American actor and model Tye Olson was born and raised in Northern Minnesota, the son of Rebecca (Backman) and Allen Olson. Rebecca worked as an interior designer and Allen as an engineer. Tyler is one of two children, and is the only member of his family to follow a career in acting. He was educated at Bemidji High School before going on to American Intercontinental University, Los Angeles, where he studied Fashion Design and Marketing. Encouraged by his mother, Olson was involved in the arts from a young age. His first stage appearance was in a production of Alice in Wonderland, in his hometown Crosby, Minnesota. He played the King of Hearts. Acting continued through school and university, including performing with the school's show choir.Olson's first professional film performance came in 2006 in Los Angeles where he played the lead, Danny Wheeler, in Watercolors. In 2008, he won the prestigious Best Actor Award at LA Outfest for his work in David Oliveras' feature film Watercolors. Further film successes followed and in 2007 he landed a supporting role in Stewart Wade's Tru Loved that filmed in Los Angeles. Both films traveled the 2008 film festivals together internationally. He received huge critical acclaim for his role, winning a Best Actor Award two more times that year. A featured role in the film Brother's War directed by Jerry Buyten followed in 2009. Olson bridged into television in 2010 and guest starred on the award-winning HBO TV series United States of Tara as Alex. Since then he has worked on many short films and starred on Japanese television.Alongside working in film and TV, Olson has appeared in a number of music videos. Notable projects include videos for Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and Blue October.