Theodore V. Olsen (b. April 25, 1932, Rhinelander, Wisconsin; d. July 13, 1993, Rhinelander) was an American western fiction author. Olsen went to school in Rhinelander and began to write in high school. He began a western novel at that time. Olsen went to college in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He finally finished his novel, Haven of the Hunted, and it was published in 1956. Olsen also began to sell western stories to pulp magazines at this time. Though Olsen would occasionally travel west, he lived his whole life in Rhinelander and would use exhaustive research to help accurately portray scenes of the west in his stories. He died in Rhinelander in 1993 and several works were published posthumously.
Much of T.V. Olsen's family still lives in the Rhinelander region. They own a ranch with a century old farm house and dairy barn. The family immigrated from Norway in 1901. The Phillip Olsen family moved to California in the 1950s. Phillip Olsen had three sons named John, Larry and Timmy Olsen. Phillip Olsen has five grand children. They are Jeremy Olsen, Maureen Olsen, Katrina Olsen (attends the University of California Berkeley), Issak Olsen and Tori Olsen.
Novels(selection):Haven of the Hunted (1956)Brand of the Star (1961)The Burning Sky (1971)A Man Named Yuma (1971)Blood Rage (1987)
His 1969 novel "Arrow In The Sun" was made into the marginal 1970 film, "Soldier Blue," which spawned a reissue of the book under this new title. The film should have been better since it featured Candice Bergen and Peter Strauss. Fortunately, "Stalking Moon," which was made into a film starring Gregory Peck, stands as one of the best film adaptations of a western ever to grace the screen. Regardless of either film's standing, both books are very good examples of how well Olsen could write. His stories were compelling and his characters real. When compared to other authors who worked in the western genre, T.V. Olsen was one of the best. Regardless of the Olsen title you pick up, you will have hard time putting it down.