Merlin Olsen

Biography

Merlin Jay Olsen (September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American professional football player, announcer, and actor. For his entire 15-year professional football career (1962 - 1976), he was a defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl a then-record 14 times (surpassed only by Tom Brady). He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, Olsen is best known for portraying farmer Jonathan Garvey on the fourth through seventh seasons of Little House on the Prairie (1977 - 1981). He went on to star as the title character in the Western series Father Murphy (1981 - 1983).

Most Known For

Little House on the Prairie

as Jonathan Garvey

Petticoat Junction

Monday Night Football

as Defensive Tackle

Monday Night Football

as Left Defensive Tackle

Monday Night Football

as Defensive tackle

Aaron's Way

as Aaron Miller

The Brian Keith Show

Shindig!

Father Murphy

as John Michael Murphy

Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure

as Self (archive footage)

Fathers and Sons

The Undefeated

as Little George

Mitchell

as Benton

One More Train to Rob

as Eli Jones

Something Big

as Sgt. Fitzsimmons

A Fire in the Sky

as Stan Webster

Kung Fu

as Perlee Skowrin

The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story

as Todd Simms

Time Bomb

as Jake Calahan