- Olivia Newton-John’s parents were Brinley Newton-John and Irene Born who died in 1992 and 2003 respectively
- The singer’s father was an academician, singer, and M15 officer who took the German politician Rudolf Hess to prison
- From Olivia’s mother, she was related to several other notable people including being the granddaughter of renowned physicist Max Born
Brinley Newton-John (father) and Irene Born (mother) were Olivia Newton-John’s parents. They were married for about 21 years and had 2 children. While the singer’s father was a British-Australian, her mother was a German-British.
The father of the Australian-British singer, actress, and activist was a professor and M15 officer while her mother led a more private life as the daughter of Max Born and granddaughter of a German jurist.
Who are Olivia Newton-John’s Parents?
Her Father was a Music Enthusiast, Son of a Singer, and an Academician
Olivia’s father Brinley Bryn Newton was the son of a singer mother, Daisy Newton. She was in the Royal Welsh Ladies Choir for many years.
Bryn took the same interest in music and had given it a thought to become a professional musician. Regardless, he performed opera and also established the first university choir at an institution he worked in 1966.
In addition to the singing ability of the older Newton-John, he was involved in classical music and also played violin.
Apart from music, Olivia’s father was a university administrator and professor of German literature whose academic career started in the 1930s as an assistant master and later worked at the registered office.
He left his job in school before making a comeback in the 1940s. He worked in different colleges and held several titles. Some of the universities he worked with include the University of Melbourne, Newcastle University College, and the University of New South Wales.
Of the many positions, he held, he was able to get the title of professor emeritus and convocation to mention a few.
He was a Classified Intelligence Unit During WWII
On September 30, 1940, when Olivia’s father, Bryn was 26, he joined the Royal Air Force. He spent his early career there interrogating captured German pilots, using to his advantage the great German language skill he had.
He made a difference when he could get the confidence of the Germans and get information from them. One of his most famous contributions was authenticating the identity of Rudolf Hess – a leader of the Nazi Party in 1941.
In 1942, he was seconded to the top secret Ultra project at Bletchley Park. He was one of those who broke the German Enigma codes.
His career in the Air Force ended in 1945 after he became a war substantive flight lieutenant.
Olivia’s Mother Irene Hedwig is the of a Nobel Prize Winner, Max Born
Irene Helene Käthe Hedwig, also known as Irene Newton-John was the first wife of Brinley and mother of Olivia Newton-John.
She is also famous as the daughter of Max Born – a renowned physicist and mathematician. He is most renowned for his fundamental research in quantum mechanics.
Her father has his name written in many physics theories such as Born approximation, Born equation, and Born Rigidity among several others. For his contributions, he won a Nobel Prize in Physics (1954), Hughes Medal (1950), Max Planck Medal (1948), and Fellow of the Royal Society (1939) to list a few.
On the other hand, Irene’s mother and Olivia Newton-John’s grandmother was the daughter of Victor Ehrenberg, a German jurist.
Irene is Related to Many Famous People
Apart from Olivia’s parents coming into the limelight for being the mother of a famous English singer, she is also related to other famous people. Some of her relatives include:
See Also: Amber Heard’s Parents: Shocking Details About David Heard and Paige Parsons
Olivia Newton-John Had Step-parents
Olivia’s father was married to 2 other women after her parent’s marriage failed in 1958 when Olivia was 10.
He first married Valerie Ter Wee (nee Cunnigham) and she became the singer’s stepmother. Valerie served as a bookshop manager, pianist, and clinical psychologist.
Bryn’s marriage to Valerie ended after a while and he went ahead to be married to a journalist named Mary Jean Holley (nee McOmish).
