Years active 1976-1989 Siblings Lewy Olfson Movies Micki & Maude | Role Film actor Name Ken Olfson | |
Occupation Film and television actor Died December 31, 1997, Hollywood, California, United States | ||
Match Game 78 (Episode 1360) (Mabel King and Ken Olfson) Part 1
Ken Olfson (April 2, 1937 – December 31, 1997) was an American film, theater and television actor in the 1970s and 1980s.
Contents
- Match Game 78 Episode 1360 Mabel King and Ken Olfson Part 1
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life and death
- References
Early life
Olfson was born on April 2, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts. He began acting at the age of ten and was active in Boston Children's Theatre until he was 18. He attended Syracuse University before studying at the American Theatre Wing. In 1967 he created the role of Dr. Schoenfeld in Bruce Jay Friedman's off-Broadway hit, "Scuba Duba." He was cast as a standby for Charles Nelson Riley in Neil Simon's God's Favorite which was produced on Broadway in 1974.
Career
In 1976, he co-starred on The Nancy Walker Show as Terry Folson, the first gay principal character on American television. In 1978 he appeared on the short-lived series Flying High. Other series included: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, One Day at a Time, Happy Days, Charlie's Angels, Eight is Enough, Gimme a Break, Three's Company, Diff'rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Murder She Wrote, Trapper John M.D, and Amazing Stories. His films included: Spaceballs, Mr. Mom, Odd Jobs, and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. After many years of volunteering as a lay counselor at Southern California Counseling Center, he was given a staff position as the head of the Training Lay Counselors program (TLC), and asked to design it from scratch. He worked tirelessly to cajole licensed counselors to teach and supervise lay counselors in various community programs throughout the city. This became an extremely popular program that brought people who helped people together, giving them structure and community and, in the end, a graduation that made everyone cry.
Personal life and death
Olfson died of a heart attack on December 31, 1997, in Los Angeles after a two-month illness. He was 60 years old.