by James Man
World famous singer and actress Olivia Newton John was born September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England. Although the star is mostly known for her singing talents around the globe, having earned four Grammy awards and five number-one Billboard hits, she is also considered to be a talented actress.
Olivia was born into a highly academic family; however, she sought the limelight and decided at an early age to forgo any ambition of academia. She moved to Australia when she was 5, and after only 10 years on the continent, Olivia started an all-girl singing group known as The Sol Four.
In that same year, she entered into a talent quest television show called Sing, Sing, Sing. She won this contest easily and, by 1963, John was a regular fixture on daytime television in Australia. The following year, a young Olivia returned to England and frequented the London scene, performing with a friend, Pat, in nightclubs and in cabaret.
Perfect soldier, perfect gentleman ... never gave offence to anyone, not even the enemy.
—A. J. P. (Alan John Percivale)
In 1966, Olivia and Pat, who had become a famous touring duo, split up and John ventured into Decca Records to record her first solo song, Till You Say You'll Be Mine. Her music career was mildly successful throughout the late 1960s, although it was grossly overshadowed by other fantastic English acts of the era.
In 1973, Olivia got her shot at the big time, hooking up with MCA Records and releasing her first album to an American audience. Her album, Let Me Be There, won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocalist and she was also honored as the Most Promising Female Vocalist.
After the success her music had met in America compared to the UK, Olivia decided to make the trek to the states to live full time. She was also promoting a new album at the time, Have You Never Been Mellow, and the album subsequently became a smashing success.
Throughout the 1970s, John had a few big hits in America, and she eventually landed on the television show Midnight Special, which led to her own special on ABC in 1976, A Very Special Olivia Newton John. In 1978, Olivia would prove that she was more than a talented singer with a movie called Grease.
From the age of fifteen, dogma has been the fundamental principle of my religion: I know no other religion; I cannot enter into the idea of any other sort of religion; religion, as a mere sentiment, is to me a dream and a mockery.
—Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890)
Not only did Grease transform Olivia Newton John into an overnight Hollywood sensation, but it also helped to launch the career of John Travolta, as well as other actors. Olivia continued to act in a few movies, some of which were poorly received like Xanadu. However, the soundtrack from this film was incredibly popular.
In 1981, John released her double platinum smash Physical. The line from the title track, "let's get physical," can still be heard today in television and on radio spots around the globe.
Olivia continued to show up on television, in movies and on record throughout the 1990s and 2000s. She currently has a few projects in the works, like Score: A Hockey Musical. Her personal life has also settled down. Olivia was recently struggling with her daughter Chloe's bout with anorexia. Visit the CasinoMan Blog for more articles and blogs about the lifestyle of the rich and opulent.