Eric Christian Olsen (born May 31, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayals of Investigator Marty Deeks on the CBS television series NCIS: Los Angeles, Austin in the film Not Another Teen Movie, Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and as producer/executive producer on the 2024 reboot of Matlock.
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Early life
Olsen was born in Eugene, Oregon, the son of Jeanne (née Donstad), a non-denominational chaplain, and Paul V. Olsen, a professor of English, and head track and cross country coach of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He has an older brother, David, who acts as his stunt double; David is married to actress and Olsen's NCIS: Los Angeles costar Daniela Ruah. Olsen is of Norwegian descent. Olsen spent most of his childhood in Bettendorf, Iowa, and attended Bettendorf Middle and High School, where he pursued interests such as sports, Japanese, and Chinese. In addition to many local theatre performances, Olsen trained in improv with ComedySportz Quad Cities and later joined the cast.
Career
Olsen's first starring role was the title role in the 1999 TV movie Arthur's Quest. Soon after, he gave an Emmy submitted portrayal of a dying burn victim on NBC's ER. His next role was a small one in HBO's Black Cat Run. He soon landed a starring role in the Fox TV series Get Real, playing Cameron Green. The series lasted for a year before he made his transition onto the big screen when he played Ben Affleck's gunner in Pearl Harbor, that was quickly followed by a leading role as Austin "The Cocky Blond Guy" in the teen send up feature film Not Another Teen Movie.
