Trivia

On June 30, 2005, Newton-John's then-partner, cameraman Patrick McDermott, went missing after an overnight fishing trip out of San Pedro, California. The U.S. Coast Guard later concluded that he was likely lost at sea.

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 father was a British intelligence officer during World War II, working 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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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).

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

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

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).

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.

On May 13, 2017, it was reported that she had canceled concerts due to complications from sciatica and was undergoing treatment in the middle of touring her new inspirational album LIV ON. On May 30, it was further reported that her back pain was actually caused by a recurrence of breast cancer, which she had already beaten twice-in 1992 and 2013-and that it had now metastasized to her sacrum, reaching stage IV.

Never left home without her passport and lipstick.

Underwent surgery for breast cancer in 1992 and treated for a recurrence of the same disease in 2013 and before her death from the disease in 2022.

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

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.

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 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.

Named after screen legend Olivia de Havilland.

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).

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.

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

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

Has one daughter: Chloe Lattanzi (born 1986).

She was awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) 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.

Suffered three miscarriages during her marriage to Matt Lattanzi.

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)

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

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

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.

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.

In 2019, she and her Grease (1978) co-star John Travolta revived their "Sandy" and "Danny" roles for a Meet n' "Grease" singalong in West Palm Beach, Florida. At the time, Olivia appeared dressed up in a costume that paid homage to Sandy before her transformation into part of the "greaser" gang.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Recorded her first single for Decca Records "Till You Say You'll Be Mine/For Ever" (1966). One of the reviews said she should "stick with a career as an airline hostess".

She passed away on August 8, 2022, the 42nd anniversary of the film premiere of Grease (1978), released August 8, 1980.

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).

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

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.

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".

In November 2019, Newton-John sold over 500 items, including the skintight black pants she wore in Grease (1978). The auction was hosted by Julien's Auction House in Beverly Hills, and part of the proceeds went to Olivia's Australian-based cancer treatment center.