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01
At age 36, Voight became a father for the second time when his then-wife Marcheline Bertrand gave birth to their daughter Angelina Jolie on June 4, 1975.
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02
Voight was cast as President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Pearl Harbor 2001 after Gene Hackman declined the role due to his wife’s Japanese ancestry.
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03
His younger brother Wes Voight, known by the alias Chip Taylor, wrote the Troggs’ 1966 smash hit Wild Thing as well as Angel of the Morning and I Can’t Let Go.
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04
Voight turned down the role of Matt Hooper in Jaws 1975, which went to Richard Dreyfuss.
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05
His father Elmer Voytka, later Voight, was a professional golfer.
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06
Voight was considered for the role of Clark Kent/Superman in Superman 1978, which went to Christopher Reeve.
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07
Maximilian Schell and Jacqueline Bisset are the godparents of his daughter Angelina Jolie.
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08
In 2000, Voight became involved with the Florida Holocaust Museum and served as an advisory board member.
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09
Voight turned down the role of Oliver Barrett IV in Love Story 1970, despite being offered 10% of the gross.
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10
His eldest brother Barry Voight, a volcanologist, was a geology professor at Penn State University.
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11
Voight has appeared in three films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Midnight Cowboy 1969, Deliverance 1972, and Coming Home 1978; Midnight Cowboy won.
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12
In 1982, as a presenter, Voight accepted the Oscar for Best Actress on behalf of Katharine Hepburn.
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13
In an episode of Seinfeld, George Costanza buys a Chrysler LeBaron he believes once belonged to Jon Voight, only to discover the previous owner was John Voight, a periodontist.
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14
On December 9, 2001, Voight appeared as a surprise guest on Muppets Tonight dressed as a giant chicken with Gonzo the Great at the first annual MuppetFest.
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15
Voight has appeared in two films selected for the National Film Registry: Midnight Cowboy 1969 and Deliverance 1972.
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16
The ringtone on his phone plays Everybody’s Talkin’ from Midnight Cowboy 1969.
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17
He attended Archbishop Stepinac High School, an all-boys school in White Plains, New York.
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18
His paternal grandfather, George Voytko, was a Slovak emigrant from Nacina Ves, Kosice, and his paternal grandmother Helen Petrick was of Slovak ancestry; his mother Barbara Agnes Kamp Voight was of German descent with Bavarian roots.
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19
At age 34, Voight became a father for the first time when Marcheline Bertrand gave birth to their son James Haven on May 11, 1973.
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20
Voight has played father to Ricky Schroder twice: in The Champ 1979 and Return to Lonesome Dove 1993.
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21
He attended and graduated from the Catholic University of America in 1960, changing his major from Speech and Drama to Art; fellow classmate was Henry Gibson.
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22
Voight was honored at a fundraiser for Joseph Papp Children’s Humanitarian Fund in New York City in May 2002.
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23
In 1970, he accepted the Oscar for Best Director on behalf of John Schlesinger, who directed him in Midnight Cowboy 1969.
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24
In Lara Croft: Tomb Raider 2001, Voight played the father of the title character, portrayed by his real-life daughter Angelina Jolie.
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25
In 1993, Voight took over the role of Woodrow F. Call from Tommy Lee Jones in Return to Lonesome Dove; three years later, the role was taken by his future son-in-law Jonny Lee Miller in Dead Man’s Walk 1996.
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26
He has dated Linda Morand, Stacey Pickren, Rebecca De Mornay, Eileen Davidson, Barbra Streisand, Nastassja Kinski, and Diana Ross.
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27
Voight has played a coach in three films: Varsity Blues 1999, Glory Road 2006, and Woodlawn 2015.
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28
He has been asked in real life for Billy Flynn’s autograph his character from The Champ and given it.
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29
He was the original choice for Apollo in the Star Trek episode Who Mourns for Adonais? but was hired for another project.
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30
Voight has played a boxer in two films: The All-American Boy 1973 and The Champ 1979; he also appeared in Ali 2001 as Howard Cosell.
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31
A hawk on the war on terror, he voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and endorsed Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump; he spoke at Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
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32
He is the grandfather of Maddox, Zahara, Pax, Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox Jolie-Pitt.
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33
He is the godfather of Skyler Shaye.
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34
He is the ex-father-in-law of Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Pitt.
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35
In 2007, he worked as a partner at Paul Productions.
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36
He endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2024.
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37
In early 1981, it was announced that he would star in The Raoul Wallenberg Story.
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38
He was born at 11:50 AM EST.
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39
He was awarded the 2019 National Medal of the Arts in Washington D.C.; he is an actor in Los Angeles, California.
