Born in Yonkers, NY; educated at Catholic University, Washington, DC, and Neighborhood Playhouse, New York city. Tall, blond lead who first appeared on Broadway in 1961 in The Sound of Music and made his film debut in FEARLESS FRANK (shot in 1964, shown at Cannes in 1967 and released in the US in 1969). Voight achieved stardom with his poignant portrait of a na•ve, failed hustler in one of the signature films of the 1960s, MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969). Handsome and engaging, he brings a rare sensitivity and well-rounded craft to nearly every role he undertakes. Memorable performances include the voice of reason in DELIVERANCE (1972), the maimed Vietnam vet opposite Jane Fonda in COMING HOME (1978) and the escaped convict in Andrei Konchalovsky's relentless thriller, RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985). (Voight was instrumental in getting Konchalovsky to work in the West, having seen and admired the director's SIBERIADE at Cannes in 1979.) He produced and co-wrote his own vehicle, LOOKIN' TO GET OUT (1982). Other notable screen credits include CATCH-22 (1970), CONRACK(1974), THE ODESSA FILE (1974), THE CHAMP (1979), DESERT BLOOM (1986), ETERNITY (1989), HEAT (1995), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996), ROSEWOOD, ANACONDA and THE RAINMAKER (all 1997), ENEMY OF THE STATE, THE GENERAL and VARSITY BLUES (all 1999), PEARL HARBOR (as FDR), LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER (as Lord Richard Croft, father of Lara Croft -- who was played by his daughter Angelina Jolie), ZOOLANDER and ALI (as Howard Cosell) (all 2001), UNLEASHED and HOLES (both 2002), THE KARATE KID, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2 (all 2004), NATIONAL TREASURE (2005), SEPTEMBER DAWN, GLORY ROAD and THE LEGEND OF SIMON CONJURER (all 2006), TRANSFORMERS, BRATZ, NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS and THE UNINVITED (all 2007), and PRIDE AND GLORY (2008). His 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" (Juice Newton), "I Can't Let Go" (The Hollies), et al. Jon Voight is the father of actor-asst. director James Haven.  Nominated for Actor 1969: MIDNIGHT COWBOY  Actor 1978: COMING HOME  Nominated for Actor 1985: RUNAWAY TRAIN  Nominated for Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 2001: ALI 4 nominations, 1 Award