Matt Lattanzi

Matthew Vincent Lattanzi[1] (born February 1, 1959) is an American actor and dancer. He is most commonly recognized as the first husband of singer and actress Dame Olivia Newton-John, and for his acting in films such as My Tutor and the soap opera Paradise Beach.

Matt Lattanzi
Lattanzi in 1989
Born	Matthew Vincent Lattanzi (1959-02-01) February 1, 1959 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1980–1993
Spouse(s)	Olivia Newton-John ​ ( m. 1984; div. 1995) Cindy Jessup ​ ( m. 1997; div. 2007)
Children	Chloe Rose Lattanzi

Personal life

Lattanzi was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, the son of Jeanette (née Slowikowski) and Charles Paul Lattanzi.[2] His father is a maintenance foreman[3] of Italian descent, while his mother is of Polish ancestry.[4][5] He graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School in 1977.[6]

While filming Xanadu, Lattanzi met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984.[2] The couple had one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born on January 17, 1986.[7] By 1992, his acting career was largely over, and he took a job as a construction worker for a homebuilding company in California.[5] Lattanzi and Newton-John moved to their farm in Australia in 1993 so that he could audition for the new soap opera, Paradise Beach.[5] He won a six-month contract for the show.[5]

On April 24, 1995, Matt and Olivia announced a divorce. From 1997 to 2007, Lattanzi was in a relationship with Cindy Jessup. [8]

In 2008, Lattanzi briefly appeared in the MTV reality series Rock the Cradle, supporting his daughter Chloe (a contestant on the show).[9] That same year, Lattanzi—a lifelong environmentalist[10]—was reported to be living off the grid near Malibu, California.[9]

Career

Lattanzi's feature film debut was as a dancer in the 1980 movie Xanadu.[5]

Lattanzi's career consists mostly of small movie parts, though he did have a starring role in 1983's My Tutor. Other film credits include Rich and Famous, Grease 2, That's Life!, Roxanne, Catch Me If You Can, and Diving In. Lattanzi also had a significant role in the Australian soap opera, Paradise Beach,[10] and he appeared in four of Newton-John's music videos: "Landslide", "Soul Kiss", "Toughen Up" and "Can't We Talk It Over In Bed".

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Xanadu	Young Danny McGuire/Xanadu Dancer
1981	Rich and Famous	Jim
1982	Olivia Newton-John: Let's Get Physical	Himself	TV special (Music video: "Landslide")
1982	Grease 2	Brad
1983	My Tutor	Bobby Chrystal
1986	That's Life!	Larry Bartlet
1986	Olivia: Soul Kiss	Himself	Music video: "Soul Kiss"
1987	Roxanne	Trent
1988	Blueberry Hill	Denny Logan
1989	Catch Me If You Can	Dylan Malone
1990	Diving In	Jerome Colter
1993	Paradise Beach	Cooper Hart	Main cast (100 episodes)

References

1. "General Name Search, PeopleSmart.com". Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-10.
2. "To Have and Hold." People. January 7, 1985. Accessed 2013-08-26.
3. "Olivia's Breakup." People. May 15, 1995. Accessed 2013-08-26.
4. 1940 U.S. Census, Ancestry.com
5. Hart, Marla. "Matt Lattanzi Sees Sunnier Days Ahead For 'Paradise'." Chicago Tribune. July 29, 1993. Accessed 2013-08-26.
6. Baker, Jeff (April 28, 2014). "18 actors you (maybe) didn't know were from Portland". Retrieved 29 April 2014.
7. "Baby Chloe is a first for Newton-John, Lattanzi". The Milwaukee Sentinel. January 18, 1986. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
8. "Matt Lattanzi: Bio, Age, and Facts about Olivia Newton John's First Husband". Retrieved 1 December 2019.
9. Byrne, Fiona. "Matt Lattanzi: Looking for Love in Australia." Sunday Herald Sun. July 6, 2008. Accessed 2013-08-26.
10. Groves, Seli. "Matt Lattanzi: A Message from Paradise." The Spokane Spokesman-Review. July 27, 1993. Accessed 2013-08-26.

External links

• Matt Lattanzi on IMDb
• Matt Lattanzi at AllMovie