Merlin Olsen
Born in Logan, Utah, USA — Sep 15 1940• Died Mar 10 2010
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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 Prai…
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Merlin Olsen's Credits
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Little House on the Prairie
Jonathan Garvey
Petticoat Junction
Monday Night Football
Defensive Tackle
The Brian Keith Show
Shindig!
Father Murphy
John Michael Murphy
Aaron's Way
Aaron Miller
The Undefeated
Little George
Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure
Self (archive footage)
Mitchell
Benton
One More Train to Rob
Eli Jones
A Fire in the Sky
Stan Webster
Kung Fu
Perlee Skowrin
Something Big
Sgt. Fitzsimmons
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Todd Simms
Fathers and Sons
Time Bomb
Jake Calahan