American actor Eric Christian Olsen was born in Eugene, Oregon on May 31, 1977. He spent most of her childhood in Bettendorf, Iowa, where he attended a local high school. He was educated at Bettendorf High School and Hope College, before dropping out after a year to pursue his love for acting. He studied in Pepperdine University as well, majoring in Child Psychology.
Eric Christian Olsen went to California to pursue an acting career, and landed a guest role in a Steven Spielberg-produced series High Incident. He got a shot of the spotlight at an early stage, when he was given critical acclaim for his portrayal of a dying burn victim on the NBC series ER. Despite following this up with a small role on HBO’s Black Cat Run, Olsen soon landed a starring role in the Fox TV series Get Real. He played Cameron Green in many episodes, before making his transition to the big screen. He eventually signed on to play Ben Affleck’s gunner in the blockbuster Pearl Harbor. Olsen was next seen on an episode of Smallville, before he rose to fame among teen audiences playing the !$#!#y Austin in Not Another Teen Movie. In 2002 he landed a role in Local Boys, where he got to show off his skills in surfing. This was followed by participation in a short film, titled Mean People Suck. He got to work with comedian Rob Schneider on The Hot Chick that same year, while getting a guest spot on the series 24. Olsen then played Lloyd Christmas in the prequel to Dumb and Dumber, which was called Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd. He soon starred in Cellular with Chris Evans, and joined the final season of the series Tru Calling. He got a role alongside Zach Braff in the romantic comedy The Last Kiss, which earned him praise. From 2006 to 2007, Eric Christian Olsen became a cast member on the Fox comedy The Loop. He played the character Sully, the older brother and roommate of Sam Sullivan, played by Bret Harrison. He soon starred in the comedy Sunshine Cleaning in 2008, where he worked with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin.