Her career SANDY & BEYOND
She had the talent, the drive and the charisma – that elusive X factor – and it propelled the girl from Melbourne to an international sensation
After singing around Melbourne as a teenager, Olivia’s career first seriously took off in the UK, where she signed a recording contract with Decca Records. In 1971, after songwriter Bruce Welch came into Olivia’s life, the breakdown of their personal relationship (they were engaged briefly) translated into her first – of many – hit singles, If Not For You. Banks Of The Ohio – a song Olivia had sung when she was performing around Melbourne
– became her next hit. After placing fourth for the UK in 1974’s Eurovision Song Contest, losing out to Abba, Olivia looked to the US.
MAKING IT STATESIDE
In 1974, Let Me Be There became a huge hit there – in both the pop and country charts and established Olivia as a worldwide star. After moving permanently to America with then-boyfriend and manager Lee Kramer, Olivia clocked her first US number one with
I Honestly Love You. Have You Never Been Mellow topped the charts in 1975 – and the star,
‘I’m really grateful I’m still singing’
who'd settled on a ranch in Malibu with her beloved animals, was living the dream. “I like what I'm doing and I believe in what I'm doing,” she told Rolling Stone at the time.
GREASE IS THE WORD
Olivia's fame went stratospheric in 1978 when Grease was released. She'd snagged the role – playing 17-year-old highschooler Sandy Olsson when she was 29 – after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party. He'd already cast Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta as Danny Zuko and by the end of the dinner Allan knew he'd found his Sandy.
But Olivia wasn't convinced. “I was a little nervous at first,” she remembered. “I actually asked if I could do a screen test. I wanted to make sure I could pull it off.” The film – and the soundtrack album – became a worldwide smash and Olivia became an icon.
While her 1980 film Xanadu was panned by critics at the time, it's since gone on to become a cult classic and the soundtrack was packed with hits, including Suddenly, Magic and the title track.
Olivia loved making the movie. “How lucky am I that I've been in movies where I've danced with two of the greatest dancers of all time – Gene Kelly and John Travolta,” she said.
“I had two left feet growing up!” That Olivia met young actor Matt Lattanzi on the film – the father of her only child, Chloe – also ensured it held a special place in her heart.
1980s ICON
Across her career, Olivia snagged herself 10 American Music Awards, nine Billboards and four Grammys, as well as a star on the Hollywood walk of fame – but she wasn't done!
As the '80s dawned, sweet, girl-next-door Olivia transformed into a sexy vixen in a headband. Physical, with its risque lyrics and iconic video, was a worldwide smash, topping the charts in the US for 10 weeks. In 2010 she recreated the video on Glee with Jane Lynch. “It was bizarre, but fun,” she said.
In 1983, Olivia opened Koala Blue in LA with her close friend Pat Carroll. “I thought wouldn't it be great for Australians to have a place to hang out and get pies and candy and things.”
The store flourished until the recession of the early '90s hit, forcing the business to close in 1992. It was one of Olivia's few career failures. “I lost a heck of a lot of money,” she said at the time. “We really got hurt.”
’90s & BEYOND
Olivia took a three-year career break after she gave birth to Chloe in 1986. During that time the pop landscape changed and young stars like Debbie Gibson, Tiffany – and Kylie Minogue – were topping the charts.
At 40 Liv struggled to recapture her pop queen crown and looked to TV. From 1993 to 1996 she starred on Aussie screens as Joanna Walker in Snowy River: The Mcgregor Saga and began presenting lifestyle programs including Wild Life. But it wasn't long before Olivia was singing again. She joined her good friend Sir Cliff Richard on stage during his 1998 Australian tour and then began performing with John Farnham and Anthony Warlow on the Main Event Tour.
In 2000, she was asked to perform at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games with John Farnham. Of all her achievements, it was this that Liv personally cherished most.
“Nothing I have done professionally will top the feeling I got when singing with John Farnham at the Games,” she once said. The pair joined forces for the hugely successful Two Strong Hearts tour in 2015, a testament to their enduring friendship and talent.
Olivia continued to work and perform almost up until she passed away. From Asian tour dates, a Vegas residency at the Flamingo and fun appearances in TV shows including Rupaul’s Drag Race and in films A Few Best Men and The Very Excellent Mr Dundee, the actress also performed at the Australian Open and the AFL Grand Final.
As an entertainer with more than five decades on stage behind her, Olivia was able to cherry pick her projects. It was only when she cancelled her
In Conversation speaking tour dates in August 2018 that it became ominously clear how unwell she had become.
But Olivia was an entertainer until the very end and cherished the fact that her millions of fans were always there for her. “I've been doing this a long time,” she said recently. “I'm really grateful that I'm still singing – and you still turn up.”
Tragically, the curtain has closed on Olivia's extraordinary career – but what a magical journey she took us on.