John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954)[1][2] is an American actor. Travolta began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.
"Travolta" redirects here. For other uses, see Travolta (disambiguation).
John Travolta
Travolta came to prominence starring in the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), followed by leading roles in Carrie (1976), Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), and Blow Out (1981). He earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Pulp Fiction (1994). His other notable films include 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).
Travolta returned to television portraying lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He received a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He was also Emmy-nominated for his role in the comedy short Die Hart (2021). Outside of acting, Travolta is also a singer-songwriter. He has released nine albums, including four singles that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100's Top 40. His albums have typically accompanied films he has starred in, such as Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978)–which topped the Billboard 200. Travolta is also a private pilot.[3]
Early life
The youngest of six children,[4] Travolta was born[1] and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County, New Jersey.
His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta, was a semiprofessional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tire Exchange.[5][1] His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke), was an actress and singer who had appeared in The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal group, and acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher.[6] His siblings Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta were all inspired by their mother's love of theater and drama and became actors.[6] His father was a second-generation Italian American with roots in Godrano, Sicily, and his mother was Irish American.[7][8]
He grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture.[9][10] He was raised Catholic, but later converted to Scientology in 1975 at age 21.[8][11] Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior at age 17 in 1971.[12]