Kenneth Edward Olin (born July 30, 1954) is an American actor, television director, and producer. As an actor, Olin is known for his role as Michael Steadman in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething (1987–1991), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1990. Olin later began working behind the scenes, as a director and producer. His credits as a producer include Alias (2001–2006), Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011), and This Is Us (2016–2022). Olin is married to actress Patricia Wettig.

Career Acting Olin made several guest appearances on episodic primetime TV in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His first series regular role was on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama Bay City Blues in 1983. He later joined the cast of NBC police drama Hill Street Blues playing Detective Harry Garibaldi from 1984 to 1985, and from 1985 to 1986 co-starred on the CBS prime time soap opera Falcon Crest as Father Christopher Rossini. Olin also guest-starred on Murder, She Wrote and Hotel before he was cast as Michael Steadman, one of the lead roles in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething. Debuting in 1987, the series received critical acclaim, setting a new bar for realism in the realm of prime-time drama. For his performance, Olin was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1990.

In 1996, Olin played a leading role in the short-lived CBS crime drama EZ Streets. From 1998 to 1999, he played the leading role in another short-lived CBS series, medical drama L.A. Doctors. He appeared along with wife Patricia Wettig in the 1995 television film Nothing But the Truth, and well as in Telling Secrets (1993) with Cybill Shepherd, The Advocate's Devil (1997) alongside Mariska Hargitay, and Evolution's Child (1999). His film credits include roles in Ghost Story (1981), Queens Logic (1991), and 'Til There Was You (1997).

From 2007 to 2011, Olin had a recurring role opposite wife Patricia Wettig in the ABC drama series Brothers & Sisters. From 2015 to 2017, he had a recurring role in the CBS drama series, Zoo. In 2020, ABC ordered a sequel for Thirtysomething and Olin was set to return alongside Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield and Patricia Wettig; however, the project remains in development limbo.

Producing and directing Olin directed six episodes of Thirtysomething. He also directed television movies The Broken Cord (1992), Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992), In Pursuit of Honor (1995) and Phenomenon II (2003), as well as White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994) for Buena Vista Pictures. He directed episodes of L.A. Doctors, Judging Amy, Felicity, The West Wing, 23 episodes of Alias, 20 episodes of Brothers & Sisters, Sleepy Hollow, and 20 episodes of This Is Us.

Olin has been an executive producer on several television dramas, starting with the ABC action drama Alias (2001-2006). From 2006 to 2011, he was a producer on ABC's family drama Brothers & Sisters, and also appeared on a recurring basis.Interview: producer Ken Olin on the new series of Brothers and Sisters, telegraph.co.uk, February 20, 2009 His wife, Patricia Wettig, was also a regular cast member on the show. In the summer of 1990, Olin directed Wettig in a production of "My Mother Said I Never Should" at the Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar College.

His other credits include Breaking News (2002), The Mob Doctor (2012-2013) and Sleepy Hollow. In 2016, he began producing NBC's family drama This Is Us, which received four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series nominations during its run.

Personal life Olin was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a former Peace Corps official and pharmaceutical company owner.Profile, filmreference.com; accessed July 31, 2015. He was raised in Highland Park, Illinois. He graduated from The Putney School in Putney, Vermont, in 1972. He then matriculated into the 1976 class at the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to thirtysomething co-star, Patricia Wettig, with whom he has a son, Clifford, and a daughter, Roxanne, who appeared on The City.

Filmography

Actor YearTitleRoleNotes1978The Paper ChaseTimothy"The Man Who Would Be King"1979Women at West PointBoard MemberTV movie1981Ghost StoryYoung Sears James1983–1984Bay City BluesRock PadilloMain role 1984Flight 90: Disaster on the PotomacDavid FrankTV movie1984–1985Hill Street BluesDetective Harry GaribaldiRecurring role 1985–1986Falcon CrestFather ChristopherMain role1986Murder, She WrotePerry Revere"Deadline for Murder"There Must Be a PonyJay SavageTV movie1987Tonight's the NightHenry FoxI'll Take ManhattanNat LammermanMiniseriesHotelMark Fredricks"Class of '72"The HitchhikerSteve"Best Shot"1987–1991thirtysomethingMichael SteadmanMain roleNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama (1990)Nominated - Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series (1991)1988A Stoning in Fulham CountyJim SandlerTV moviePolice Story: Cop KillerOfficer Manny Mandell1990Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in BostonCharles Stuart1991Queens LogicRay1993Telling SecretsDetective Jay JensenTV movie1995Nothing But the TruthDoctor Peter ClaymanDead by SunsetBrad CunninghamMiniseries1996–1997EZ StreetsDetective Cameron QuinnMain role1997'Till There Was YouGregoryThe Advocate's DevilAbe RingelTV movie1998–1999L.A. DoctorsDr. Roger CattanMain role1999Evolution's ChildJames MydellTV movie1999Y2KNick Cromwell2001Say UncleUnknown role2001–2002AliasDavid McNeil3 episodes2002Breaking NewsRichard Sloan"Pilot"2005The Naked Brothers Band: The MovieKen Olin2007–2011Brothers & SistersDavid CaplanRecurring role2012AmericanaMartin GaranoTV movie2013Criminal MindsBruce MorrisonEpisode: "All That Remains"2015–2017ZooProfessor Robert Oz Recurring role2018The Cloverfield ParadoxVoice role2020Thirtysomething(else)Michael SteadmanTV movie

Director YearTitleNotes1989–1991Thirtysomething "No Promises" (1989) "Courting Nancy" (1989) "Pilgrims" (1989) "The Other Shoe" (1990) "Guns and Roses" (1990) "Second Look" (1991)1998–1999L.A. Doctors "Maybe It's You" (1998) "True Believers" (1999) "O Captain, My Captain" (1999) "Forty-Eight Minutes" (1999)1992The Broken CardTV movieDoing Time on Maple Drive1994White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf1995In Pursuit of HonorTV movie1996EZ Streets "Every Picture Tells a Story"1999Judging Amy "Witch Hunt"1999–2000Felicity "Family Affairs" (1999) "True Colors" (2000)2000Freaks and Geeks "The Diary"The West Wing "Take Out the Trash Day" (2000) "The White House Pro-Am" (2000) "In This White House" (2000)2001–2005Alias "So It Begins" (2001) "Doppleganger" (2001) "Mea Culpa" (2001) "Page 47" (2002) "Q & A" (2002) "Rendezvous" (2002) "The Enemy Walks In" (2002) "The Indicator" (2002) "Passage: Part 1" (2002) "Passage: Part 2" (2002) "Double Agent" (2003) "A Dark Turn" (2003) "Second Double" (2003) "The Two" (2003) "Repercussions" (2003) "Conscious" (2003) "Crossings" (2004) "Hourglass" (2004) "Resurrection" (2004) "Authorized Personnel Only: Part 1" (2005) "Authorized Personnel Only: Part 2" (2005) "The Orphan" (2005) "Prophet Five" (2005)Nominated - OFTA Television Award for Best Direction in a Drama Series (2002)2002Breaking News "Pilot" (2002) "Hi, Noonan" (2002)2003The Wonderful World of Disney "Phenomenon II"2006Introducing Lennie RoseTV movie2006–2011Brothers & Sisters "Patriarchy" (2006) "Family Portrait" (2006) "Mistakes Were Made: Part 2" (2006) "Matriarchy" (2007) "Unaired Pilot" (2007) "Home Front" (2007) "Domestic Issues" (2007) "Prior Commitments" (2008) "Troubled Waters: Part 1" (2009) "Troubled Waters: Part 2" (2009) "Mexico" (2009) "The Road Ahead" (2009) "Breaking the News" (2009) "The Wig Party" (2009) "Time After Time: Part 1" (2010) "Time After Time: Part 2" (2010) "On the Road Again" (2010) "A Righteous Kill" (2010) "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (2011) "Walker Down the Aisle" (2011)2008Eli Stone "Pilot"2012The Mob Doctor "Protect and Serve" (2012) "Fluid Dynamics" (2012)2013–2014Sleepy Hollow "Blood Moon" (2013) "The Sin Eater" (2013) "Bad Blood" (2014) "This Is War" (2014)2015The Slap "Harry" (2015) "Manolis" (2015) "Connie" (2015) "Ritchie" (2015)The Man in the High Castle "The Illustrated Woman"2016–2022This Is Us "The Big Three" (2016) "The Big Day" (2017) "Jack Pearson's Son" (2017) "Moonshadow" (2017) "A Father's Advice" (2017) "Still There" (2017) "Number One" (2017) "Number Two" (2017) "The Car" (2018) "The Wedding" (2018) "Nine Bucks" (2018) "Vietnam" (2018) "Sometimes" (2018) "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning" (2018) "Songbird Road: Part Two" (2019) "Her" (2019) "Strangers" (2019) "The Dinner and the Date" (2019) "So Long, Marianne" (2019) "New York, New York, New York" (2020) "Strangers: Part Two" (2020) "Forty: Part One" (2020) "Forty: Part Two" (2020) "Honestly" (2020) "In the Room" (2021) "I've Got This" (2021)" "The Adirondacks" (2021) "The Challenger" (2022) "Katoby" (2022) "The Train" (2022) "Us" (2022)2017The Arrangement "Pilot"2019Grand Hotel "Pilot"2024-Tracker "Klamath Falls" (2024) "Missoula" (2024) "Springland" (2024) "The Storm" (2024) "Out of the Past" (2024) "The Night Movers" (2024) "The Grey Goose" (2025) "The Process" (2025) "The Best Ones" (2026) "Original Parts" (2026)

Producer YearTitleNotes1995KansasTV movie; Executive Producer2002Breaking News2002–2006AliasExecutive ProducerCo-Executive ProducerNominated – Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama (2004)2003The Wonderful World of Disney"Phenonmenon II"; Executive Producer2006Introducing Lennie RoseTV movie; Executive ProducerEnemiesExecutive Producer2006–2011Brothers & Sisters2007Brothers & Sisters: Family AlbumTV movie; Executive Producer2008Eli StoneExecutive Producer2012–2013The Mob Doctor2013–2014Sleepy Hollow2016–2022This Is UsExecutive ProducerNominated - Black Reel Award for Outstanding Drama Series (as Producer) (2018)Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (as Producer) (2017-2019)Nominated - Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama (2019)2017The ArrangementExecutive Producer2019Grand Hotel

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