Timothy Olyphantwas born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1968 to Bevan and Katherine Olyphant. At the age of two, his family moved to Modesto, California, where he was raised. Olyphant attended Fred C. Beyer High School, and was interested in art, drawing, competitive swimming, and acting. Growing up, he was nicknamed “Olyphantastic” because he was so multi-talented. Olyphant would eventually study fine arts at the University of Southern California, where he was also recruited to their swim team.
After he graduated from university in 1990, Olyphant applied for a master’s in fine arts at the University of California, Irvine. During this time there, Olyphant tried his hand at stand-up comedy, after which he decided to become an actor. After taking an elective acting class in his final year at UC Irvine, Olyphant moved to New York to further his studies at the William Esper Studio, which offered a two-year acting program.
Olyphant would find recognition in 1995 when he made his stage debut as Tim Hapgood in the Off-Broadway playThe Monogamist, which earned him the Theater World Award for his performance. Olyphant is set torevive his roleas Raylan Givens in theJustifiedsequel seriesJustified: City Primeval. Here are his ten best performances, ranked.
10Santa Clarita Diet
In one of his more comedic roles, Olyphant shines as Joel Hammond in Netflix’sSanta Clarita Diet, opposite Drew Barrymoore. When his wife becomes a zombie, Hammond takes the adjustment in stride and continues to support his wife and her new lifestyle, which leads to some humorous situations. Joel Hammond is one of Olyphant’s best performances because it is a nice change of pace from his typical cowboy role.Santa Clarita Dietwas canceledafter three seasons.
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9The Crazies
The Craziesis a remake of the 1973 George Romero film of the same name. It follows the residents of Pierce County after a plane crash unleashes a toxic virus that causes the afflicted to go mad. Olyphant stars as the Sheriff who must rescue his pregnant wife after the two are separated due to quarantine. It is one of Olyphant‘s best performances as he has mastered the reluctant hero role.
8High Life
Don’t let its title fool you:High Lifeis more sophisticated than it sounds. It isn’t yourtypical stoner comedy, but rather an overlooked comedy heist movie with an independent film vibe. The film is set in 1983 and stars Olyphant as Dick a hospital janitor, who loses his job after a visit from his former cellmate Bug. His sudden change in circumstance has Dick plotting a “precision” ATM robbery, however, things fall apart, quickly leading to a disastrous outcome. Olyphant gives a tremendous performance as hapless junkie Dick, who is surprisingly likable.
7The Mandalorian
Timothy Olyphant surprised fans when he starred inThe MandalorianSeason 2 debut as Cobb Vanth. He also reprised the role forThe Book of Boba Fett. Despite his limited screen time, the character made quite an impression onStar Warsfans, who hope to see his character return in Season 3 ofThe Mandalorian,which is slated for release in February 2023. Olyphant tends to gravitate towards the role of authority, even appearing as The Marshall inThe Mandalorian.Den of Geekdiscusses how Olyphant has made a name for himself as a hard-nosed law man and how it works for him.
6Live Free or Die Hard
Olyphant stars as villain Thomas Gabriel inLive Free or Die Hard. It is one of his best performances because he expertly captures the annoyance and frustration necessary to go toe-to-toe with John McClane. The film deviates from the typicalDie Hardplot in dealing with real-world terrorists, and in a more modern twist, pits McClane against cyberterrorism.
In the second installment of theScreamFranchise, Olyphant stars in his first big role as Mickey Altieri, an overzealous film student who takes his love of movies too far, when he goes on a killing spree to see if he can blame the movies for his real-life violence. Olyphant gives a convincing performance inScream 2as the two-faced killer who plays a homicidal maniac, while also masquerading as the caring friend. The originalScreamspawned several sequels and a TV series and remains one of thehighest grossing horror franchisesof all time.
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Gois an underrated 90s black comedy that is often compared toPulp Fiction. It chronicles the story of Ronna (Sarah Polley), a grocery store clerk who becomes an impromptu drug dealer to avoid being evicted. When asked for drugs at her work, she buys some pills from drug dealer Todd, leaving her friend Claire as collateral. When Ronna later flushes the pills to avoid being busted, things get interesting. Todd Gaines is one of Olyphant’s best roles as he brings a certain charisma to the otherwise sketchy drug dealer. Director Doug Liman recently shared his experience making the cult classic movie withThe Ringer.
3The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Dooris a romantic comedy about Matthew, an awkward teenager who falls for his neighbor Danielle. The pair slowly strike up a relationship, but things become complicated when Matthew learns that Danielle is a former adult film star. When Matthew convinces Danielle to leave the adult film industry for good, her ex-boyfriend and manager Kelly (Olyphant) is furious and begins terrorizing the teen. Olyphant steals the show as the psychotic ex-boyfriend with an axe to grind.
Deadwoodis an HBO series that aired from 2004 to 2006. It is set in the 1870s and follows the growth of Deadwood, South Dakota. Writer David Milch used diaries and newspaper articles from that era as inspiration for the show, while mixinghistorically accurate storieswith fictional elements. Olyphant plays real-life resident Seth Bullock and leads a terrific ensemble cast.
1Justified
In his best role, Olyphant stars as tough-as-nails U.S. Deputy Marshall Raylan Givens inJustified. Having committed justifiable homicide against a mob man, Givens is relocated to his hometown of Kentucky to deal with his anger issues. He is, however, not pleased to return to his hometown and soon becomes embroiled in all the mayhem he sought to leave behind. He gets roped into old beefs with his ex-wife, former friends, and criminal father. Fans of the show will be pleased to know, that Olyphant is set to reprise his role in the limited seriesJustified: City Primeval. No release date has been set.
