- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGeorge Elliot Olden
- Georg Olden was born on November 13, 1920 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He was a director, known for The Mod Squad (1968), Studio One (1948) and Wonderful Town (1958). He was married to Terri Phillips Baker and Courtenaye MacBeth. He died on January 25, 1975 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- SpousesTerri Phillips Baker(1966 - January 25, 1975) (his death, 1 child)Courtenaye MacBeth(December 25, 1941 - 1966) (divorced)
- Children
- RelativesSylvia Olden Lee(Sibling)
- Designed logos for New York City Off-Track Betting and National Urban League.
- First African-American graphic artist to work at a television network.
- Became the first artist to design news graphics at CBS and supervised the vote-tallying graphics of the first live presidential election coverage in 1952. In 1956, he received the New York Art Directors Club medal. As television grew more popular, Olden was responsible for the graphics of some of its main shows of the era including The Ed Sullivan Show, Lassie, Gunsmoke and The Late Show. According to 250 Years of Afro-American Art: An Annotated Bibliography, his work appeared 108 times between 1951 and 1960.
- The decline of his career caused his estrangement from Terri Baker Olden prompting him to move in with his new girlfriend, Irene "Maya" Mikolajczyk. On January 25, 1975 Maya shot and killed Georg in possible self-defense. Having a strong case, she pleaded not guilty, was released on $1,000 bail and acquitted of the charge on May 14, 1975.
- In 1945, his supervisor recommended him to the vice president of the CBS TV division and the agency's communications director, Colonel Lawrence W. Lowman. Soon afterwards, Olden, at 24, became the head art director for CBS's new television division. He remained with CBS until 1960.
- As the first black American to achieve an executive position with a major corporation, my goal was the same as that of Jackie Robinson in baseball: to achieve maximum respect and recognition by my peers, the industry and the public, thereby hopefully expanding acceptance of, and opportunities for, future black Americans in business.
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