Born in San Jose, California, Heather Lauren Olson started modeling and doing commercials at the age of 2½. A top fashion model saw Heather and suggested to her parents that she should pursue modeling. Heather landed an agent in San Francisco and soon booked her first professional modeling job, a cover for a Christmas catalog.
Heather, who became one of San Francisco's top child models, appeared on countless covers, catalogs, greeting cards, toy packages, commercials, adds in Vogue and Elle magazines, fashion shows and clothing hang tags. Jessica McClintock children's dresses still have a picture of a very young Heather on the hang tag.
After three years of doing countless commercials and print work, Heather caught the acting bug and soon landed an agent in Los Angeles. Periodic commutes to Hollywood for auditions paid off when Heather landed a role in Internal Affairs playing Richard Gere's stepdaughter, and music videos for Julian Lennon and Don Henley's "Heart of the Matter." When Heather was almost 8, her family decided to move to Southern California permanently.
Heather added more national commercials to her credits, including campaigns for Fisher Price, Mattel, Kraft, and McDonalds. Television appearances include Quantum Leap, Days of our Lives (playing a young Billie Reed), Star Trek: Next Generation, Sisters (playing a young Ashley Judd), Good Advice, Charlie Grace, and Suddenly Susan. She was a series regular on both Tom Rhodes and the HBO pilot Another Shot with Seth Green before landing the role of Jan on Days of our Lives.
Movies of the week include Lies of the Heart with Jennie Garth, Amelia Earhart with Diane Keaton, The Texas Cheerleader Story and the mini-series The Liz Taylor Story, in which she portrayed a young Elizabeth Taylor. Feature films include Internal Affairs and Leave it to Beaver.
In her spare time, Heather loves hanging out with friends, shopping, weight training, beading, going to movies, collecting Muffy Vander Bears and playing with her cat Mittens. She knows sign language and is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician. When her busy schedule permits, the young actress wants to get her paramedic license. Heather has brown hair and green eyes. She celebrates her birthday on November 12.
Heather was initially released from Days of our Lives in 2002 after it seemed her character had run it's course, but in October of 2003, she was re-hired for the role after NBC started looking around for a new Jan.
Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story
Young Liz (#2)
1995
Amelia Earheart: The Final Flight
Teenage Girl Fan
1994
Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg
Alicia (age 6)
1994
Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story
Shanna (age 8)
1992
Storybook
Young Katarina
1995
Dead on Sight
Young Rebecca
1994
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (a.k.a Die Trying)
Molly
1992
Internal Affairs
Megan
1990
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Jose, California
DATE OF BIRTH: November 12
MARITAL STATUS: Single
