'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On August 8, 2022, Olivia Newton-John passed away at 73 after battling breast cancer for over a decade, leaving behind a rich legacy of film roles and music recordings that continue to charm fans even to this day.
Olivia was adept at singing, dancing, and acting, and her best films usually blended all three of these talents and made the musical genre popular again. The actress is mainly remembered for her portrayal of Sandy in the 1978 musical Grease, opposite John Travolta’s Danny Zuko. Her film career also featured a starring role in Xanadu, another cult classic musical, alongside Gene Kelly.
In honor of Newton-John's life and her performances that have left an indelible mark on millions, we're taking a look at some of her most memorable performances from her impressive body of work.
5 best Olivia Newton-John films
1) Grease
Based on Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's 1971 Broadway musical of the same name, this 1978 musical rom-com is directed by Randal Kleiser. The film takes the audience on a fun ride as it explores the romantic relationship between greaser Danny Zuko (played by John Travolta) and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson (played by Olivia Newton-John).
The summer romance between Sandy and Danny is something that is cherished by fans even today. No wonder the film has been a massive success. The film's legendary soundtrack also featured hit duets from the protagonists, such as You're The One That I Want, Summer Nights, and We Go Together, which became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
2) Xanadu
This 1980 fantasy musical is directed by Robert Greenwald. The title of the film refers to a roller-skating nightclub where most of the action takes place. The name is taken from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1816 poem Kubla Khan, which describes Xanadu, the opulent summer capital of the Chinese emperor Kublai Khan.
Olivia Newton-John plays Kira, the Greek roller-skating Terpsichore, who acts as a muse for struggling artist Sonny Malone (played by Michael Beck). She inspired him to partner with Danny Mcguire, a construction mogul played by Gene Kelly, to build a roller-skating nightclub called Xanadu.
The film, featuring the lead pair's love story under the shining lights of a disco ball, achieved cult status for successfully mixing a vintage idea taken from a Romantic poem with a modern aesthetic featuring late 1970s and early 1980s rock and pop music. The album also featured Olivia's hit single Magic and her title track Xanadu with Electric Light Orchestra.
3) Two of a Kind
The star-studded 1983 romantic fantasy film directed by John Herzfeld reunited Travolta and Olivia Newton-John yet once again after Grease. In the film, four angels try to dissuade God from destroying the human race by proving that good souls still exist on Earth.
The good souls are Travolta's Zack Melon, a failed inventor who attempts to rob a bank, and the bank teller Debbie Wylder (played by Olivia), who tricks him by substituting bank deposit slips for the money and keeping the cash for herself. The two eventually developed a romantic relationship while evading the loan sharks.
4) The Wilde Girls
Directed by Del Shores, this 2001 television film stars Olivia Newton-John and her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. Olivia plays Jasmine Wilde, a former rock star and single mother to her 14-year-old daughter Izzy (played by Chloe).
Izzy wants to follow in her singer mother's footsteps, but Jasmine wants to raise her teenage daughter in a normal American setting in Georgia as she fears the negative effect fame could have on her daughter's life.
5) Sordid Lives
Directed by Del Shores, this 2000 comedy tells the story of a family of modest means who gather in their humble Texas hometown to mourn the accidental death of their elderly family matriarch. They prepared for an embarrassing funeral as the matriarch died during a clandestine meeting with her young married neighbor in a seedy motel room.
Olivia Newton-John plays Bitsy Mae Harling, a local lesbian country singer with a bad reputation, who is also the best friend of Peggy Ingram, the sister of the deceased matriarch. The cult classic film led to a spinoff TV series called Sordid Lives: The Series in 2008 and a sequel film called A Very Sordid Wedding in 2017.
Don't forget to watch these cult classic films starring Olivia Newton-John, and if you've already watched them, now would be a good time to rewatch these gems.
