Olive Tell was born in New York City sometime in 1894. She appeared in
her first film when she was 23 years old in
Her Sister (1917). Largely a
character actress, Olive did appear in few films when compared to her
contemporaries. Olive was one of a few character actresses to
successfully make the transition form the silent to the sound era.
After filming
Zaza (1938) in 1939, Olive left films for good. On June 8,
1951, she died of heart failure in the city of her birth. She was 57
years old.