Maria Olsen (born July 22, 1966) is a South African film producer and actress known for her many roles in horror films. These include ''

Paranormal Activity 3 ''Paranormal Activity 3'' is a 2011 American found footage supernatural horror film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It is the third (chronologically, the first) installment of the ''Paranormal Activity'' series and serves as a p ...

'', '' The Lords of Salem'', '' Gore Orphanage,'' and ''

Starry Eyes ''Starry Eyes'' is a 2014 American horror film directed and written by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. The film had its world premiere on March 8, 2014 at South by Southwest and features Alexandra Essoe as a hopeful young starlet who finds that ...

''. Non-horror roles include '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief''.

Early life

Olsen was born on July 22, 1966, in

East London, Eastern Cape East London ( xh, eMonti; af, Oos-Londen) is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River ...

, South Africa.

Career

Olsen has appeared in over 100 roles since 2005. Many of these are supporting roles, which she credits as allowing her to work on more projects than actors who focus primarily on leading roles. She says her favorite roles have been in ''African Gothic'', ''Percy Jackson'', ''

Die-ner (Get It?) ''Die-ner (Get It?)'' (also known as ''Kentucky Fried Zombies'') is a 2009 American zombie comedy directed and written by Patrick Horvath. It stars Joshua Grote as a serial killer who must contend with his victims as they rise from the dead during ...

'', ''The Haunting of Whaley House'', and ''Live-In Fear'', which was the first film she produced. In 2011, she founded the production company MOnsterworks66. In 2018, Olsen starred in, "The Exorcist: Forbidden Screening," a 4D theater attraction at Warner Bros. "Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights." The attraction took place inside the Midwest St. Church on the Warner Brothers backlot, and Olsen played the role of the host of the horror attraction, based on the 1973 film, ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Personal life

Olsen came to America in January 2005. Her hobbies include reading and knitting. She is out as a lesbian.

References

External links

* Living people 21st-century South African actresses People from East London, South Africa South African lesbian actresses South African LGBT entertainers South African film actresses 1966 births {{SouthAfrica-actor-stub