# Susan Olsen

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American actress (born 1961)

Susan Olsen Olsen in 2009 Born Susan Marie Olsen (1961-08-14) August 14, 1961 (age 64) Santa Monica, California, U.S. Education William Howard Taft High School Occupations Actress radio personality Years active 1968–present Known for The Brady Bunch The Brady Kids The Bradys Spouse(s) Steve Ventimiglia ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 1990)​ Mitch Skelly ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2004)​ Children 1

**Susan Marie Olsen** (born August 14, 1961) is an American actress and former radio personality. Olsen is known for her role as [Cindy Brady](/source/List_of_The_Brady_Bunch_characters#Cindy_Brady), the youngest Brady child in the sitcom *[The Brady Bunch](/source/The_Brady_Bunch)* for the full run of the show, from 1969 to 1974.

## Early life

Olsen was born in [Santa Monica](/source/Santa_Monica%2C_California), California, to Lawrence and DeLoice Olsen, the youngest of four children.[1]

Olsen graduated from William H. Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California in 1979.[2]

## Acting career

### Early roles and *The Brady Bunch*

Olsen landed a number of supporting roles in television, most notably in *[Ironside](/source/Ironside_(1967_TV_series))*, *[Gunsmoke](/source/Gunsmoke)*, and *[Julia](/source/Julia_(1968_TV_series))*, and appeared in the [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley) movie *[The Trouble With Girls](/source/The_Trouble_with_Girls_(film))* (1968) as a squeaky-clean singer in a singing contest.

Cast photo of *[The Brady Bunch](/source/The_Brady_Bunch)*. Back (L-R): [Christopher Knight](/source/Christopher_Knight_(actor)) (Peter), [Barry Williams](/source/Barry_Williams_(actor)) (Greg), [Ann B. Davis](/source/Ann_B._Davis) (Alice). Second row (L-R): [Eve Plumb](/source/Eve_Plumb) (Jan), [Florence Henderson](/source/Florence_Henderson) (Carol), [Robert Reed](/source/Robert_Reed) (Mike), [Maureen McCormick](/source/Maureen_McCormick) (Marcia). Front (L-R): Susan Olsen (Cindy), [Mike Lookinland](/source/Mike_Lookinland) (Bobby).

Olsen as Cindy Brady, the youngest of *[The Brady Bunch](/source/The_Brady_Bunch)*

At just under age eight, Olsen was cast as [Cindy Brady](/source/Cindy_Brady) on *[The Brady Bunch](/source/The_Brady_Bunch)* (1969–1974). As an adult, Olsen has said that portraying Cindy made friendships difficult for her as a child. She most disliked the season two "tattletale" episode, in which Cindy incessantly [tattles](/source/Tattle) on her siblings. Because of the episode, she was shunned by real-life peers, who did not understand the difference between actors and their characters.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] She was also the voice of Cindy in the ABC Saturday morning cartoon *[The Brady Kids](/source/The_Brady_Kids)* (1972–1974). Olsen has appeared in all *Brady Bunch* reunion movies and specials with the exception of *[A Very Brady Christmas](/source/A_Very_Brady_Christmas)* (1988), which was filmed when she and her first husband Steve Ventimiglia were on their [honeymoon](/source/Honeymoon). In that movie, Cindy Brady was played by actress [Jennifer Runyon](/source/Jennifer_Runyon). Olsen has openly acknowledged that she felt Cindy Brady was presented as too stupid throughout the time she played her, though she could adapt to it, with her mother encouraging her that the role was also cute.[3]

In 2005, [VH1](/source/VH1) ranked her No. 34 in *The 100 Greatest Kid Stars* of television and film.[4] In 2007, Olsen and her fellow cast members were honored with the TV Pop Culture Award on the [TV Land Awards](/source/TV_Land_Awards), one of the few awards *The Brady Bunch* has ever won.

As a teen, Olsen was the spokesgirl for [Sindy](/source/Sindy) doll, made by [Marx Toys](/source/Marx_Toys) from the mid-1970s. As an adult, Olsen moved into the [graphic design](/source/Graphic_design) business and in 1998 briefly marketed a brand of glow-in-the-dark shoes for [Converse](/source/Converse_(shoe_company)). She also worked as a [talk show host](/source/Talk_radio) at the Los Angeles radio station [KLSX](/source/KNX-FM) from 1995 to 1996 with [Ken Ober](/source/Ken_Ober), and co-hosted and co-wrote another radio show with comedian [Allan Havey](/source/Allan_Havey) at Comedy World in 2000.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### After *The Brady Bunch*

Along with *Brady Bunch* costar [Mike Lookinland](/source/Mike_Lookinland), she auditioned for *[The Swiss Family Robinson](/source/The_Swiss_Family_Robinson_(1975_TV_series))* television series in 1975. Her role was eventually played by [Helen Hunt](/source/Helen_Hunt). In 1976, she signed on for the variety show, *[The Brady Bunch Variety Hour](/source/The_Brady_Bunch_Variety_Hour)*, which lasted nine episodes.

After graduating from high school in 1979, her acting roles were few, save for several *Brady Bunch* reunion specials. She reprised her role as Cindy Brady in *[The Brady Brides](/source/The_Brady_Bunch#The_Brady_Girls_Get_Married_/_The_Brady_Brides)* in 1981, and the short-lived CBS drama series *[The Bradys](/source/The_Bradys)* in 1990. An [urban legend](/source/Urban_legend) claimed that Olsen had become an [adult film](/source/Adult_film) star. In a late 1990s television interview, Olsen stated that her "porn" connection was that she created space ship sound effects for a porn film called *Love Probe from a Warm Planet*.[5]

She appeared in episode 26 of [Cartoon Network](/source/Cartoon_Network)'s talk show *[Space Ghost Coast to Coast](/source/Space_Ghost_Coast_to_Coast)*, "Switcheroo", with [Cassandra Peterson](/source/Cassandra_Peterson) as "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Olsen has also been an advocate for [migraine](/source/Migraine) sufferers since 1998. She described her headaches on *[Larry King Live](/source/Larry_King_Live)*.[6]

In the fourth quarter of 2008, Olsen appeared on [Fox Reality](/source/Fox_Reality)'s *Gimme My Reality Show*, in which celebrities compete to win their own reality show. She used this vehicle to make a statement about animal rescue, a cause with which she is deeply involved. On June 6, 2009, Olsen thanked retired game show host and animal rights activist [Bob Barker](/source/Bob_Barker) when the Brady actors accepted an honor at the GSN Awards. An animal welfare advocate, she has served on the board of directors of the non-profit organization Precious Paws, a rescue group.[7]

On September 1, 2009, Olsen released the [coffee table book](/source/Coffee_table_book) *[Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour](/source/Love_to_Love_You_Bradys)* that celebrates the 1976–1977 television variety show *[The Brady Bunch Hour](/source/The_Brady_Bunch_Hour)*.[8]

In September 2010, Olsen made a guest appearance on *[The Young and the Restless](/source/The_Young_and_the_Restless)* playing Mrs. Liza Morton, the owner of a preschool.[9]

In 2011, she appeared in season 3, episode 43 of [The Biography Channel](/source/The_Biography_Channel)'s reality show *[Celebrity Ghost Stories](/source/Celebrity_Ghost_Stories)*.[10]

In July 2012, Olsen was one of a limited number of artists and celebrities invited to show their work in *Art with an Agenda: An Exhibit Inspired by Kelly Thomas* at the PAS Gallery in [Fullerton, California](/source/Fullerton%2C_California),[11] inspired by the life and circumstances surrounding the [killing of Kelly Thomas](/source/Killing_of_Kelly_Thomas), a homeless, [schizophrenic](/source/Schizophrenia), 37-year-old man who was beaten by members of the [Fullerton Police Department](/source/Fullerton_Police_Department) on July 5, 2011.[12] Olsen's piece, "Still Life", showed a half-eaten donut in a puddle of blood beside a lit flashlight.[13]

In December 2016, Olsen was reportedly let go from her radio show, "Two Chicks Talkin' Politics" on LA Talk Radio, after engaging in a [Facebook](/source/Facebook) feud with openly gay actor Leon Acord-Whiting. Responding to comments Acord-Whiting had made about her on another station, Olsen unleashed a profane rant against him, accusing him of cowardice. Acord-Whiting accused Olsen of [homophobia](/source/Homophobia) for the remarks (which included repeated use of the word "[faggot](/source/Faggot)") and successfully lobbied to have Olsen fired.[14][15] Despite this, Olsen told Fox News in 2019 that she has "been the subject of fake news" and "never got fired".[16]

Olsen joined with the other surviving main cast members of *The Brady Bunch* in the 2019 television series *[A Very Brady Renovation](/source/A_Very_Brady_Renovation)* on [HGTV](/source/HGTV).[17] In 2021, she starred in the [Lifetime](/source/Lifetime_(TV_network)) Christmas movie *[Blending Christmas](/source/Blending_Christmas)* alongside her *Brady Bunch* co-stars [Christopher Knight](/source/Christopher_Knight_(actor)), [Mike Lookinland](/source/Mike_Lookinland), [Barry Williams](/source/Barry_Williams_(actor)), and [Robbie Rist](/source/Robbie_Rist).[18]

## Filmography

### Film

Year Title Role Notes 1969 The Trouble with Girls Auditioning Singer 1995 The Brady Bunch Movie Mailwoman Scenes deleted 2009 Zombo Frumpy Woman Short 2015 Mama Claus, Deck the Halls with Guts Mama Claus

### Television

Year Title Role Notes 1968 Ironside Tracy Richards "Barbara Who" 1968 Julia Pamela "Paint Your Waggedorn" 1968–69 Gunsmoke Marianne Johnson "Abelia", "A Man Called 'Smith'" 1969–1974 The Brady Bunch Cindy Brady Main role 1970 The Boy Who Stole the Elephant Lucy Owens Disney TV film 1972 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie Cindy Brady (voice) "The Brady Kids on Mysterious Island" 1972–74 The Brady Kids Cindy Brady (voice) Main role 1976–77 The Brady Bunch Hour Cindy Brady Main role 1981 The Brady Girls Get Married Cindy Brady TV film 1990 The Bradys Cindy Brady Main role 1999 Pacific Blue Cindy Russell "Stargazer" 2010 The Young and the Restless Liza Morton 2 episodes 2012 The Great Halloween Puppy Adventure Rachel TV film 2013 Holiday Road Trip Edna TV film 2013–2016 Child of the '70s Nickel Laundry TV series 2019 A Very Brady Renovation Susan Olsen TV series 2021 Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch Margie Paramount Plus TV special 2021 Blending Christmas Valerie TV film

## Book

- *[Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour](/source/Love_to_Love_You_Bradys)* (2009) - [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781550228885](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781550228885) (with Ted Nichelson and Lisa Sutton)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Moran, Elizabeth (1995). "The Cast, Then and Now". *Bradymania: Everything You Always Wanted to Know and a Few Things You Probably Didn't* (25th Anniversary ed.). Adams Media. p. 107. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1558504184](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1558504184). Susan Marie Olsen, the youngest of the Brady clan, is also the youngest of the Olsen clan. Born in Santa Monica, California, on August 14, 1961, to Lawrence and DeLoice ("Dee") Olsen…

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** William H. Taft High School Yearbook, Atinian, 1979, Woodland Hills, CA, pg. 40

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hoffman, Jordan (April 29, 2025). ["Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen knew Cindy was stupid: 'It was something I had to accept'"](https://ew.com/the-brady-bunch-star-susan-olsen-knew-cindy-brady-was-stupid-11720724). Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 20, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["VH1 Names Gary Coleman the Greatest Kid Star"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101129190824/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vh1-names-gary-coleman-the-greatest-kid-star-54607837.html). *PRNewswire.com*. June 9, 2005. Archived from [the original](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vh1-names-gary-coleman-the-greatest-kid-star-54607837.html) on November 29, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Olsen, Susan [@susanolsen888] (December 12, 2012). ["I've always loved the porn rumor. I actually did contribute to the sound track of 'Love Probe From a Warm Planet'"](https://twitter.com/susanolsen888/status/278932667674800129) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))). Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via [Twitter](/source/Twitter).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["CNN Larry King Live"](https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-04-26/segment/01). [CNN](/source/CNN). April 26, 2005.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Rappaport, Jill](/source/Jill_Rappaport) (August 14, 2012). ["Former 'Brady Bunch' star helps animals in need"](https://www.today.com/pets/former-brady-bunch-star-helps-animals-need-941349). *[Today](/source/Today_(American_TV_program))*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Oates, Barb (February 22, 2025). ["'Brady Bunch Variety Hour' Was Voted 4th Worst Show in TV History … And Star Susan Olsen Is Proud (Exclusive)"](https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/26245/brady-bunch-variety-hour-susan-olsen-worst-show/). *[ReMIND Magazine](/source/ReMIND_Magazine)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Rice, Lynette (July 23, 2010). ["Susan Olsen guests on 'The Young and the Restless'"](https://ew.com/article/2010/07/23/susan-olsen-to-appear-on-the-young-and-the-restless/). *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Celebrity Ghost Stories"](https://www.aetv.com/shows/celebrity-ghost-stories-classics/season-3/episode-16). [*Celebrity Ghost Stories*](/source/Celebrity_Ghost_Stories). Season 3. United States. December 10, 2011. [A&E](/source/A%26E_(TV_network)). Retrieved February 26, 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Art with an Agenda – Inspired by Kelly Thomas"](https://www.2pas.org/art/past-exhibits/art-with-an-agenda-inspired-by-kelly-thomas/). *2PAS.org*. July 6, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Bose, Lilledeshan (June 27, 2012). ["Art with an Agenda: An Exhibit Inspired by Kelly Thomas"](https://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/orange/justice-for-kelly-art-show.html). *[KCET](/source/KCET)*. Retrieved August 12, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Ponsi, Lou (June 30, 2012). ["Kelly Thomas' life, death are focus of graphic exhibit"](http://www.ocregister.com/news/thomas-361336-kelly-officers.html). *ocregister.com*. Retrieved August 12, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dailynews_14-0)** Bitette, Nicole (December 10, 2016). ["'Brady Bunch' actress Susan Olsen fired from L.A. radio show hosting gig after homophobic rant"](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/actress-susan-olsen-fired-radio-show-homophobic-rant-article-1.2906173). *Daily News*. Retrieved December 10, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-usmagazine_15-0)** Hautman, Nicolas (December 10, 2016). ["Brady Bunch's Susan Olsen fired as radio host after homophobic rant"](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/brady-bunchs-susan-olsen-fired-as-radio-host-after-homophobic-rant-w455079). *[US Magazine](/source/US_Magazine)*. Retrieved December 10, 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-foxnews_16-0)** Nolasco, Stephanie (September 9, 2019). ["Susan Olsen talks 'A Very Brady Bunch Renovation,' says voting for Trump got her in trouble on radio show"](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/susan-olsen-a-very-brady-bunch-renovation-trump-radio). *[Fox News](/source/Fox_News)*. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Lee, Luaine (September 8, 2019). "Bradys go 'home' again for HGTV". *[The Baltimore Sun](/source/The_Baltimore_Sun)*. p. A&E 4.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Jones, Marcus (May 19, 2021). ["Lifetime reunites High School Musical, Brady Bunch stars for holiday movies"](https://ew.com/tv/lifetime-holiday-movies-reunite-high-school-musical-brady-bunch-stars/). *Entertainment Weekly*. Retrieved December 22, 2021.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Susan Olsen](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Susan_Olsen).

- [Official website](http://www.susanolsen.net/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170217142633/http://www.susanolsen.net/) February 17, 2017, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

- [Susan Olsen](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001582/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- Olsen, Susan (August 29, 2009). ["youngest one in curls"](http://www.frankmurphy.com/2009/08/youngest-one-in-curls.html). *frankmurphy.com*. Interviewed by Frank Murphy. Retrieved June 30, 2020.

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF WorldCat National United States France BnF data Other Open Library Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Olsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Olsen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Olsen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.