2024-08-09 03:35:02
Veteran character actor Gabriel Olds was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday and has been charged with seven felony sexual assault charges, according to the LAPD. The 52-year-old actor who played Pat Robertson in the Jessica Chastain starrer “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” was taken into custody by West Bureau investigators around 9:40 a.m. near the area of Norway Lane and Norman Place in Brentwood. Olds is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations-West Bureau’s Special Assault Section detectives say they are now seeking additional victims and witnesses in a series of sexual assaults in the Los Angeles area that they believe may be tied to Olds, a Yale University alum and son of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Sharon Olds.
On January 19, 2023, a 41-year-old woman told police that Olds raped her at her home in Los Angeles. Two additional adult victims subsequently came forward and made similar reports dating back to 2013. They described consensual dating encounters that descended into violent sexual assault.
On July 19, the L.A. County District Attorney’s office charged Olds with seven felony sexual assault charges and the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a warrant for his arrest for $3.5 million.
The New York native, whose credits date back to the 1993 Jason Priestly starrer “Calendar Girl” and more recently appeared in “NCIS: Los Angeles,” is also a screenwriter who marched the picket lines last year during the WGA strike. His alleged victims told police that he used his status as an Ivy League graduate with success in the film industry to meet women via dating apps. Police say the three Jane Does reported that Olds lured them into a false sense of security during their initial encounters, then turned violent without seeking their consent.
Investigators have identified two additional women who reported lesser violent sexual conduct. Due to Olds’ travels as an actor, detectives believe there may be more victims nationwide that have yet to come forward.
“We heard the same story again and again,” says Det. Brent Hopkins, a Special Assault Section supervisor. “Mr. Olds started off charming, but then used brutal violence to carry out these rapes. Some of these survivors suffered in silence for years before finding the strength to speak up. Now that he’s off the streets, we want to make sure everyone has a chance to be heard.”
Olds has worked for decades in television, appearing in a steady stream of network police procedurals as well as acclaimed series like “Boardwalk Empire” and “Six Feet Under.” He also is a mainstay in the New York theater world, with credits that include Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” at the Roundabout Theater.
Olds is represented by Imperium 7 Talent Agency, a boutique agency whose clients include Gina Gershon and Paula Patton. The agency did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
