Jon Voight Shares His Thoughts on Aging, Acting, and Passing Down Wisdom

Jon Voight is approaching his 86th birthday, school is always in session for the “Coming Home” Voight says Oscar winner! he hopes his

“We are learning continuously,” says Jon. “The biggest benefit of getting older is wisdom. Regardless of what you do, you’re going to get some wisdom by this time. You’ve faced some things and gone through a lot of suffering in looking at yourself with honesty. So you’ve learned a lot of things by the time you’re a grandfather.”

Jon says he hopes his wisdom has been valuable to his grandkids, the children of daughter Angelina Jolie.

“I like having a bit of something to offer them,” Jon says. “What grandfathers can give their grandchildren is a kind of peacefulness about life. ‘Don’t worry. Just keep going. Put one foot in front of the other. Let’s see how it works out. Don’t worry, honey, you’re going to be just fine.”

The actor learned a lot about his craft and life from co-stars and friends like Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Burt Reynolds. Raised a Catholic, Jon admits he acted up and ‘got off the beam a little bit, especially when I received a lot of attention. In trying to recover from the mistakes I made, I learned a lot about my relationship to God. That was a big turning point in my life.”

Now, says Jon, “As you get older … if you have some answers, you better step up and contribute.”