Ashley Olsen: Snapshot

Name
Ashley Olsen
Date of Birth
June 13, 1986
Birth Place
Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are known for their individual style, but the twins were first famous as Michelle Tanner on Full House. Before turning 10, they had already earned millions, and at 18, took charge of their billion-dollar brand, Dualstar.

While Mary-Kate struggled with anorexia and took a leave of absence from college in 2005, Ashley continued her studies at New York University. Today, her influence as a fashion trendsetter garnered her spreads in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Teen Vogue, and with Mary-Kate, she has launched the fashion line, The Row, and its lower-priced counterpart, Elizabeth and James.

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Ashley Olsen: Five Fun Facts

  1. Ashley Olsen is older than Mary-Kate by two minutes.
  2. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are not identical twins. Ashley is an inch shorter than Mary-Kate, and has a freckle above her lip. She is also right-handed, while Mary-Kate is a lefty.
  3. The twins got matching Range Rovers for their 16th birthday.
  4. Weeks before turning 18, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen skipped their prom to host Saturday Night Live.
  5. Although she's a billionaire, Ashley Olsen still put in time as an intern for fashion designer Zac Posen.

Ashley Olsen: Biography

1987

Ashley Olsen

January

Babies' Big Break

Jarnette Olsen takes her newborn girls to audition for an ABC sitcom, Full House, at Lorimar Studios in Culver City, Calif., and they beat out nine other sets of twins. "They were more open to strangers," Full House executive producer Jeff Franklin told the Washington Post. "They were smiling all the time." When Full House debuts in Sept. 1987, the twins share the role of Michelle Tanner and earn $2,400 each per episode.

1989

Hiring Help

The Olsen family hires entertainment industry attorney Robert Thorne to negotiate the twins' salary up from $4,000 per episode to $25,000 and then to $80,000 by the end of the show. Thorne becomes the CEO of the twins' Dualstar Entertainment Group in 1993 and helps guide the enterprise into a billion-dollar company.

1992

Ashley Olsen

October 27

Singing Sensations

The 6-year-old twins record their first album, Brother for Sale, the release of which launches the Olsen phenomenon. ''I like the song called 'I Want to Trade My Brother,''' Mary-Kate tells PEOPLE. ''Yeah,'' Ashley agrees with a giggle. ''When we were rehearsing it, our brother Trent said, 'I hate that song!'''

Read More on Ashley Olsen's Life

Photo Credits

Top Left: CORLOUER RENAUD/SIPA

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Warner Bros./Everett; Warner Bros./Everett

Edited by Julia Wang

Ashley Olsen

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