Olivia Kendall

Olivia Symoné Kendall (born December 10, 1985) is a character in the cosby show she Denise Huxtable's precocious stepdaughter, who is four years old when she first appears in the series. Olivia is the only child of Martin and Paula Kendall. After a few years of marriage, her parents divorced, and her mother, Paula, gave Martin full custody, as she felt overwhelmed by marriage and motherhood. Olivia was then raised by her grandparents and father.

When Olivia was almost five years old, her father Martin married Denise Huxtable, whom he met in Africa. The new family moved in with Denise's parents, Clair and Cliff Huxtable, who are now Olivia's step-grandparents. Martin, as a Naval officer, is required to travel a lot, so for a while, Olivia was unable to spend time with him. During his absences, her stepmother, Denise, raised her. During the final season, Martin was stationed in Singapore, and Denise went to live with him. Denise and Martin thought that being overseas may have been too much for Olivia, so she lived stateside with the Huxtables. Being closest in age to Rudy, she was often made to share accodomations with her, sometimes to Rudy's annoyance. However, the Huxtables become fond of Olivia and treat her as they do a member of their blood family.

Trivia

 * The character was named after Bill Cosby's wife, Camille Olivia Hanks-Cosby.
 * Olivia usually calls her stepmother "Denise" rather than "Mom" or "Mommy", though she calls Denise “Mom” in "Live and Learn".
 * Olivia seems well-adjusted for her age and understanding her father has dangerous work that keeps him away from home often, and as such she rarely gets upset over the absence of him or her stepmother. Presumably this could be that the Huxtables are providing her with a stable home life.
 * Olivia calls her step-grandparents Dr. & Mrs. Huxtable rather than "Grandma" or "Grandpa". Bill Cosby insisted that only adults (or characters close to Cliff & Clair's age) call them this.