Red Donkey.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson)
On television he played the recurring role of Captain Aaron Kelly in the re-imagined *Battlestar Galactica* and the Osiris helmsman in the prequel *[Blood and Chrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/battlestar-galactica-blood-and-chrome)*.[4](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson) On AMC's *Hell on Wheels* he played Union soldier Lieutenant Griggs, a character decapitated on screen; Olsson described wearing a fluorescent green full-body [Spandex](https://www.edgepedia.org/spandex) suit so computer graphics could render the beheading, with a fake head carried around in the following episode.[8](https://www.amc.com/blogs/ty-olsson-interview--1009691) Later genre work included Major Tod Metzger in eight episodes of *The Man in the High Castle* (2018 to 2019) and guest parts on *[Arrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/arrow-tv-series)*, *Eureka*, *Once Upon a Time*, and *The 100*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) • [3](https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Ty_Olsson)
## Supernatural and Benny Lafitte
Olsson appeared twice on *Supernatural* as vampires. In the 2006 season 2 episode "Bloodlust" he played Eli, a member of a pack of "good vampires" who fed on cow's blood to live low-key lives.[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/ty-olsson-joins-supernatural/) In 2012 the show brought him back as Benny Lafitte, a vampire who helps [Dean Winchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/dean-winchester) ([Jensen Ackles](https://www.edgepedia.org/jensen-ackles)) escape from [Purgatory](https://www.edgepedia.org/purgatory); consulting producer Ben Edlund made clear that Benny was not the season's "big bad" villain.[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/ty-olsson-joins-supernatural/) Benny appeared in seven season 8 episodes, returned in season 10's "The Werther Project," and appeared once more in season 15's "Atomic Monsters."[3](https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Ty_Olsson)
Olsson described the Dean-Benny bond as the product of a year fighting back to back in Purgatory, "absolute dependency on another person for survival and companionship and safety," and characterized Benny as a complex figure who had stopped drinking blood and was "lost between worlds," still psychologically in Purgatory even after returning to the real one.[10](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/supernatural-season-8-spoilers-ty-olsson-benny-dean-376376/) The character became a fan favorite, and Olsson became a regular presence at *Supernatural* fan conventions.[11](https://www.nextbiography.com/ty-olsson/)
## Voice work
Olsson has contributed voice work to numerous animated series.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson) He voiced Ord, one of the lead critters, in *Dragon Tales*, and his other voice credits include Hunk in *Voltron Force*, Downshift in *Transformers: Energon*, Herry in *Class of the Titans*, and Kyle Kelley in *Being Ian*.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-olsson/bio/3030523330/) • [4](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-olsson/) More recently he voiced Bomb across 36 episodes of *Angry Birds: Summer Madness* (2022).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/)
## Personal life
Olsson was married to Leanna Nash from 2005 to 2012; the marriage ended in divorce and produced two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/) He became engaged to fellow *Supernatural* actor [DJ Qualls](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-qualls), who played the werewolf Garth on the series; Qualls said the two met in 2012 at a convention in Birmingham, England, where Olsson, dressed as Benny, invited himself along on Qualls's trip to Prague.[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-olsson/) • [12](https://www.tvinsider.com/1214740/supernatural-dj-qualls-interview-ty-olsson-meeting-garth/)
## References
1. [Ty Olsson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/)
2. [Ty Olsson Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ty-olsson/bio/3030523330/)
3. [Ty Olsson, Supernatural Wiki (Fandom)](https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Ty_Olsson)
4. [Ty Olsson, Battlestar Wiki](https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Ty_Olsson)
5. [Ty Olsson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ty-olsson/)
6. [Ty Olsson, Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/otherworks/)
7. [Ty Olsson Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ty_olsson)
8. [Q&A - Ty Olsson (Griggs), AMC Talk](https://www.amc.com/blogs/ty-olsson-interview--1009691)
9. [Ty Olsson Joins 'Supernatural', CBS San Francisco](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/ty-olsson-joins-supernatural/)
10. [Supernatural's Ty Olsson Previews Benny's Return, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/supernatural-season-8-spoilers-ty-olsson-benny-dean-376376/)
11. [Ty Olsson Actor Biography, Next Biography](https://www.nextbiography.com/ty-olsson/)
12. ['Supernatural' Interview: DJ Qualls on Meeting Partner Ty Olsson at a Con, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1214740/supernatural-dj-qualls-interview-ty-olsson-meeting-garth/)
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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 › Canadian actors › Surnames M to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license