Merlin Olsen
Actor
Born September 15, 1940 in Logan, Utah, USA
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 Prairie (1977 - 1981). He went on to star as the title character in the Western series Father Murphy (1981 - 1983).
Filmography
Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure
Self (archive footage)
Fathers and Sons
Time Bomb
Jake Calahan
Father Murphy
John Michael Murphy
The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
Todd Simms
A Fire in the Sky
Stan Webster
Mitchell
Benton
Little House on the Prairie
Jonathan Garvey
Kung Fu
Perlee Skowrin
The Brian Keith Show
Something Big
Sgt. Fitzsimmons
One More Train to Rob
Eli Jones
Monday Night Football
Defensive Tackle
The Undefeated
Little George
Shindig!
Petticoat Junction