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| Born As |
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Olivia Newton-John |
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| Sex |
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Female |
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| Nationality |
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UK - United Kingdom |
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| Date of Birth |
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September 26, 1948 |
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| Place of Birth |
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Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
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Biography |
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Olivia Newton-John (born September 26 1948) is a British-born Australian singer and actress. Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, and lived there until she was 5 1/2 years old. Olivia and her parents, Brin and Irene Newton-John and her older siblings, Hugh and Rona relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 1954. Her parents divorced when Olivia was 11 years old. By the age of 15, she had formed an all-girl band called Sol Four. By 1963, she was a regular on local television and radio shows in Australia. She won a talent contest on the television program Sing, Sing, Sing, the prize was a trip to England. Olivia returned to live in England, with her mother, when she was 16 years old, working as a duo with her friend, singer Pat Carroll. Olivia cut her first two singles, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" and "For Ever" for Decca Records in England in 1966.
Olivia's first album was titled Toomorrow [sic], which was also the name of the group of which Olivia was a member. They starred in the movie Toomorrow. Newton-John's solo career started to take off with her first solo album titled Olivia Newton-John which was released in the UK on Pye Records. In 1968 Olivia met Shadows' guitarist, Bruce Welch whom she became engaged to until 1972. She made appearances on Cliff Richard's weekly show "It's Cliff Richard" and starred with him in the tele-film The Case. The public soon took notice of Olivia's talents and she quickly became one of Britain's most popular singers, hence she was voted 'Best British Female Vocalist' two years in a row by the magazine 'Record Mirror'. Olivia's first international hit was a song written by Bob Dylan called "If Not For You" In 1975, encouraged by expatriate Australian singer Helen Reddy, Olivia left England and moved to the USA where she became a hugely popular singer in both country and popular music. She had five #1 hits. She has earned many awards and received four Grammys. She has also received an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. In 1981 Newton-John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Olivia's film breakthrough came when she was offered the female lead in the highly successful movie Grease. "You're The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" went to number one on international charts and stood at the number one position for 9 and 7 weeks respectively on the UK charts.
In 1983, Newton-John and Pat Farrar, a longtime friend, founded Koala Blue, a chain of clothing boutiques for women with the designs of the apparel based on the unique style and colors of Australia. She was married to Matt Lattanzi from 1984 to 1995. There is one child from this marriage, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986. Since 1996, she has been with boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, a cameraman. In 1992, she underwent breast-cancer surgery from which she recovered. She actively promotes public awareness of the importance of early detection of the disease. Her maternal grandfather was Max Born, a German Nobel prize-winning physicist. Her niece is singer and entertainer Tottie Goldsmith.
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