- Became a father for the second time at age 36 when Marcheline Bertrand, his second ex-wife, gave birth to their daughter Angelina Jolie Voight, aka Angelina Jolie, on June 4, 1975.
- Was cast as President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Pearl Harbor (2001) after Gene Hackman declined the role. Hackman's wife was of Japanese ancestry, and appearing in a film about the Japanese attack that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II would have been painful for her, so Hackman turned down the role.
- His younger brother is songwriter Wes Voight who, under the alias Chip Taylor, wrote The Troggs' 1966 smash hit "Wild Thing". His other songs include "Angel of the Morning" (Merrilee Rush) and "I Can't Let Go" (The Hollies).
- Turned down the role of Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975), which went to Richard Dreyfuss.
- In 2000 he became involved with the Florida Holocaust Museum and worked very closely with then-Executive Director Larry Wasser (deceased 2003) and President John Loftus, famous U.S. Justice Department official, author and former prosecutor. Voight serves today as an advisory member of the organization's board.
- Was considered for the role of Clark Kent/Superman in Superman (1978), which went to Christopher Reeve.
- His father Elmer Voytka, later Voight (born 29 October 1909 and died June 1973), was a professional golfer.
- His eldest brother Barry Voight, a volcanologist, was a geology professor at Penn State University.
- Godparents of his daughter Angelina Jolie are Maximilian Schell and Jacqueline Bisset.
- Turned down the role of Oliver Barrett IV (played by Ryan O'Neal) in Love Story (1970), despite being offered 10% of the gross.
- As of 2015 has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Midnight Cowboy (1969), Deliverance (1972) and Coming Home (1978). Of those, Midnight Cowboy (1969) is a winner in the category.
- Honored at a fundraiser for Joseph Papp Children's Humanitarian Fund in New York City in May 2002.
- In 1982, as a presenter, he accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" on behalf of Katharine Hepburn, who was not present at the awards ceremony.
- In an episode of Seinfeld (1989), George (Jason Alexander) buys a Chrysler Lebaron convertible he believes once belonged to Jon Voight only to discover that the previous owner was actually "John" Voight, a periodontist.
- His paternal grandfather, George Voytko/Voytka, was a Slovak emigrant, from Nacina Ves, Kosice, and his paternal grandmother, Helen Petrick, was of Slovak ancestry. His mother Barbara Agnes (Kamp) (Barbara Voight) (born in New York, 7 January 1910 and died in Palm Beach County, FL, 3 December 1995) was the daughter of Joseph Kamp, a German immigrant, and wife Margaret Franz, also the daughter of German immigrants, with roots in Bavaria.
- Attended Archbishop Stepinac High School, an all-boy school in White Plains, NY.
- Became a father for the first time at age 34 when his Marcheline Bertrand (his second ex-wife) gave birth to their son James Haven Voight, aka James Haven, on May 11, 1973.
- The ringtone on his phone plays "Everybody's Talkin'" (from Midnight Cowboy (1969)).
- On December 9, 2001, he appeared as a surprise guest on Muppets Tonight (1996) dressed as a giant chicken with Gonzo the Great. The event was part of the first annual MuppetFest fan convention and a fundraiser for Save the Children.
- Has played father to Ricky Schroder twice: The first time in The Champ (1979) and the second time in Return to Lonesome Dove (1993).
- Attended and graduated from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC in 1960. Changed his major after his freshman year from Speech and Drama to Art. Fellow classmate was Henry Gibson.
- He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Deliverance (1972).
- In 1970 he accepted the Oscar for Best Director on behalf of John Schlesinger, who was not present at the awards ceremony. Schlesinger directed Voight in Midnight Cowboy (1969).
- A hawk on the war on terror, he voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. He actively supported Rudy Giuliani's campaign to win the Republican nomination in 2008, but later endorsed eventual nominee Sen. John McCain. He also attended the Republican National Convention in 2008. He also endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 US presidential election. He was one of the very few American celebrities to declare his support for Donald Trump as president and spoke at his inauguration in 2017.
- In 1993 he took over the role of Woodrow F. Call from Tommy Lee Jones in Return to Lonesome Dove (1993). Three years later he was succeeded by Jonny Lee Miller, who played the younger version of Call in Dead Man's Walk (1996). That same year Miller married Voight's daughter, Angelina Jolie, making Voight a short-term father-in-law to his own successor.
- Has been asked, in real life, for "Billy Flynn's" autograph . . . and given it (Flynn was his fictional boxer-character from The Champ (1979)).
- He was the original choice for Apollo in Who Mourns for Adonais? (1967), but he was hired for another project.
- Has played a boxer in two films: The All-American Boy (1973) and The Champ (1979). Was also in Ali (2001), but played the role of legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell.
- In "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001), Voight played the father of the title character, who was portrayed by his real life daughter Angelina Jolie Voight.
- Grandfather of Maddox Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Pax Jolie-Pitt (aka "Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt"), Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt and Knox Léon Jolie-Pitt.
- Godfather of Skyler Shaye.
- In 2007 he worked as partner at Paul Productions.
- Born at 11:50 AM (EST).
- In early 1981 it was announced that he would star in The Raoul Wallenberg Story.
- Endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2024.
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