Actor Timothy Olyphant is known for portraying no-nonsense lawmen, from his three-season run on the HBO series Deadwood as Seth Bullock to his role on Justified as Raylan Givens, and the devoted husband of realtor-turned-zombie (Drew Barrymore) on Santa Clarita Diet. But offscreen, he (thankfully) appears to have a much more relaxed home life than his signature characters.
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Olyphant has been married to his college sweetheart, Alexis Knief, who he met at the University of Southern California, since 1991. Together, they have three children: Grace Katherine Olyphant, Henry Olyphant and Vivian Olyphant. Vivian is currently starring opposite her father in the exciting Justified revival, Justified: City Primeval. We can only assume that Alexis is cheering them both on from the sidelines as her husband revives one of his most memorable characters and her daughter makes her acting debut.
It's not easy being the spouse of a Hollywood star, but these two seem to have found the key to longevity. Here's everything we know about Olyphant's longtime love, wife Alexis Knief.
Timothy Olyphant + Wife Alexis Knief
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In a 2011 interview Olyphant explained the secret to his lasting relationship and we have to admit, it's pretty solid advice.
"You have to be with the right person, and you both have to be willing to do the work, day in and day out, to make it happen," Olyphant told Women's Health.
Of course, having a sense of humor doesn't hurt either. And both Olyphant and his wife seem to have one.
During a 2012 interview on Conan, Olyphant explained that his wife wrote a killer punchline just in case he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series the previous year.
"Kyle Chandler won the Emmy. I was very happy for him. But I think he deprived everyone of a great speech...My opening line -- this was my wife's idea, actually. I was going to look at the trophy...and then look out at my wife of 20 years and say, 'Well honey, this is it. I'm finally leaving you.'"
Married Life
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The couple isn't on social media and prefer to keep their personal life private.
During a 2019 interview with Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Olyphant told the host that, while they reside in Los Angeles, his wife is less than impressed with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
"I have a fantasy that I get nominated for an Oscar and then as the award show approaches....I say 'Well, the Oscars are Sunday' and she goes 'That's kind of your thing,'" Olyphant joked.
Early Life and Career
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Olyphant was raised in Modesto, California, where he attended Fred C. Beyer High School. He began acting in college and made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in The Monogamist.
Olyphant made his film debut in The First Wives Club and rose to fame with roles in Scream 2, The Girl Next Door, Catch and Release, Hitman, Rango, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, Life Free or Die Hard and The Crazies.
In 2019, he appeared in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. He also starred in season 2 of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and season 4 of the FX series Fargo. He's currently reprising his character Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval.
