John Travolta

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19 Feb 2024

John Travolta

John Joseph Travolta, born on February 18, 1954, is an American actor known for his versatile performances in both television and film. He initially gained recognition through his role in the sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975–1979) before transitioning to leading roles in iconic films.
Some of Travolta's notable early roles include his performances in "Carrie" (1976), "Grease" (1978), "Urban Cowboy" (1980), and "Blow Out" (1981). He received acclaim and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994).
Throughout his career, Travolta has appeared in a wide range of films, including "Get Shorty" (1995), "Broken Arrow" (1996), "Michael" (1996), "Face/Off" (1997), "A Civil Action" (1998), "Primary Colors" (1998), "The General's Daughter" (1999), "Wild Hogs" (2007), "Hairspray" (2007), "Bolt" (2008), and "Savages" (2012).

In addition to his film work, Travolta returned to television with a memorable portrayal of lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story." He received critical acclaim and won a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer, along with nominations for his acting performance.
Outside of his acting career, Travolta is also a singer-songwriter who has released nine albums, some of which have accompanied films he starred in. Notably, the soundtrack for "Grease" (1978) topped the Billboard 200 chart.
Furthermore, Travolta is a private pilot, showcasing his diverse talents and interests beyond the realm of entertainment.

John Travolta, the youngest of six children, was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County.
His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta, was a semiprofessional American football player who later became a tire salesman and partner in a tire company called Travolta Tire Exchange. His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke), was an actress and singer who had been part of The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal group. She later pursued a career in teaching, becoming a high school drama and English teacher. John's siblings, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta, were all influenced by their mother's passion for theater and drama, leading them to become actors as well.

Salvatore Travolta was of second-generation Italian American descent, with roots in Godrano, Sicily, while Helen Travolta was of Irish American heritage. Although raised Catholic in an Irish-American neighborhood, John Travolta later converted to Scientology in 1975 at the age of 21.
Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School but dropped out as a junior at the age of 17 in 1971.

After leaving school, Travolta ventured to New York City and secured a role in the touring company of the musical Grease. He later appeared on Broadway in Over Here!, where he sang the Sherman Brothers' song "Dream Drummin'". Seeking further opportunities, he relocated to Los Angeles. Travolta's initial screen appearance in California was as a fall victim in an episode of Emergency! (Season 2, Episode 2) in September 1972. However, his breakthrough movie role came as Billy Nolan, a bully coerced into playing a prank on Sissy Spacek's character in Brian de Palma's horror film Carrie (1976).
Around the same time, Travolta landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the ABC TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). Interestingly, his sister Ellen made occasional appearances on the show, portraying Arnold Horshack's mother.

Travolta also found success in music, with his hit single "Let Her In" reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1976. Over the next few years, he starred in the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and achieved critical acclaim for his roles as Tony Manero in the dance drama Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Danny Zuko in the musical Grease (1978). These films were major commercial successes, catapulting Travolta to international fame.
His performance in Saturday Night Fever earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the award at the age of 24. Travolta's mother and sister Ann had brief appearances in Saturday Night Fever, while his sister Ellen played a waitress in Grease. He also contributed to the Grease soundtrack album.

Following the disappointing reception of the romance film Moment by Moment (1978), where he starred alongside Lily Tomlin, Travolta experienced a resurgence in 1980 with Urban Cowboy. The film capitalized on a nationwide country music craze and starred Travolta alongside Debra Winger.

Following Urban Cowboy, Travolta took on the lead role in Brian de Palma's 1981 film Blow Out, which received critical acclaim but fell short at the box office, likely due to its bleak conclusion. This was followed by a string of both commercial and critical disappointments that slowed Travolta's acting career. Among these were Two of a Kind (1983), a romantic comedy reuniting him with Olivia Newton-John, and Perfect (1985), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Additionally, he starred in Staying Alive, the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever, for which he underwent rigorous training to portray a professional dancer, shedding 20 pounds in the process. Despite grossing over $65 million, the film was lambasted by critics.
During this period, Travolta turned down several lead roles that later became box office hits, including American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman, both of which went to Richard Gere, as well as Splash, ultimately played by Tom Hanks.

In 1989, Travolta experienced a career resurgence with Look Who's Talking, co-starring Kirstie Alley, which grossed $297 million worldwide. He reprised his role in Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993). However, it wasn't until his role as Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) that Travolta's career was truly revitalized. The film, also starring Samuel L. Jackson, earned him an Academy Award nomination and placed him back in the spotlight. Travolta's subsequent roles included a movie-buff loan shark in Get Shorty (1995), a factory worker in White Man's Burden (1995), a corrupt U.S. Air Force pilot in Broken Arrow (1996), an ordinary man with extraordinary abilities in Phenomenon (1996), an archangel in Michael (1996), an FBI agent and a terrorist in Face/Off (1997), a desperate attorney in A Civil Action (1998), a Bill Clinton-esque presidential candidate in Primary Colors (1998), and a military investigator in The General's Daughter (1999).