Trivia

On June 30, 2005, Newton-John's then-partner, a cameraman named Patrick McDermott, went missing after going on an overnight fishing trip on a sport fishing vessel out of San Pedro, California. He was located four years later in April 2009 by Dateline NBC (1992) investigators. Missing since July 2005, he was found in a Mexican beach town, living under the name of Pat Kim and working on a yacht which ferries tourists in and out of a marina near Sayulita, Mexico.

Was close friends with Karen Carpenter.

Newton-John insisted on a screen test for the role of Sandy Olsson in Grease (1978), concerned she didn't have the acting skills and also that she would look too old to be a high school student (she was age 29 at the time of filming, portraying a character who was supposed to be age 18). She made the screen test and got the role, which had originally been meant for actress Susan Dey (who played Laurie Partridge in The Partridge Family (1970), but turned down the role on her manager's advice). Dey is four years younger than Newton-John.

Her performance as Sandy Olsson in Grease (1978) is ranked #89 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

Best known as a singer, she had over 25 "Top 40" singles, more than half of which went "Top 10" on the US Billboard charts, including five #1 hits -- "I Honestly Love You" (1974), "Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975), "You're the One That I Want" (1978), "Magic" (1980) and "Physical" (1981), a whopping success that remained #1 for 10 weeks.

Her father was a British intelligence officer during World War II where he worked at Bletchley Park on the Enigma Project. As he spoke Hochdeutsch (high or perfect German) he interrogated high ranking Nazi officers including Rudolf Hess. After the war, he was headmaster of King's College in Cambridge before taking the position of headmaster of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne.

Granddaughter of German physicist and mathematician Max Born on her mother's side. Her grandfather was Jewish, and converted to Lutheranism as an adult. His wife Hedwig was of Jewish heritage on her own father's side and Lutheran on her own mother's, and was a descendant of religious reformer Martin Luther, founder of Lutheranism, the primary faith in Germany and Scandinavia.

Her song "Physical" was banned by a radio station in Provo, Utah for its "suggestive" lyrics. She still had a concert in the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, filmed for video.

She performed the background vocals on John Denver's song "Fly Away".

Won the very first Grammy Award in the "Video of the Year" category for "Physical". (1982)

Now living with metastatic breast cancer, Newton-John has been a spokesperson for the eponymous "The Liv", a heart-shaped, self-examination device for women to aid in the detection of breast lumps.

Her biggest hit was "Physical" which sold over two million copies and spent 10 consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 (beginning 21 November 1981).

While recording her first hit "If Not For You", Olivia's dog was in the studio with her and at one point knocked over a microphone stand. The noise is still evident in the song today (during the instrumental bridge near the song's ending).

She was awarded the AO (Officer of the Order of Australia) in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to the entertainment industry as a singer and actor, and to the community through organizations supporting breast cancer treatment, education, training and research, and the environment.

She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2020 Queen Elizabeth II's New Years Honours List for her services to charity, cancer research and entertainment.

Underwent surgery for breast cancer in 1992, and treated for a recurrence of the same disease in 2013.

Never leaves home without her passport and lipstick.

Underwent surgery for breast cancer, she declared bankruptcy, and her father died of liver cancer. (1992)

She received awards for her charity work and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II. Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 16th Annual ARIA Awards (15 October 2002).

The most treasured item in her wardrobe is a beautiful opal and diamond ring that her mother left her.

She grew up in both England and Australia. In 1954 (at age 5), her family moved to Australia but she returned to live in England more than a decade later after winning a talent contest.

She resided in Cambridge, England, when she was a young girl. Soon after dropping out of Melbourne's University High School when she was in her mid-teens, she returned to reside in London, England. She had taken the suggestion of her favorite teacher to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. She later moved to Los Angeles, California in the mid-1970s, where she resided until her death.

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. (1998)

Her first husband, Matt Lattanzi appears in Grease 2 (1982).

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on August 5, 1981.

She represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest at the UK's Brighton Dome with "Long Live Love" and came in 4th place after ABBA with their winning song "Waterloo". (1974)

On May 13, 2017, it was reported that she has canceled concerts due to sciatica complications and treatment for it in the middle of touring her new inspirational album "LIV ON". On May 30, it was reported that her back pain actually caused by breast cancer returning she already beat twice - in 1992 and 2013 - and now it metastasized to her sacrum reaching stage IV.

Appeared on a television documentary in the 1970s with cheetah conservationist Laurie Marker where they brought domesticated cheetahs from the United States and reintroduced them into the wilds of Namibia.

Has one daughter: Chloe Lattanzi (born 1986).

Sister of actress Rona Newton-John and Dr. Hugh Newton-John, a medical doctor and specialist in infectious diseases who invented the first portable iron lung. Her ex-brother-in-law was Jeff Conaway, who co-starred in Grease (1978). First cousin of Satyricon (1969) actor Max Born.

Shortly after the success of Grease (1978), was considered for the lead role in a film version of "Evita" (one of many versions that were scrapped before seeing the light of day). She had recorded "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" on her album "Making a Good Thing Better" (1977).

On 26 June 2012, the Australian government issued a semipostal postage stamp to help raise funds for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre Appeal. The stamp was valued at 60¢. It was sold in panes of ten stamps for $8, with $2 going to the appeal.

She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1979 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to the performing arts.

In 1988, she visited Australia to make a television special titled Olivia Down Under (1988) to coincide with the Bicentennial. She and Cliff Richard performed and King Charles III and Princess Diana were also present.

Loves cosmetics and always does her own make-up for photo sessions.

Fractured her coccyx while filming the dance sequence "Suddenly" in Xanadu (1980)

Suffered three miscarriages during her marriage to Matt Lattanzi.

Her first hit song, "I Honestly Love You", was featured in Jaws (1975). It sounds in the background during the scene at the beach just before the giant shark devours Alex Kintner.

Named after screen legend Olivia de Havilland.

In 1975, she moved to the United States where she had already become well-established as a pop and country singer.

Attended University High School in Melbourne, Australia.

Well-known songs include "If Not for You", "If You Love Me, Let Me Know", "Let Me Be There", "I Honestly Love You", "Heart Attack", "Have You Never Been Mellow", "Summer Nights", "You're The One That I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Magic", "Xanadu", "Physical" and "Twist of Fate".

She was considered for the role of Catherine Beddows in To the Devil a Daughter (1976), which eventually went to Nastassja Kinski.

Auditioned for Tootsie (1982) and Yanks (1979).

At age 14, she started a singing group called Sol Four with three classmates often performing in a coffee shop owned by her brother-in-law.

Appeared on People Weekly magazine's first official pop cover (24 February 1975).

Wrote the screenplay The Perfect Specimen with Nancy Chuda. Universal optioned the screenplay but subsequently canceled the project when John Hughes made She's Having a Baby (1988), which had a similar plot.

The younger daughter of Brinley Newton-John and Irene (nee Born), Olivia's paternal grandparents, Oliver John and Daisy Newton, were Welsh. Her maternal grandfather was German Jewish physicist and mathematician Max Born (son of Gustav Jacob Born, an author and histologist). Her maternal grandmother, Hedwig Ehrenberg, was of German Jewish descent on her own father (jurist Victor Ehrenberg)'s side, and of German descent on her own mother (Elise Marie von Jhering)'s side. Elise's father, Olivia's great-great-grandfather, was legal historian Rudolf von Jhering. Via her maternal grandmother's father, Olivia is a third cousin of British comedian Ben Elton.

In 1992, she returned to New South Wales, Australia, to recuperate after battling breast cancer.

Fashion photographer Helmut Newton was a close associate of Olivia's father.