Biography

Noel Olken was born in Chicago, IL. He started doing theatre at the age of 7, and has never really stopped. In high school he was part of a city-wide gifted student program in Radio/TV production at WBEZ Chicago, then owned by the Chicago Board of Education. He spent two years at the station, where during his weekly classes he learned radio/TV production and created student programming. Skipping college after H.S., he drove a cab and played guitar in a band.

When he was twenty, he started traveling around the world. He hitch-hiked and traveled across the US many times, working odd jobs to gain ever more insight into the human condition. He moved to Paris, France for a year and a half and lived as a busker on the streets and in the Parisian Metro. He returned to Chicago for a short time after that, but Paris kept calling him back.

After two summers working at a cannery in Alaska, he moved back to Paris to study mime and theatre. He studied with world-renowned teacher Etienne Decroux, and then with Theatre De L'Ange Fou, and finally for three years with Daniel Stein, one of his most influential mentors. In Paris he did theatre in English and French, did Voice Over work, did clown theatre on the streets, busked, and taught theater.

After leaving Paris, he spent a year in New York City, living in Hell's Kitchen. A chance meeting back in Paris for a VO job introduced him to Bob Meyer, who offered him a role in a new play in Chicago. He moved back to Chicago to be a part of Meyer's adaptation of "M, The Murderer " at the Organic Theatre. He then did theatre in Chicago for the next six years. He co-founded Sliced Bread Productions with Wm. Bullion, and played the title role in their officially sanctioned adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's "BAAL".

During this time he met and married Kris Cahill, an artist and entrepreneur. They are still married.

Wanting to branch out more into film, he started working in the Chicago film industry. He worked as a PA for two years, then a location scout, and finally as a location manager. One of his favorite jobs was working with Robert Altman on "The Company".

It was during this time he wrote and directed his first feature Film, "Slave" (2003), and produced another feature, Lance Catania's "Cup Of My Blood" (2005).

Not completely content with the film industry grind, and seeking to get back to his true love, acting, he started doing theatre again. Working with Black Forest Theatre on an original production, they took "Henry Goodbar, Telepath" to the storied Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Soon after, he and Kris moved out west to Los Angeles (to join the circus) and spent 16 years there, where he wrote, produced and directed his second feature, "Explode", acted in film and TV, and did theatre. He studied at the Ivana Chubbuck Studio for two years.

The pandemic brought about many changes for Noel and Kris, like for so many people, and during the pandemic they moved across country twice, first from LA to Portland Oregon, and then to Atlanta. Atlanta is a very exciting production center.

Noel really likes living and working in the vibrant Atlanta Film and TV industry. When not acting or auditioning, he is a handyman, and is always looking for his next acting opportunity.
- IMDb mini biography by: Noel Olken