Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
name	Olivia Blake Richards
series	Sunset Beach
portrayer	Lesley-Anne Down
first	January 6, 1997
last	December 31, 1999
cause	Series finale
creator	Robert Guza, Jr.
image1	Image:Oliviablake1997.jpg
caption1	Lesley-Anne Down as Olivia Richards (1997)
image2
image3
nickname	Livvie
alias	Olivia RichardsOlivia Blake RichardsOlivia Cole
gender	Female
occupation	Broadcasting Executive
residence	Sunset Beach, California
parents	Thomas Blake
spouse	Gregory Richards(divorced on June 30, 1998)
romances	A.J. Deschanel(1998 - 1999)
children	Caitlin Richards Deschanel(with Gregory)Sean Richards(with Gregory)Trey Deschanelwith Cole)
color	#CEB8FE
color text	}}

Olivia Richards was a fictional character from the American soap opera ''Sunset Beach'', portrayed by English actress Lesley-Anne Down during the entire run of the show.

Character's background

Olivia was introduced as a wife of a rich attorney Gregory Richards, and a mother of two children, Caitlin and Sean. Olivia was an alcoholic whose marriage was kept up for show. During the first week it was revealed that Olivia was a mistress to Del Douglas, the business partner and best friend of her husband Gregory, he was also the father of Olivia's main arch-nemesis during the entire run, Annie Douglas. When Del was killed, Olivia was one of the suspects, but it was eventually revealed that Del was killed by Olivia's friend, Elaine Stevens.

}}

After being disgusted at discovering her husband's latest scheme that split daughter Caitlin up from International Jewel Thief Cole St. John (it is later revealed that this is a thief alias and his real name is Cole Deschanel), Olivia with a bottle of champagne in hand went to the grotto (a cave off the beach where she used to meet her lover A.J. Deschanel. After getting very drunk and talking out loud to herself a man also thinking of another appears in the cave. The man being Cole St. John. The two, having never met before, (are unaware that he had just been dating her daughter until Gregory forced them to split up) share their pain and he takes her to a hotel to sleep off her hangover but he catches sight of her necklace (which is part of the Deschanel Jewels) and the two sleep together. Twice.

Olivia soon discovers that Cole is the son of her former lover A.J. Deschanel and her friend Elaine Stevens. As a young nurse at the hospital where Cole was born, Olivia looked the other way whilst Del Douglas stole the baby and gave it to A.J's mother. A.J. was unaware of the child and had already vanished to Europe. Elaine was told the baby was dead. Caitlin and Cole eventually get back together, Cole is horrified to see a picture of Mother and daughter but still takes Caitlin's virginity. A few days later Olivia arranges to meet Cole so he can return the necklace he stole from her but Caitlin turns up. Olivia discovers that she's slept with her daughter's boyfriend.

A couple of months later Olivia discovers she pregnant and as her and Gregory become close again after son Sean had brain surgery she is unaware who the father is. She decided to have an abortion but Caitlin discovers what she's doing and talks her out of it. Olivia swears Caitlin to secrecy about the pregnancy. Meanwhile, her daughter Caitlin also finds herself pregnant. Gregory and Olivia decide to up the game on working to make Cole leave town once they discover Caitlin is pregnant. In the process they decided that their son's girlfriend Tiffany Thorne must leave town so she can not learn of their plan to split Caitlin and Cole up.

Gregory comes up with a plan to split the two young lovers up for good. First he plans to turn Caitlin against Cole for good (this involves Cole's returning to his old ways) Gregory then tells Olivia that she will pretend to be pregnant (unbeknownst to him that she really is) the pregnancy will be a troubled one in which she will go to a specialist clinic along with Caitlin for support. Olivia will then have a fake miscarriage and convince Caitlin to give Olivia her baby so she can raise it as her own. Olivia is horrified by this plan as she is when Gregory announces her fake/real pregnancy. Now she has Cole demanding to know if he is the father. After splitting Cole and Caitlin up, Caitlin agrees to go with Olivia to the clinic. But Gregory has changed the plan since he has realized how attached to the baby Caitlin is. In the new plan he tells Olivia that they will stay until Caitlin goes into labor and when she does the Doctor (who he's blackmailing) will sedate Caitlin and when she wakes she will be told her baby is dead but he and Olivia will raise it as their own.

On a trip to the clinic at Santa Barbara, Caitlin discovers via Sean the plan to steal her baby. Caitlin, shocked and disgusted, tries to speed off in the car back to Sunset Beach but Olivia gets in the car to try to explain. Speeding and not paying attention to the road the two end up in a car accident where it is believed that Caitlin has been killed. Shortly after Caitlin's "death" Annie leads Olivia to believe that she and Gregory are more than just business partners. This is just the beginning of Annie's new scheme to marry Gregory Richards. Caitlin miscarried her baby, but she decided to keep it a secret for fear of losing Cole. Caitlin spent a few months faking her pregnancy and then asked Annie to help her find a baby to present as her own. Annie helps to ensure the complete breakdown of Olivia and Gregory's marriage. Annie lured Olivia to a cabin outside of Sunset Beach, induced pregnancy and then delivered the baby herself. Annie leaves the cabin with the baby but not before setting Olivia up to make it look like she'd gone back to her boozing ways and this had resulted in the death of her baby. She gave the baby to Caitlin.

After losing her baby, Olivia was shocked and her marriage with Gregory was over soon. Then Annie got to Gregory and they eventually married. Olivia, who felt like her baby was still alive, had nothing else to do but move on with her life. During 1998, Olivia met with A.J., a long-lost love, and they eventually hooked up again. In the next few months, Olivia discovered the truth about Annie's scheme and realized that her daughter asked Annie to help her find a baby, but she had no idea that Annie stole it. Eventually, the truth came out, and Cole's affair with Olivia too. Relationships were broken. Also, at the time, Olivia was involved in a Shockwave storyline. She was in her house when an earthquake hit the town and she forced herself to protect "Caitlin"'s son Trey Deschanel.

Olivia continued her relationship with A.J. Her ex-husband Gregory (who murdered Francesca Vargas, another villain) was presumed dead after falling into the ocean (during a fight with Cole, when he learned that Olivia's son Trey wasn't his, but actually Cole's), and he came back pretending to be Tobias Richards, a relative. Olivia, along with Annie, fought for Gregory's will, and she claimed everything belonged to her son, Trey. Annie was keen on doing anything to get the money, so she asked Mrs. Moreau to give her a potion that would force Olivia to start drinking again. The family was disappointed to see Olivia drinking again, and most of her family left her. Annie's scheme was revealed by Gregory, who confronted Mrs. Moreau. Gregory's final battle was meant to be his victory, but he ended up in prison, where Olivia was sad to see him end up. She loved him. Olivia's broken family returned and she was happy to see everything normal again. She raised Trey, her daughter was happy with Cole, Gregory was behind bars, her best friend Bette ended up with A.J., and she finally made peace with Annie.

References

Blake, Olivia

Coordinates	55°45′06″N37°37′04″N
background	solo_singer
born	September 26, 1948Cambridge, England
origin	Melbourne, Australia
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar, recorder
genre	Pop, country, soft rock
occupation	Singer, actress, songwriter, entrepreneur
years active	1963–present
label	MCA, EMI, Pye, Festival
associated acts	Cliff Richard, John Travolta, Electric Light Orchestra, John Farrar, Helen Reddy, Bruce Welch
website	olivianewton-john.com
spouse	Amazon John Easterling (2008–present)Matt Lattanzi (1984–95) (divorced) 1 child }}

Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE (born 26 September 1948) is an English-born, Australian-raised singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has 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. Her music has been successful in multiple formats including pop, country and adult contemporary and has sold an estimated over 100 million albums worldwide. She co-starred with John Travolta in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, ''Grease,'' which featured one of the most successful film soundtracks in Hollywood history.

Newton-John has been a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues. Since surviving breast cancer in 1992, she has been an advocate for health awareness becoming involved with various charities, health products and fundraising efforts. Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia.

Newton-John has been married twice. She currently lives with her second husband, John Easterling, in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida. She is the mother of one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, with her first husband, actor Matt Lattanzi.

Life and career

Early life and beginnings

Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England, to a Welsh father, Brinley ("Bryn") Newton-John, and a German-born mother, Irene Born, the eldest child of the Nobel prize-winning atomic physicist Max Born. Her mother's family had left Germany before World War II to avoid the Nazi regime (Newton-John's maternal grandfather was Jewish, and her maternal grandmother was of paternal Jewish ancestry). Her maternal great-grandfather was jurist Victor Ehrenberg and her matrilineal great-grandmother's father was German jurist Rudolf von Jhering. Newton-John is the youngest of three children, following brother Hugh, a doctor, and sister Rona, an actress who was married to ''Grease'' co-star Jeff Conaway from 1980 until their divorce in 1985. Newton-John's father was an MI.5 officer on the Enigma project at Bletchley Park who took Rudolf Hess into custody during World War II. In 1954 Newton-John's family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where her father worked as a professor of German and as Master of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne.

At 14, Newton-John formed a short-lived all-girl band, Sol Four, with three classmates often performing in a coffee shop owned by her brother-in-law. She became a regular on local Australian radio and television shows including HSV-7's ''The Happy Show'' where she performed as "Lovely Livvy." She also appeared on the ''Go Show'' where she met future duet partner, Pat Carroll, and future music producer John Farrar. (Carroll and Farrar would later marry.) She entered and won a talent contest on the television program ''Sing, Sing, Sing,'' hosted by 1960s Australian icon Johnny O'Keefe, performing the songs "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Newton-John was initially reluctant to use the prize she had won, a trip to England, but travelled there nearly a year later after her mother encouraged her to broaden her horizons.

Newton-John recorded her first single, ''Till You Say You'll Be Mine'' b/w ''Forever,'' in England for Decca Records in 1966. Newton-John was homesick in England for her then-boyfriend, Ian Turpie, with whom she had co-starred in the Australian telefilm, ''Funny Things Happen Down Under.'' Newton-John would repeatedly book trips back to Australia that her mother would subsequently cancel. Newton-John's outlook changed when Pat Carroll also moved to England. The two formed a duo called "Pat and Olivia" and toured nightclubs in Europe. (In one incident, they were booked at Paul Raymond's Revue in Soho, London. Dressed primly in frilly, high-collared dresses, they were unaware that this was a strip club until they began to perform onstage.) After Carroll's visa expired forcing her to return to Australia, Newton-John remained in England to pursue solo work until 1975. She became engaged to The Shadows' guitarist Bruce Welch, but they never married.

Newton-John was recruited for the group Toomorrow formed by American producer Don Kirshner who was also the music consultant for the earliest recordings of The Monkees. In 1970, the group starred in a "science fiction musical" film and recorded an accompanying soundtrack album both named after the group. The project bombed and the group disbanded.

Early success

Newton-John released her first solo album, ''If Not For You'' (No. 158 Pop), in 1971. The title track, written by Bob Dylan and previously recorded by Beatle George Harrison for his 1970 album, ''All Things Must Pass,'' was her first international hit (No. 25 Pop, No. 1 AC). Her follow-up single, "Banks of the Ohio," was a Top 10 hit in England and Australia. She was voted Best British Female Vocalist two years in a row by the magazine ''Record Mirror.'' She made frequent appearances on Cliff Richard's weekly show, ''It's Cliff Richard,'' and starred with him in the telefilm, ''The Case.''

In 1974, Newton-John represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song, "Long Live Love". The song was chosen for Newton-John by the British public out of six possible entries. (Newton-John later admitted that she disliked the song.) Newton-John placed fourth at the contest held in Brighton behind ABBA's winning ''Waterloo.'' All six Eurovision contest song candidates were recorded by Newton-John and included on her ''Long Live Love'' album, her first for the EMI Records label.

In the United States, Newton-John's career floundered after ''If Not For You.'' Subsequent singles including "Banks of the Ohio" (No. 94 Pop, No. 34 AC) and remakes of George Harrison's "What Is Life" (No. 34 AC) and John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (No. 119 Pop) made minimal chart impact until the release of "Let Me Be There" in 1973. The song reached the American Top 10 on the Pop (No. 6), Country (No. 7), and AC (No. 3) charts and earned her a Grammy for Best Country Female and an Academy of Country Music award for Most Promising Female Vocalist. The album, ''Let Me Be There,'' charted No. 1 on Country Albums for two weeks as well as No. 54 on the Billboard 200.

The ''Long Live Love'' album was released in the United States as ''If You Love Me, Let Me Know'' with the six Eurovision songs dropped for four different, more country-oriented tracks intended to capitalize on the success of "Let Me Be There." The title track was the first single reaching No. 5 Pop, No. 2 Country (her best country placement to date) and No. 2 AC. The next single, "I Honestly Love You," became Newton-John's signature song. Written and composed by Jeff Barry and Peter Allen, the ballad became her first No. 1 Pop (two weeks), second No. 1 AC (three weeks) and third Top 10 Country (No. 6) hit and earned Newton-John two more Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female. The success of both singles helped the album reach No. 1 on both the Pop (one week) and Country (eight weeks) Albums charts.

Newton-John's country success sparked a debate among purists who believed a foreigner singing country-flavored pop music did not belong in country music. In addition to her Grammy for "Let Me Be There," Newton-John was also named the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974, defeating more established nominees Loretta Lynn, Canadian Anne Murray, Dolly Parton, and Tanya Tucker. This outrage led to the formation of the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers (ACE). Newton-John was eventually supported by the country music community. Stella Parton, Dolly's sister, recorded "Ode To Olivia" and Newton-John recorded her 1976 album, ''Don't Stop Believin','' in Nashville.

Encouraged by expatriate Australian singer Helen Reddy, Newton-John left England and moved to the United States. Newton-John topped the Pop (one week) and Country (six weeks) Albums charts with her next album, ''Have You Never Been Mellow.'' The album generated two singles – the John Farrar penned title track (No. 1 Pop, No. 3 Country, No. 1 AC) and "Please Mr. Please" (No. 3 Pop, No. 5 Country, No. 1 AC). Newton-John's pop career cooled with the release of her next album, ''Clearly Love.'' Her streak of five consecutive gold Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ended when the album's first single, "Something Better To Do," stopped at No. 13 (also No. 19 Country and No. 1 AC). Although her albums still achieved gold status, she did not return to the Top 10 on the Hot 100 or Billboard 200 charts again until 1978.

Newton-John's singles continued to easily top the AC chart, where she ultimately amassed ten No. 1 singles including a record seven consecutively:

"I Honestly Love You" (1974) – 3 weeks

"Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975) – 1 week

"Please Mr. Please" (1975) – 3 weeks

"Something Better to Do" (1975) – 3 weeks

"Let It Shine"/"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (1976) – 2 weeks

"Come on Over" (1976) – 1 week

"Don't Stop Believin'" (1976) – 1 week

She also provided a prominent, but uncredited, vocal on John Denver's "Fly Away" single which was succeeded by her own single, "Let It Shine"/"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," at No. 1 on the AC chart. ("Fly Away" returned to No. 1 after the two week reign of "Let It Shine".) Newton-John also continued to reach the Country Top 10 where she tallied seven Top 10 singles through 1976's "Come on Over" (No. 23 Pop, No. 5 Country, No. 1 AC) and six consecutive (of a career nine total) Top 10 albums through 1976's ''Don't Stop Believin''' (No. 30 Pop, No. 7 Country). She headlined her first U.S. television special, ''A Special Olivia Newton-John,'' in November 1976.

By mid-1977, Newton-John's AC and country success also began to wane. Her ''Making a Good Thing Better'' album (No. 34 Pop, No. 13 Country) failed to be certified gold, and its only single, the title track (No. 87 Pop, No. 20 AC), did not reach even the AC Top 10 or the Country chart. Later that year, ''Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits'' (No. 13 Pop, No. 7 Country) became her first platinum album as she prepared to launch a new phase in her career.

''Grease''

Newton-John's career soared after starring in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical, ''Grease,'' in 1978. She was offered the lead role of Sandy after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party at Helen Reddy's home. Burned by her ''Toomorrow'' experience and concerned that she was too old to play a high school senior (she turned 29 during the latter 1977 filming), Newton-John insisted on a screen test with the film's co-star, John Travolta. The film accommodated Newton-John's Australian accent by recasting her character from the play's original American Sandy Dumbrowski to Sandy Olsson, an Australian who vacations and then moves with her family to the United States. Newton-John previewed some of the film's soundtrack during her second American network television special, ''Olivia,'' featuring guests ABBA and Andy Gibb.

''Grease'' became the biggest box-office hit of 1978. The soundtrack album spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 and yielded three Top 5 singles for Newton-John: the platinum "You're The One That I Want" (No. 1 Pop, No. 23 AC) with John Travolta, the gold "Hopelessly Devoted To You" (No. 3 Pop, No. 20 Country, No. 7 AC) and the gold "Summer Nights" (No. 5 Pop, No. 21 AC) with John Travolta and the film's cast. The former two songs were written and composed by Newton-John's long-time music producer, John Farrar, specifically for the film. ("Summer Nights" was from the original play written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.) Newton-John became the second female (after Linda Ronstadt in 1977) to have two singles – "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Summer Nights" – in the Billboard Top 5 simultaneously. Newton-John's performance earned her a People's Choice award for Favorite Motion Picture Actress. She was also 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.

The film's popularity has endured through the years. It was re-released for its 20th anniversary in 1998 and ranked as the second highest grossing film behind ''Titanic'' in its opening weekend. It was most recently re-released in July 2010 as a sing-along version in select American theatres. The soundtrack still sells strongly enough to often appear on ''Billboard's'' Top Soundtracks chart.

New image

Newton-John's transformation in ''Grease'' from goody-goody "Sandy 1" to spandex-clad "Sandy 2" emboldened Newton-John to do the same with her music career. In November 1978, she released her next studio album, ''Totally Hot,'' which became her first solo Top 10 (No. 7) album since ''Have You Never Been Mellow.'' Dressed on the cover all in leather, the album's singles "A Little More Love" (No. 3 Pop, No. 94 Country, No. 4 AC), "Deeper Than The Night" (No. 11 Pop, No. 87 Country, No. 4 AC), and the title track (No. 52 Pop) all demonstrated a more aggressive and uptempo sound for Newton-John. Although the album de-emphasized country, it still reached No. 4 on the Country Albums chart. Newton-John released the B-side, "Dancin' 'Round And 'Round," of the "Totally Hot" single to Country radio peaking at No. 29 (as well as No. 82 Pop and No. 25 AC), becoming her last charted solo Country airplay single to date.

Newton-John began 1980 by releasing ''I Can't Help It'' (No. 12 Pop, No. 8 AC), a duet with Andy Gibb from his ''After Dark'' album, and by starring in her third television special, ''Hollywood Nights.'' Later that year, she appeared in her first film since ''Grease'' starring in the musical ''Xanadu'' with Gene Kelly and Michael Beck. Although the movie was a critical failure, its soundtrack (No. 4 Pop) was certified double platinum boasting five Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Newton-John charted with ''Magic'' (No. 1 Pop, No. 1 AC), ''Suddenly'' with Cliff Richard (No. 20 Pop, No. 4 AC) and the title song with the Electric Light Orchestra (No. 8 Pop, No. 2 AC). (The Electric Light Orchestra also charted with "I'm Alive" (No. 16 Pop, No. 48 AC) and "All Over The World" (No. 13 Pop, No. 46 AC).) ''Magic'' was Newton-John's biggest Pop hit to that point (four weeks at No. 1) and still ranks as the biggest AC hit of her career (five weeks at No. 1). The film has since become a cult classic and the basis for a well-reviewed Broadway show that ran for more than 500 performances beginning in 2007 and was nominated for four Tony Awards including Best Musical. (A successful international tour of the show followed.)

In 1981, Newton-John released her most successful studio album, the double platinum ''Physical.'' The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, spent ten weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, matching the then record of most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rock era held by Debby Boone's ''You Light Up My Life.'' The single was certified platinum and it ultimately ranked as the biggest song of the decade. (In 2008, Billboard ranked the song No. 6 among all songs that charted in the 50-year history of the Hot 100.) "Physical" even earned Newton-John her only placement ever on the R&B; Singles (No. 28) and Albums (No. 32) chart. The ''Physical'' album spawned two more singles, ''Make a Move on Me'' (No. 5 Pop, No. 6 AC) and ''Landslide'' (No. 52 Pop).

The provocative lyrics of the title track prompted two Utah radio stations to ban the single from their playlists. (In 2010, Billboard magazine ranked this as the most popular single ever about sex.) To counter its overtly suggestive tone, Newton-John filmed an exercise-themed video that turned the song into an aerobics anthem and made headbands a fashion accessory outside the gym. Newton-John became a pioneer in the nascent 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. The success of ''Physical'' led to an international tour and the release of her second hits collection, the double platinum ''Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' (No. 16 Pop), which yielded two more Top 40 singles: ''Heart Attack'' (No. 3 Pop) and ''Tied Up'' (No. 38 Pop). The tour was filmed for her ''Olivia In Concert'' television special which premiered on HBO in January 1983. The special was subsequently released to video earning Newton-John another Grammy nomination.

Newton-John re-teamed with Travolta in 1983 for the critically and commercially unsuccessful ''Two of a Kind,'' redeemed by its platinum soundtrack (No. 26 Pop) featuring ''Twist Of Fate'' (No. 5 Pop), ''Livin' In Desperate Times'' (No. 31 Pop), and a new duet with Travolta, ''Take A Chance'' (No. 3 AC). Newton-John released another video package, the Grammy-nominated ''Twist Of Fate,'' featuring videos of her four songs on the ''Two of a Kind'' soundtrack and the two new singles from ''Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2.''

The same year, Newton-John and Pat Carroll founded ''Koala Blue.'' The store, originally for Australian imports, evolved into a chain of women's clothing boutiques. The chain was initially successful, but it eventually declared bankruptcy and closed in 1992. Newton-John and Farrar would later license the brand name for a line of Australian produced wines, confections, and bed/bath products. Newton-John married her long-time boyfriend, actor Matt Lattanzi, in December 1984. The couple had met four years earlier while filming ''Xanadu.'' Their daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, was born in January 1986. (They divorced in 1995.)

Newton-John's music career cooled again with the release of her next studio album, the gold ''Soul Kiss'' (No. 29 Pop), in 1985. The album's only charted single was the title track (No. 20 Pop, No. 20 AC). Due to her pregnancy, Newton-John limited her publicity for the album. The video album for ''Soul Kiss'' featured only five of the album's ten tracks (concept videos for the album's singles ''Soul Kiss'' and ''Toughen Up'' as well as performance videos of the tracks ''Culture Shock'', ''Emotional Tangle'' and ''The Right Moment'').

Motherhood and advocacy

After a nearly three-year hiatus following the birth of Chloe, Newton-John resumed her recording career with the 1988 album, ''The Rumour.'' The album was promoted by an HBO special, ''Olivia Down Under,'' and its first single, the title track, was written and produced by Elton John. Both the single (No. 62 Pop, No. 33 AC) and the album (No. 67 Pop) fizzled as the nearly 40 year-old Newton-John seemed "old" when compared with the teen queens Debbie Gibson and Tiffany ruling the Pop charts at that time. (Ironically, this album was praised by critics as more mature with Newton-John addressing topics such as AIDS, the environment and single parent households.) The second single, ''Can't We Talk It Over In Bed,'' did not chart, but was released in 1989 by Grayson Hugh, the song's arranger, as ''Talk It Over'' becoming a Top 20 Pop hit. A year later, Newton-John recorded her self-described "self-indulgent" album, ''Warm and Tender.'' Inspired by her daughter, who appeared on the album cover, the album featured lullabies and love songs for parents and their children. This album, the last one produced by John Farrar, also failed to revive her recording career struggling to No. 124 Pop.

Newton-John was primed for another comeback in 1992 when she compiled her third hits collection, ''Back To Basics – The Essential Collection 1971–1992'', and planned her first tour since her ''Physical'' trek ten years earlier. Shortly after the album's release, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer forcing her to cancel all publicity for the album including the tour. (Newton-John received her diagnosis the same weekend her father died.) Newton-John recovered and since became a tireless advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues. She is a product spokesperson for the Liv-Kit, a breast self-examination product. She is also partial owner of the Gaia Retreat and Spa in Byron Bay, Australia advertised as "the ideal place to renew, refresh, and restore your mind, body and soul."

Newton-John's advocacy for health issues was presaged by her prior involvement with many humanitarian causes. Newton-John cancelled a 1978 concert tour of Japan to protest the slaughter of dolphins caught in tuna fishing nets. (She subsequently rescheduled the tour when the Japanese government assured her the matter was being addressed.) She was a performer on the 1979 Music for UNICEF Concert for the UN' International Year of the Child televised worldwide. During the concert, artists performed songs for which they donated their royalties, some in perpetuity, to benefit the cause. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme. In 1991, she became the National Spokesperson for the Colette Chuda Environmental Fund/CHEC (Children’s Health Environmental Coalition) following the death of four year old Colette Chuda, a family friend, from cancer. (Chuda was featured along with Newton-John and daughter Chloe on the cover of Newton-John's ''Warm and Tender'' album.)

Newton-John's cancer diagnosis also affected the type of music she recorded. In 1994, she released ''Gaia: One Woman's Journey'' which chronicled her ordeal. This was the first album on which Newton-John wrote all of the songs encouraging her to become more active as a songwriter thereafter. In 2005, she released ''Stronger Than Before,'' sold exclusively in the United States by Hallmark. Proceeds from the album's sales benefited breast cancer research. The album featured the song ''Phenomenal Woman'' based on the poem by Maya Angelou that featured guest vocals from Diahann Carroll, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Delta Goodrem, Amy Holland, Patti LaBelle, and Mindy Smith – all survivors of or affected by cancer.

The following year, Newton-John released a healing CD, ''Grace And Gratitude.'' The album was sold exclusively by Walgreens also benefitting various charities including Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. The CD was the "heart" of their "Body – Heart – Spirit" Wellness Collection which also featured a re-branded Liv-Kit and breast-health dietary supplements. Newton-John re-recorded some tracks from ''Grace And Gratitude'' in 2010 and re-released the album as ''Grace And Gratitude Renewed'' on the Green Hill music label. The ''Renewed'' CD includes a new track, "Help Me To Heal," not featured on the original album. The ''Renewed'' CD yielded Newton-John's first appearances on the Billboard Christian Albums (No. 36), Christian & Gospel Albums (No. 54) and New Age Albums (No. 2) charts.

In 2008, Newton-John 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 during April joined by various celebrities and cancer survivors throughout her trek. The walk symbolized the steps cancer patients must take on their road to recovery. Newton-John released a companion CD, ''A Celebration In Song,'' the following month in Australia and later worldwide featuring new and previously recorded duets by "Olivia Newton-John & Friends." Her "Friends" included Jann Arden, Jimmy Barnes, John Farrar, Barry Gibb, Delta Goodrem, Sun Ho, Richard Marx, Cliff Richard, Melinda Schneider, Amy Sky and Keith Urban. (The album was re-released by Green Hill Records with different artwork in 2011.) In October, Newton-John helped launch the www.liv.com website and teamed with fitness franchise Curves to distribute one million Liv-Aid breast self-examination aids for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Newton-John collaborated with producer David Foster to record ''Hope Is Always Here'' for the November 2009 television special, ''Kaleidoscope.'' The song was written and composed for the show's performance by another breast cancer survivor, figure skater Dorothy Hamill. The song was released as a digital single after the show aired.

Newton-John was featured in UniGlobe Entertainment's breast cancer docu-drama, ''1 a Minute,'' released in October 2010. The documentary was made by actress Namrata Singh Gujral and featured other celebrities who survived breast cancer or were affected by the disease. During the same month, Bluewater Productions released a comic book featuring Newton-John to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Later career

Newton-John continued to record and perform pop-oriented music as well. In 1998, she returned to Nashville to record ''Back With A Heart'' (No. 59 Pop). The album returned her to the Top 10 (No. 9) on the Country Albums chart. Its first single was a re-recording of ''I Honestly Love You'' produced by David Foster and featuring Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds on background vocals that charted Pop (No. 67) and AC (No. 18). Country radio dismissed the song, though it did peak at No. 16 on the Country Sales chart. The album track, ''Love Is A Gift,'' won Newton-John a 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song after being featured on the daytime serial, ''As The World Turns.''

Newton-John's subsequent secular albums were released primarily in Australia. Newton-John, John Farnham and Anthony Warlow toured Australia as ''The Main Event.'' The live album won an ARIA Award for Highest Selling Australian CD and was also nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album. She and Farnham performed ''Dare To Dream'' at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2002, Newton-John released ''(2),'' a duets album featuring mostly Australian artists (Tina Arena, Darren Hayes, Jimmy Little, Johnny O'Keefe, Billy Thorpe, Keith Urban) as well as a heartfelt "duet" with the deceased Peter Allen. The same year, Newton-John was inducted into Australia's ARIA Hall of Fame. ''Indigo: Women of Song,'' a tribute album covering songs by female artists such as Joan Baez, The Carpenters, Doris Day, Nina Simone, Minnie Riperton and others, was released in 2004. Newton-John dedicated the album to her mother, who had died the previous year.

Newton-John also released several Christmas albums. In 2000, she teamed with Vince Gill and the London Symphony Orchestra for '''Tis The Season'' sold exclusively through Hallmark. The following year, she released ''The Christmas Collection'' which compiled seasonal music previously recorded for her Hallmark Christmas album, her appearance on Kenny Loggins' 1999 TNN Christmas special and her contributions to the ''Mother And Child'' and ''Spirit Of Christmas'' multi-artist collections. (Green Hill Records re-released this album with different artwork in 2010.) In 2007, she re-teamed with her ''Grace And Gratitude'' producer, Amy Sky, for ''Christmas Wish'' (No. 187 Pop) which was sold exclusively by Target in its first year of release.

Newton-John acted occasionally since ''Two of a Kind''. She appeared in a supporting role in the 1996 AIDS drama, ''It's My Party''. In 2000, she appeared in a dramatically different role as Bitsy Mae Harling, a lesbian ex-con country singer, in Del Shores' ''Sordid Lives.'' Newton-John reprised her role for ''Sordid Lives: The Series'' which aired one season on the LOGO television network. The series featured five original songs written and composed by Newton-John specifically for the show. In 2010, Newton-John starred in the film ''Score: A Hockey Musical,'' released in Canada. Newton-John portrayed Hope Gordon, the mother of a home-schooled hockey prodigy. The film opened the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

Newton-John's television work included starring in two Christmas movies, ''A Mom For Christmas'' (1990) and ''A Christmas Romance'' (1994) – both Top 10 Nielsen hits. Her daughter, Chloe, starred as one of her children in both ''A Christmas Romance'' and in the 2001 Showtime film ''The Wilde Girls.'' Newton-John guest-starred as herself in the sitcoms ''Ned and Stacey,'' ''Murphy Brown,'' and ''Bette,'' and made two appearances as herself on ''Glee.'' For her first ''Glee'' appearance, Newton-John re-created her "Physical" video with series regular Jane Lynch. The performance was released as a digital single, returning Newton-John to the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 89) for the first time since her 1998 re-release of ''I Honestly Love You.'' In Australia, Newton-John hosted the animal and nature series ''Wild Life'' and guest starred as Joanna on two episodes of the Australian series ''The Man From Snowy River.''

Newton-John met gaffer/cameraman Patrick McDermott a year after her 1995 divorce from Matt Lattanzi. The couple dated on and off for nine years. McDermott disappeared following a 2005 fishing trip off the California coast. Various theories abounded regarding his disappearance ranging from his death by accident or foul play to McDermott staging his disappearance to avoid child support payments to his ex-wife, actress Yvette Nipar. Newton-John, who was in Australia at her Gaia Retreat & Spa at the time of his disappearance, was never a suspect in McDermott's disappearance and has refused to comment on any speculation. A US Coast Guard investigation released in 2008 "suggest[ed] McDermott was lost at sea," although some have claimed contact with McDermott since his disappearance.

Newton-John returned to the tabloid headlines again in 2007 when it was revealed that her daughter Chloe was recovering from anorexia.

Newton-John released another concert DVD, ''Olivia Newton-John and the Sydney Symphony: Live at the Sydney Opera House,'' and a companion CD, ''Olivia's Live Hits,'' in January 2008. An edited version of the DVD premiered on PBS station, WLIW (Garden City, New York), in October 2007 and subsequently aired nationally during the network's fund-raising pledge drives. This was Newton-John's third live album after the 1981 Japanese release, ''Love Performance,'' and her 2000 Australian release, ''One Woman's Live Journey.''

In June 2008, Newton-John secretly wed John ("Amazon John") Easterling, founder and president of natural remedy firm, Amazon Herb Company. The couple had first met 15 years earlier, but they only became romantically involved in 2007. (Like Newton-John, this was Easterling's second marriage.) The couple married alone in a private Incan spiritual ceremony in Cuzco, Peru on June 21 followed nine days later by a legal ceremony on the Jupiter Island beachfront in Florida. There were no guests at either service since the couple preferred to marry simply and privately. Only Newton-John's daughter, Chloe, was aware of the nuptials. The couple did not announce their marriage until a 4 July barbecue at Newton-John's Malibu, California home, where guests were surprised with the news. The wedding was confirmed thereafter by ''HELLO!'' Magazine which published exclusive pictures of both weddings. In June 2009, the Easterlings purchased a new $4.1 million home in Jupiter Inlet, and Newton-John sold her home in Malibu, California.

Current activities

Newton-John still occasionally tours. Most of her recent public performances have been at charitable functions or to promote products such as Zamu, produced by Amazon Herb, a company founded by John Easterling. Her tour schedule can be found at http://olivianewton-john.com/tour.html.

Newton-John joined Judy Brooks and Roy Walkenhorst as co-host of the health and well-being series ''Healing Quest'', currently airing on PBS.

In January 2011, Newton-John began filming "A Few Best Men" in Australia with director Stephan Elliott in the role of mother of the groom played by (Xavier Samuel).

Ten of Newton-John's albums were re-released separately and combined as a box set in October 2010 by Universal Music Japan. The albums include ''Long Live Love,'' ''Clearly Love,'' ''Come On Over,'' ''Don't Stop Believin','' ''Making A Good Thing Better,'' ''Totally Hot,'' ''Physical,'' ''Soul Kiss'', and ''The Rumour''. Each studio album featured two additional bonus tracks not included on the original releases of each album. On the same day, Universal Music Japan also released a "40/40" compilation that included 40 of Newton-John's hits as voted for by her Japanese fans as well as a previously unreleased bonus track, "Come on Home". Newton-John promoted these re-releases with a five-date tour of Japan.

On 12 February 2011, the BBC website reported that Newton-John was keen to join the 'Hetton Thunderer' project, a collaboration between musicians and the Hetton-le-Hole Historical Musical Society to re-invent forgotten musical instruments. Newton-John wished to keep the project under-wraps until demonstrations of the remodelled musical instruments were made public.

Discography and videography

;Studio albums

''Olivia Newton John'' (1971)

''If Not For You'' (1971)

''Olivia'' (1972)

''Music Makes My Day'' (1973)

''Let Me Be There'' (1973) [US compilation]

''Long Live Love'' (1974)

''If You Love Me, Let Me Know'' (1974) [US compilation]

''Have You Never Been Mellow'' (1975)

''Clearly Love'' (1975)

''Come On Over'' (1976)

''Don't Stop Believin''' (1976)

''Making a Good Thing Better'' (1977)

''Totally Hot'' (1978)

''Physical'' (1981)

''Soul Kiss'' (1985)

''The Rumour'' (1988)

''Warm and Tender'' (1989)

''Gaia'' (1994)

''Back With a Heart'' (1998)

'''Tis the Season'' (2000)

''The Christmas Collection (Olivia Newton-John album)'' (2001)

''(2)'' (2002)

''Indigo: Women of Song'' (2004)

''Stronger Than Before'' (2005)

''Grace and Gratitude'' (2006)

''Christmas Wish'' (2007)

''A Celebration in Song'' (2008)

''Grace And Gratitude Renewed'' (2010)

;Main compilation albums

''First Impressions'' (1975) (EMI/Festival compilation)

''Greatest Hits'' (1977)

''Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' (1982)

''Back to Basics: The Essential Collection 1971–1992'' (1992)

;Live albums

''Love Performance'' (1981)

''Highlights from The Main Event'' (1998)

''One Woman's Live Journey'' (2000)

''Olivia's Live Hits'' (2008)

;Soundtracks

''Toomorrow'' (1970)

''Grease'' (1978)

''Xanadu'' (1980)

''Two of a Kind'' (1983)

''Sordid Lives'' (2000)

''Sordid Lives: The Series'' (2008)

;DVDs/Laserdisc(12")/VHS/Betamax

''Olivia Physical'' (1982)

''Olivia in Concert'' (1983)

''Twist of Fate'' (1983)

''Soul Kiss'' (1985)

''Olivia Down Under'' (1988)

''Live at the Sydney Opera House'' (2008)

''Video Gold 1'' (2005)

''Video Gold 2'' (2005)

Filmography

''Toomorrow (film) ''The Case'' ''A Special Olivia Newton-John'' ''Only Olivia'' ''Olivia'' ''Xanadu (film) ''Two of a Kind (1983 film) ''She's Having a Baby'' ''Mothers & Others'' ''A Mom for Christmas'' ''A Christmas Romance'' ''It's My Party (film) ''Sordid Lives'' ''The Wilde Girls'' ''A Night with Olivia'' ''Live in Japan '03'' ''Sordid Lives: The Series'' ''Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List'' ''1 a Minute'' ''A Few Best Men''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1965	''Funny Things Happen Down Under''	Olivia
1970	Toomorrow'' ||	Olivia	Lead role
1972	|	Herself	BBC2 TV special w/Cliff Richard & Tim Brooke-Taylor
1976	|	Herself	TV special
1977	|	Herself	TV special
rowspan="2"	1978	|	Herself	TV special
''Grease (film)	Grease''	Sandy Olsson
rowspan="2"	1980	Xanadu'' ||	Terpsichore>Kira	Lead role
''Hollywood Nights''	Herself
1983	Two of a Kind'' ||	Debbie	Lead role
1988	|	Herself	Cameo
1989	|	Herself	TV special
1990	|	Amy Miller	Lead role in television film
rowspan="2"	1991	|	Julia Stonecypher	Lead role in television film
''Madonna: Truth or Dare''	Herself
1996	It's My Party'' ||	Lina Bingham	Supporting role
2000	|	Bitsy Mae Harling	Supporting role
2001	|	Jasmine Wilde	Lead role in television film
2002	|	Herself	TV special
2003	|	Herself	TV special
2008	|	Bitsy Mae Harling	Supporting role in TV Series
2009	|	Herself	Guest appearance
rowspan="3"	2010	|	Herself	Documentary
''Glee (TV series)	Glee''	Herself
''Score: A Hockey Musical''	Hope Gordon
2011	|	Mother-in-Law	Supporting role

Tours

''If Not For You Tour'' (1972)

''Cliff Richard Japan tour w/Pat Carroll'' (1972)

''Clearly Love Tour'' (1975)

''Love Performance Tour'' (1976)

''Totally Hot World Tour'' (1978)

''Physical World Tour'' (1982)

''The Main Event Tour'' (1998)

''Greatest Hits Tour'' (1999)

''One Woman's Live Journey Tour'' (1999)

''Millennium Tour'' (2000)

''30 Musical Years Tour'' (2001)

''Heartstrings World Tour'' (2002)

''Japan 2006 Tour'' (2006)

''Live at the Sydney Opera House Tour'' (2006)

''Grace and Gratitude Tour'' (2006)

''Body Heart & Spirit Tour'' (2007)

''Verona-Canadian 2007 Tour'' (2007)

''United States 2009 Tour'' (2009)

Awards and honours

{| class=wikitable |- style="background:#ccc;" !Year !Category !Genre !Recording !Result |- style="background:#ddd;" | colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| Grammy Awards |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1973 |Best Female Country Vocal Performance |Country |"Let Me Be There" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|1974 |Record of the Year |General |"I Honestly Love You" | |- align=left |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"I Honestly Love You" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1975 |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"Have You Never Been Mellow" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|1978 |Album of the Year |General |"Grease" (Soundtrack) | |- align=left |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"Hopelessly Devoted to You" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1980 |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"Magic" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1981 |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"Physical" | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|1982 |Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |Pop |"Heart Attack" | |- align=left |Video of the Year |General |''Olivia Physical'' | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1983 |Best Long Form Music Video |General |''Olivia in Concert'' | |- align=left | style="text-align:left;"|1984 |Best Short Form Music Video |General |''Twist of Fate'' | |}

See also

List of best-selling music artists

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

List of songs by Australian artists which reached number-one on the Hot 100 (USA)

List of songs by British artists which reached number-one on the Hot 100 (USA)

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

References

Bibliography

Olivia (The Biography of Olivia Newton-John), Tim Ewbank. (2008). Piatkus books. ISBN 978-0-7499-0983-3.

Wood, Gerry. (1998). "Olivia Newton-John." In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music.'' Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 380–1.

The Story of the Shadows by Mike Read. 1983. Elm Tree books. ISBN 0-241-10861-6.

Rock 'n' Roll, I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life – A Life In The Shadows by Bruce Welch ISBN 0-670-82705-3 (Penguin Books).

External links

Olivia Newton-John

Gaia Retreat

Great Walk To Beijing

ON-J Cancer Centre Appeal

Breast Health

Newton-John, Olivia (1948–) National Library of Australia, ''Trove, People and Organisation'' record for Olivia Newton-John

Category:1948 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Living people Category:Actors from Melbourne Category:ARIA Award winners Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Category:Australian country singers Category:Australian dance musicians Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian female singers Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian people of English descent Category:Australian people of German descent Category:Australian people of Welsh descent Category:Australian pop singers Category:Australian television actors Category:Breast cancer survivors Category:British Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:English country singers Category:English dance musicians Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English female singers Category:English film actors Category:English emigrants to Australia Category:English pop singers Category:English people of German descent Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:English television actors Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1974 Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Naturalised citizens of Australia Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Cambridge Category:Singers from Melbourne

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