On a sunny July afternoon, Nancy Olson celebrated her 97th birthday, a testament to a life rich in stories and unfiltered reflections. For many, achieving lifelong dreams evokes feelings of euphoria, but for Olson, it turned out that her grand ambitions weren’t truly her own.
In 1950, Olson stepped into the spotlight with her unforgettable performance in Billy Wilder’s iconic film, Sunset Boulevard. She portrayed the fiercely determined screenwriter, Betty Schaefer, sharing the screen with cinema legends Gloria Swanson and William Holden. The film remains a classic, exploring the darker sides of Hollywood’s glitzy façade.
Reflecting on her time in the film, Olson shared in a 2023 interview with IndieWire, “I was told that I was going to play the part of Betty Schaefer and I read the script. It was about an aspiring young writer. I grew up in an educated family, which made it believable that I wanted to be a writer.”
Her performance garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. At just 22, Olson expressed a refreshing sense of realism: “I did not expect to win, and I did not win. I felt very rewarded being nominated, and that was quite enough,” she told listeners on The Hollywood Reporter’s It Happened In Hollywood podcast in 2025.
While Sunset Boulevard took home three Oscars, none were for acting or directing. The film did win for Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Art Direction — Black and White, and Best Story and Screenplay, cementing its legacy as a cinematic masterpiece.
Now the last surviving cast member of this legendary film, Olson believes its enduring popularity lies in its ability to unveil harsh truths about the entertainment industry. “It was built on commodities to sell, and the actors were made bigger than their reality,” she added. “They were figures used to sell motion pictures, made more beautiful and desirable than possible.”
Following her success, Olson found herself disillusioned with Hollywood, swiftly pivoting from the allures of stardom to fulfill contractual obligations with Paramount. As effortlessly as she fell in love with acting, she fell out just as quickly.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Olson made appearances in several films but officially hung up her acting hat in the mid-1980s. However, cinema couldn’t keep her away entirely; she made a few memorable comebacks, one as recent as 2014.
In 2023, Olson published her memoir, A Front Row Seat: An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour, where she reflects candidly on her experiences. In her characteristic forthright style, Olson reveals the ups and downs of her fascinating journey through the worlds of Hollywood and Broadway.
As fans continue to revisit the film that launched her career, Olson’s journey serves as a reminder that the glitter of Hollywood often masks the complexities behind the scenes. Her revelations resonate with audiences, making them reflect not just on the glitz and glamour, but on the genuine stories that lie beneath.
Netflix is filled with documentaries and shows featuring Hollywood’s most iconic figures, furthering the conversation about the complexities of fame, much like Olson’s story. As cultural conversations around films like Sunset Boulevard continue, so does Olson’s remarkable legacy in the fabric of cinema.