Jon Voight rose to stardom nearly 50 years ago and has stayed in the Hollywood spotlight ever since, although he’s had some ups and downs during that time. There are still some things you might not know about the actor.
Movies such as “Midnight Cowboy,” “Deliverance,” and “Coming Home” won him acclaim worldwide. He later put his acting skills to use in supporting roles in movies and on TV. He has expressed his conservative views in commentaries and opinion pieces, endorsing Republican candidates and pledging his solidarity with Israel.
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Here are five things you didn’t know about Jon Voight:
1. He loves being a character actor — After his successful years as a top movie actor, Voight has become comfortable with character roles, such as the snake hunter in the 1997 movie “Anaconda” and the ruthless ex-con in the Showtime TV series “Ray Donovan.” “My roots are in character acting,” he once said, according to the Independent. “I trace my lineage back to the character actors, not the great stars.”
2. He wasn’t invited to his daughter’s wedding — Voight and daughter Angelina Jolie had reportedly made amends in 2010 after a years-long feud. But Voight told TMZ in 2014 he wasn’t invited to her wedding even though Brad Pitt’s entire immediate family attended.
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3. He almost missed the chance to star in “Midnight Cowboy” — Voight shot to box-office fame in the role of Joe Buck in the 1969 movie that would go on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The producers originally chose Michael Sarrazin, but he demanded more money. So, they went with Voight, according to Mental Floss.
4. He turned down starring roles in “Love Story” and “Jaws” — These were two of the biggest blockbuster movies of the 1970s, but Voight admits to being “too picky” after the success of “Midnight Cowboy,” he told The Telegraph. He practically disappeared from the screen for a few years until starring in 1978’s “Coming Home,” for which he won the Academy’s Best Actor award.
5. Voight was once a typical Hollywood liberal — He has become a strong supporter of conservative causes and even endorsed Donald Trump for president in the 2016 presidential campaign. But he sided with liberal colleagues when he first became a star and was an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War. He later said he was caught up in the hysteria. In a 2008 op-ed piece for the Washington Times, Voight wrote, “The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds.”
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