Olive Tell was born in New York City sometime in 1894. She appeared in her first film when she was 23 years old in Her Sister (1917). Largely a character actress, Olive did appear in few films when compared to her contemporaries. Olive was one of a few character actresses to successfully make the transition form the silent to the sound era. After filming Zaza (1938) in 1939, Olive left films for good. On June 8, 1951, she died of heart failure in the city of her birth. She was 57 years old.