Olivia Newton-John
Known for: Acting
Dame Olivia Newton-John AC, DBE (September 26, 1948 – August 8, 2022) was an English-born, Australian-raised singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles (including two platinum) and 14 of her albums (including two platinum and four double platinum) have been certified gold by the RIAA. She has sold an estimated over 100 million albums worldwide. In 1978, she co-starred with John Travolta in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, Grease, which became one of the most successful films and movie soundtracks in Hollywood history. It features two major hit duets with co-star John Travolta: "You're the One That I Want"—which is one of the best-selling singles of all time—and "Summer Nights". She became the second woman (after Linda Ronstadt in 1977) to have two singles – "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Summer Nights" – in the Billboard top 5 simultaneously. Her performance earned her a People's Choice Award for Favorite Film Actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Musical and performed the Oscar-nominated "Hopelessly Devoted to You" at the 1979 Academy Awards. In 1980, she starred with Gene Kelly and Michael Beck in the musical fantasy film Xanadu. Although it was a critical failure, its soundtrack was certified double platinum and scored five top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. She charted with "Magic", "Suddenly" with Cliff Richard, and the title song "Xanadu" with the Electric Light Orchestra. "Magic" was Newton-John's biggest pop hit to that point and still ranks as the biggest AC hit of her career. The film has since become a cult classic and the basis for a Broadway show that ran for more than 500 performances beginning in 2007 and was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical. She helped pioneer the music video industry by recording a video album for Physical, featuring videos of all the album's tracks and three of her older hits. The video album earned her a fourth Grammy and was aired as an ABC prime-time special, Let's Get Physical, becoming a top-10 Nielsen hit. She teamed up with Travolta again in 1983 for the critically and commercially unsuccessful movie Two of a Kind, redeemed by its platinum soundtrack featuring "Twist of Fate", and a new duet with Travolta, "Take a Chance"Iowa. In 2002, she was inducted into Australia's ARIA Hall of Fame and, in 2015, she was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame. In recognition for "her work as an entertainer and philanthropist", she was bestowed Australia's highest honor, the Companion of the Order of Australia, in June 2019. In 2008, she raised funds to help build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia. She led a three-week, 228 km walk along the Great Wall of China, joined by various celebrities and cancer survivors throughout her trek. The walk symbolised the steps cancer patients must take on their road to recovery. She was a a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues. She battled breast cancer three times and was an advocate for breast cancer research and health awareness. Her business ventures included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia.
Filmography
Series
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
Series
Late Show with David Letterman
Self
1993
Series
Top of the Pops
1964
Series
Top of the Pops
Self
1964
Series
Ciné regards
Self
1978
Series
The Graham Norton Show
Self
2007
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host & Musical Guest
1975
Series
Glee
Olivia Newton-John
2009
Series
Dancing with the Stars
Self - Guest Judge
2005
Series
RuPaul's Drag Race
Self - Guest Judge
2009
Series
The View
Self
1997
Series
Wetten, dass..?
Self
1981
Series
American Idol
Self - Guest Judge
2002
Series
Eurovision Song Contest
Self - Contestant
1956
Series
Tamron Hall
Self - Guest
2019
Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003
Series
Sacrée soirée
Self
1987
Series
Intimate Portrait
Self
1993
Series
Le monde est à vous
Self
1987
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
TFI Friday
1996
Series
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self
1975
Film
Grease
Sandy
1978
Series
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
Self - Musical Guest
1963
Series
Today
Self
1952
Series
Dinah!
Self
1974
Series
Numéro un
Self
1975
Series
Ned & Stacey
Olivia Newton-John
1995
Series
The Man from Snowy River
Joanna Walker
1994
Series
Animal nocturno
Self
2006
Series
Jogo da Vida
Self
1981
Series
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Self
1972
Series
The Midnight Special
Self
1972
Series
Solid Gold
Self
1980
Series
Donny & Marie
Self
1976
Series
Musikladen
Self
1972
Series
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
Self
2005
Series
Drag Race Down Under
Self - Special Guest
2021
Series
Disco
Self
1971
Where Are They Now?
Self
1999
Please Turn the Page
Self
1977
Series
Sez Les
1969
Series
The Early Show
Self
1999
Film
Madonna: Truth or Dare
Self
1991
Film
She's Having a Baby
Olivia Newton-John (uncredited)
1988
Series
Behind Closed Doors with Natalie Morales
Sandy Olsson (archive footage)
2015
Series
Sordid Lives: The Series
Bitsy Mae Harling
2008
Film
A Few Best Men
Barbara Ramme
2012
Film
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
Orion
2017
RuPaul Drives...
Self - Guest
2013
America's Top 10
Self
1980
Film
Two of a Kind
Debbie
1983
Film
Xanadu
Kira
1980
Film
John Travolta, le miraculé d'Hollywood
Self - Actress (archive footage)
2017
Music Nuggets
Self
2010
Film
The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
Olivia
2020
Film
Night of 100 Stars III
Self
1990
Film
The Fabulous Allan Carr
Self (archive)
2017
Bob Hope's World of Comedy
Self (archive footage)
1976
Film
It's My Party
Lina Bingham
1996
Film
ABBA: Against the Odds
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
And the Winner Isn't
Self
2017
Film
Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs
Self
1998
Film
John Travolta: The Inside Story
Self
2004
Film
Olivia
Self
1978
Series
Timeless Tales from Hallmark
Host
1990
Film
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
Self
1980
Film
Bee Gees: One Night Only
Self - Audience member
1998
Film
Sordid Lives
Bitsy Mae Harling
2000
Film
The Time, the Place, the Motion: Remembering Grease
Self – Sandy Olsson
2006
Film
A Mom for Christmas
Amy Miller
1990
Film
The Grease Story
Sandy Olsson
2017
Film
Toomorrow
Olivia
1970
Film
Snowden on Ice
Self - Performer (voice)
1997
Only Olivia
Herself
1977
Film
The A-Z of Eurovision
Self - Contestant (archive footage)
2020
Film
Grease Day USA
Self
1978
Film
Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over
Self
2021
Film
A Christmas Romance
Julia Stonecypher
1994
Film
Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights
Self
1980
Film
Country Queens at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2014
Film
Score: A Hockey Musical
Hope Gordon
2010
Film
Stayin' Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees
Self
2017
Film
Christmas with Delta 2020
Self
2020
Film
Funny Things Happen Down Under
1965
Film
1 a Minute
Self - Actress / Breast Cancer Survivor
2010
Film
The Wilde Girls
Jasmine Wilde
2001
Film
A Special: Olivia Newton-John
1976
Film
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1988
Film
Olivia Newton-John: In Concert
Self
1983
Film
Sound Relief - SCG
Self
2009
Film
Rocky Mountain Christmas
Self
1975
Film
Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection
Self (archive footage)
2023
The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special
Princess Hialeah / Musical Guest
1977
Film
Carpenters Very First Television Special
Self (uncredited)
1976
Film
Mariah Carey: Around the World
Self
1999
Film
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
Self
2006
Film
Timeless Tales: Rapunzel
Host
1990
Film
The Main Event
Self (Vocals)
1998
Film
Olivia Down Under
1988
Film
Olivia Newton-John: Let's Get Physical
Herself
1982
AN EVENING WITH: FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Self
1990
Anne Murray Friends and Legends
Self
2007
Film
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1974
1974
Film
Olivia Newton-John: Soul Kiss
Herself
1985
Film
John Farnham: Finding the Voice
Self (archive footage)
2023
Film
Olivia Newton-John: Video Gold 1
Herself
2005
Film
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances 1980
1980
Film
Bee Gees One Night Only In Australia
Host
1999
Film
Olivia Newton-John at the BBC
Self (archive footage)
2022
Film
Neil Diamond : Live At the Greek Theatre 1976
Self - Uncredited
1977
Film
The Case
Olivia
1972
20th Century Masters: The Best of Olivia Newton-John
Film
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances 1975
1975
Film
Mannheim Steamroller: The Christmas Angel - A Story on Ice
Female Storyteller
1999
Film
Sounds Like Les Dawson
1974
Olympic Gala
1984
Film
When ABBA Came to Britain
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
Christmas with Delta in Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John: Two Strong Hearts - Live in Concert
Self (Vocals)
2015
Film
High as Mike
Self
2019
Film
John Denver Rocky Mountain High An Earth Day Concert
self
2011
Film
Olivia Newton-John: Video Gold 2
Herself
2005
Film
Sydney 2000 Olympic Opening Ceremony
Self (Vocals)
2000
Film
Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra: Live at the Sydney Opera House
Self
2008