Ashley Olsen

Ashley Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American actress, best known as half of the acting duo Mary-Kate and Ashley alongside her fraternal twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen.

Early life and family
Ashley Fuller Olsen was born in Sherman Oaks California to parents David Olsen (b. 1953) and Jarnette Fuller (b. 1954) as a fraternal twin in 1986.

Ashley and her twin have an older brother, Trent, and younger sister, Elizabeth, as well as two half-siblings, Taylor (b. 1996), and Jake (b. 1997). The twins' parents divorced in 1995. Taylor and Jake are the children from their father's second marriage, to Martha Mackenzie-Olsen.

Education
Ashley announced in 2004 (along with Mary-Kate) that she would be attending college at New York University after graduating high school. Most child and teenage actors usually choose to pursue acting full time after graduating from high school, with few, such as Brooke Shields, Jodie Foster, Julia Stiles, and Natalie Portman, choosing to further their education. In 2005, Mary-Kate moved back to California however Ashley did not.

Actress
Olsen begun her career at the age of six months, when both twin sisters were hired for the role of Michelle Tanner on the popular television series Full House in 1987. To comply with strict child labor laws regarding child actors, both Ashley and Mary-Kate took turns during taping to film. During Ashley's time on the television series there was some public confusion as to her true name, as both girls were credited as "Mary Kate Ashley Olsen" in an attempt to deter audiences from coming to the realization that girls were in fact twins.

Following Full House, Ashley and sister Mary-Kate released a string of successful straight-to-video movies and became popular figures in the preteen market during the late '90s and early 2000s. Their names became a cottage industry, with their likeness seen in clothes, books, fragrances, magazines, movies and posters. There were even Mary-Kate and Ashley fashion dolls made by Mattel from 2000 - 2005.

They starred in the video series The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley and You're Invited To Mary-Kate and Ashley's..., the ABC show Two of a Kind, and ABC Family's So Little Time. However, So Little Time was panned by critics and disappointed fans. Despite this, they were ranked number three on the VH1 program 100 Greatest Child Stars

Their most recent theatrical venture was in the light-hearted romantic comedy, New York Minute, also starring Eugene Levy. The film was expected to launch the girls into more serious adult roles, but was a box office flop.

Most currently, Ashley and Mary-Kate have urged the public and the media to see them separately following a request to be referred to, not as 'The Olsen Twins' but as Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen. Subsequently, Ashley is appearing alone in the 2008 film "The Informers" starring Billy Bob Thornton while Mary-Kate's first acting appearance without Ashley was in the movie Factory Girl, released in December 2006.

CEO

 * Main Article: Dualstar

In 2004, both Ashley and Mary-Kate become CEO of their company Dualstar (created in 1993 following the success on Full House and their overwhelming reception from pre-teen demographics) the brand currently selling in over 3,000 stores in America and 5,300 stores world-wide. Their success has been marked on Forbes The Celebrity 100 list since 2002, and in 2007 Forbes ranked Ashley, alongside Mary-Kate as the eleventh-richest woman in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $100 million.

Fashion designer
Following a high volume of public interest in Ashley and twin sister Mary-Kate's fashion choices, both girls work in collaboration on a string of fashion lines available to the public.

Started as young girls, Ashley and her sister have a clothing line in Wal-Mart stores across America for girls ages 4-14 as well as a beauty line called "Mary-Kate and Ashley: Real fashion for real girls". In 2004 they made news by signing a pledge to allow all the workers that sew their line of clothing in Bangladesh full maternity leave. The National Labor Committee, which organized the pledge, later praised the twins for their commitment to worker rights. The director of the organization, Charles Kernaghan, is quoted as saying, "The Olsen twins have done the right thing. Now it is up to Wal-Mart to either support Mary-Kate and Ashley’s commitment to women’s rights, or tragically to shut them down." However their collaboration with Wal-Mart varnished their fashionable reputations amongst the fashion industry and both Ashley and her sister were tapped as the faces of upscale fashion line Badgley Mischka in 2006, in an attempt to gain credibility in the fashion industry after their association with Wal-Mart.


 * Main Article: The Row

In a more matured fashion project, Ashley and her sister have released The Row, a high-end fashion line inspired by London's Savile Row, the line a direct reflection of their own popular personal style.

Within the confines of The Row, Ashley and her sister created a couture branch entitled Elizabeth & James, named after their siblings. Though the reception of their fashion line has been of general positivity, Ashley and her sister were both criticized when they advertised for unpaid interns, despite their wealth.

Reception
Ashley is considered an A-list celebrity and is the subject of constant tabloid media and press.

Controversy
Though her fashion choices have become somewhat popular, Ashley has not been without criticism for her wear-age and promotion of fur. In 2006, she was included on PETA's 2006 Worst Dressed list for wearing fur and is often a target of their anti-fur campaigning.

Personal life
Regarding her romantic life; In 2003, Ashley begun dating Matt Kaplan a Columbia University quarterback however the relationship ended 'amicably' in 2005 citing "difficulties maintaining a long-distance relationship."

Currently, Ashley is dating 30-year-old Scott Sartiano, however the relationship has recieved some negative attention regarding the 9 year age difference.

In the past, Ashley has been romantically linked to Jared Leto.

Socially, Ashley's friendship circle enlists actress Eliska Amor, as well as a number of non-celebrity childhood friends.

Legal suits
Ashley filed a $40 million lawsuit against tabloid magazine National Enquirer for printing a headline reading "Ashley Olsen Caught In Drug Scandal," with a story accompanied by an unflattering photo of Ashley with her eyes half-closed. The lawsuit stated that the photo was clearly used to create a misrepresentation of Olsen under the influence of drugs. Ashley completely denies the accusations and said that she has not and does not use or sell illegal drugs. The suit consisted of $20 million in libel damages and $20 million in false light invasion of privacy damages. Per her suit, Ashley Olsen and her lawyers believe that "freedom of the press is a valuable right, but it is not a license for gossipy tabloids to tar and feather innocent celebrities and destroy their reputations and businesses for the rag's profits."

Filmography

 * ''For productions in which Ashley appeared with her sister Mary-Kate, see Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Movies

 * The Informers (release date and character TBA)