Olivia A-Z
Translation from Italian:
For each letter an image, a place, a memory, a name: here is the unpublished portrait of a successful actress
A - Australia: I arrived there as a child, I stayed there until I was sixteen, until I won a singing competition and returned to my homeland, England, to climb the ladder of success. Australia is synonymous with childhood, with carefreeness.
B - Big Sur: the enchanting Californian town where I have lived for ten years now. A paradise overlooking the Pacific.
C - Cambridge: my father taught at that famous English university.
D - Dino… My first love. I was fourteen, he was a couple of years older than me. He was a boy of Italian origin, as handsome as the sun.
E - Eggs. I’m crazy about eggs and I know how to cook them in every way possible.
F - Father. My father, an extraordinary man. A university professor, a poet, he was also passionate about music and played the piano beautifully. I sang my first songs with him.
G - “Grease”: my first film, which made me known throughout the world. A not entirely pleasant memory, however, as we will see later, at letter T.
H - Holidays. I’ve been working hard for years, and the mere thought of taking a vacation (two, three weeks a year, no more) fills me with joy.
I - Italy. Dino, my first boyfriend, always told me he’d make it big in Australia, that he’d marry me, and that we’d go live in Italy.
J - Jerry… Lewis, of course. He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met in Hollywood. A mutual fondness. Every time we meet, Jerry puts on a hilarious show just for me.
K - Kelly… Gene Kelly, so to speak. I worked with him on the film “Xanadu,” and I learned more from him in a couple of months than in the rest of my career. He’s an unparalleled artist!
L - Lee… that is, Lee Kramer, who for eight years, besides being my manager, he was also “my man.” The most important love story of my life. Even now that it’s all over. Lee is still my best friend.
M - Melbourne, Australia. The city where I grew up. I always remember it with such tenderness.
N- Nobel Prize. My grandfather, Max Born, won the Nobel Prize for Physics.
O - Oscars. I often dream at night of winning the Oscar. Who knows, maybe the dream will soon come true……
P - Pizza. It was Dino who made me eat pizza for the first time. And even today, when I eat it, I remember my first love.
Q - Queen. Do you see me as the queen of song? Yes…
R - Ranch. I bought one in Colorado a few years ago. That’s where I go to take refuge, in my rare free moments. Among the greenery, among my horses.
S - Shoes. You should know that Lee Kramer, before taking care of my career… and me, had a shoe factory. So, shoes remind me of Lee, and vice versa.
T - Travolta. There’s never been any love lost between me and my partner in “Grease.” He has a prickly character, and despite my angelic air, I know how to show off my claws. We had some fights on the set!
U - Ulla. She’s a Swedish girl who’s been my secretary for a few years. Without her, confused as I am, I’d be ruined!
V- Vincent… Van Gogh, to be exact. He’s my favorite painter. I spent a fortune on one of his paintings.
Z - Zorro. That’s what I called my favorite horse. He’s black, with a white spot on his chest. And he’s willing to carry only me in the saddle.
Editor - not sure how accurate some of this is but it is fun