Talent
- Eric Christian Olsen
August 2023
Eric Christian Olsen is an actor, writer and producer best known for his portrayal of Special Agent Martin Atticus Deeks for 14 seasons on NCIS: LOS ANGELES. You may have also seen him in critically acclaimed films like “Battle of the Sexes” or “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” or blockbusters like “Pearl Harbor.” Or maybe you caught a late-night cable rerun of “Fired Up” or “Not Another Teen Movie” and thought, “that looks like the guy from NCIS: LOS ANGELES only younger and more naked.”
Olsen’s other television credits include starring roles in “Get Real” and “The Loop,” as well as appearances in “ER,” “Brothers and Sisters” and “24.” Also, he played Vaughn in “Community.” You may remember him as the guitar-playing, absurdly deep V-neck wearing barefoot hippie who appeared in the first season with prosthetically reduced nipples.
In 2016, he founded Cloud Nine Productions to develop complex character-driven television shows across all genres, for both broadcast and cable/streaming platforms. Cloud Nine strives to tell unique stories with hyper-specific characters whose journeys are universally relatable.
The production company produced “Woke” for Hulu, starring Lamorne Morris (“New Girl”), Blake Anderson (“Workaholics”), Rose McIver (GHOSTS, iZOMBIE), Sasheer Zamata (“Saturday Night Live”) and comedian T Murph. Notable development includes “Big Dummie,” an autobiographical comedy starring Korean American rapper Dumbfoundead; a streaming drama about a powerhouse Latinx family of personal injury lawyers who represent plaintiffs in billion dollar class action lawsuits; and a reimagining of the classic TV show MATLOCK starring Kathy Bates as brilliant septuagenarian Madeline Matlock, who after achieving success in her younger years rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm. In addition to CBS Studios and CBS Network, the company has set up shows with Skydance TV, Sony, Peacock, FX, TBS, Roku, NBC, Paramount+, ABC and more.
Olsen is a passionate environmentalist and an executive board member of the Environmental Media Association. He produced the documentary “Andy Irons: Kissed by God” with Teton Gravity Research and Chris Hemsworth, and is also the founding partner and moderator for Harvard University’s School of Public Health’s Reel Science.
Currently, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress and author Sarah Wright Olsen, his three kids, and two giant dire wolves. He has the inquisitive nature of a small child wandering in a dream. Seriously. He’s the only dad who asks “Why?” more than his 2-year-old does. Follow him on instagram @ericcolsen.
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Press
Yani Chang
yani.chang@cbs.com