Mary-Kate Olsen

After launching an entertainment empire with her sister Ashley, Mary-Kate Olsen is eager to establish herself as a successful solo act. Mary-Kate was born on June 13, 1986 in Los Angeles, and she and her twin sister were acting before they could even talk. The nine-month-old twins were hired in 1987 to play Michelle Tanner on the popular television series Full House. The show was a runaway success and ran from 1987 to 1995 on ABC. Following Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley became tween sensations, releasing a string of successful straight-to-video movies, clothes, dolls, books, accessories and magazines through their own company called Dualstar, which was established in 1993.

In 2007, Forbes ranked the girls as the eleventh-richest women in entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $100 million. The twins hoped for biog screen success in the 2004 comedy New York Minute, but the film failed to catch on with audiences and was critically panned. Mary-Kate’s weight has been the subject of constant media attention and in 2004, she checked herself into a Utah rehab facility for six weeks for the treatment of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. The actress has established herself as a fashion icon, popularizing the ‘Bohemian’ look - consisting of over-sized sunglasses, scarves, boots, loose sweaters, and flowing skirts.

Mary-Kate took on her first solo role on the Showtime series Weeds, playing Tara Lindman, a devout Christian with an insatiable craving for the wacky weed. She is also co-starring in the upcoming drug comedy The Wackness, which is already infamous for a scene where she makes out with Sir Ben Kingsley, who is over 40 years her senior. Slowly but surely, Mary-Kate is emerging from the shadow of ‘The Olsen Twins’ and becoming a fascinating star in her own right.