Eric Christian Olsen was born on May 31, 1977 in Eugene, Oregon studied pre-med at Pepperdine University. His main interest was sports in high school, but in 1996 he went to California with $500 in his pocket. In his first week he scored a guest role on the ABC-TV series High Incident, executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. His next guest appearance was on the Fox TV series Millennium.

Olsen then landed a role in Black Cat Run before making his big screen debut in the leading role of Arthur in Arthur’s Quest.

Having a lead role under his belt, he soon landed a recurring role in the Fox TV series Get Real, playing Cameron Green. The series lasted for a year but he had a mermorable role as a burn victim, before landing another recurring role on the short-lived series Ruling Class. He played a gunner in Pearl Harbor, then landed a leading role in the teen send up feature film Not Another Teen Movie.

In Local Boys, Olsen got the chance to show off his surfing skills. He also played Jake in the teen comedy The Hot Chick, and Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, and later Olsen scored a role in Cellular, starring Kim Basinger. It also paired him with Chris Evans for the second time.