John Travolta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Travolta
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Travolta in 2013
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John Joseph Travolta
February 18, 1954 Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Years active | 1972–present |
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Works
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Filmography |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
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| Awards | Full list |
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John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is a famous American actor, singer, and producer. He started his career on TV shows before becoming a big movie star. He has won many awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He was also nominated for two Academy Awards, which are very important movie awards.
Travolta became well-known for his role in the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). After that, he starred in popular movies like Grease (1978) and Saturday Night Fever (1977). These movies made him a huge star around the world. Later, he also starred in other famous films such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Face/Off (1997), and Hairspray (2007).
Besides acting, John Travolta is also a talented singer and has released several music albums. He is also a trained pilot and owns several airplanes.
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Early life and family
John Travolta was born on February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was the youngest of six children. His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta, was a tire salesman. His mother, Helen Cecilia, was an actress and singer. She also taught drama and English at a high school.
John's parents loved theater, and this inspired all his siblings to become actors too. His family was mostly Irish-American, and he grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood. He attended Dwight Morrow High School but left at age 17 in 1971 to follow his dream of acting.
Becoming a star
Starting out in the 1970s
After leaving school, Travolta moved to New York City. He got a role in the touring musical Grease and later appeared on Broadway. Then, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting in movies and TV.
His first important movie role was in the horror film Carrie (1976). Around the same time, he got his big break as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). This show made him very popular.
In 1976, Travolta also had a hit song called "Let Her In". The next few years were huge for him. He starred in the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Then came two of his most famous movies: Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). Both films were incredibly successful and made him an international superstar. For Saturday Night Fever, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming one of the youngest actors ever to receive this honor. He also sang on the Grease soundtrack, which was a huge hit.
Ups and downs in the 1980s
After his big successes, Travolta starred in the film Blow Out (1981), which critics liked but didn't do well at the box office. He then had a few movies that were not very successful. These included Two of a Kind (1983), where he reunited with his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John.
However, he did have a financial success with Staying Alive (1983), which was a sequel to Saturday Night Fever. He trained very hard to play a professional dancer in this film. Towards the end of the 1980s, his career got a boost with the comedy Look Who's Talking (1989), which was a big hit.
A big comeback in the 1990s
Travolta continued with the Look Who's Talking sequels. But his career truly soared again when he starred in Quentin Tarantino's hit movie Pulp Fiction (1994). He played the character Vincent Vega and received another Academy Award nomination for his role. This movie brought him back to the top of Hollywood.
After Pulp Fiction, Travolta was offered many different roles. He starred in films like Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997), and A Civil Action (1998).
Busy years in the 2000s
In 2000, Travolta starred in and co-produced the science fiction film Battlefield Earth. This movie was not well-received by critics and did not do well at the box office.
Despite that, Travolta remained a busy actor throughout the 2000s. He appeared in movies like Swordfish (2001), Ladder 49 (2004), and Wild Hogs (2007). In 2007, he took on a unique role, playing Edna Turnblad in the musical film Hairspray, which was his first musical since Grease. He also voiced the main character in the Disney animated film Bolt (2008).
Recent work (2010s and 2020s)
Since 2010, Travolta has mostly starred in action and thriller movies, such as From Paris with Love (2010) and Savages (2012). In 2016, he returned to television in the series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, where he played lawyer Robert Shapiro. For this role, he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
In July 2020, after his wife Kelly Preston passed away, Travolta shared on Instagram that he would take some time off to be with his children.
Other interests
Aviation
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John Travolta is a skilled pilot and can fly large planes like the Boeing 707. He has owned several aircraft. He even owned an old Qantas Boeing 707, which he named "Jett Clipper Ella" after his children. He used to be an official ambassador for Qantas airlines. In 2017, he donated this Boeing 707 to a historical aircraft society in Australia.
In 1992, Travolta had an emergency while flying his private jet when all the electrical systems failed. He managed to land safely, even though he almost had a collision with another plane.
Travolta was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007, an honor for people who have made significant contributions to aviation. In 2010, he even piloted a plane carrying Oprah Winfrey and her entire studio audience on a trip to Australia.
He also wrote a book called Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which is about a young boy's first flight. His home in Ocala, Florida, is located at an airport and has its own runway and taxiway right to his house!
Helping others
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, John Travolta used his own Boeing 707 to fly supplies, doctors, and volunteers to the disaster area to help with relief efforts. He is involved in charity work.
Personal life
John Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland in the 1970s until she passed away. Later, he met actress Kelly Preston while filming The Experts in 1988. They got married in Paris in 1991.
John and Kelly had three children: Jett (born 1992), Ella Bleu (born 2000), and Benjamin (born 2010). They lived in Ocala, Florida.
Sadly, their son Jett passed away at age sixteen in 2009 during a family vacation. He had a history of seizures and was autistic. In memory of Jett, Travolta created the Jett Travolta Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps children with special needs.
On July 12, 2020, John Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston, passed away at age 57 after battling breast cancer.
Music albums
John Travolta has released several music albums throughout his career, often linked to his movies. His album for the Grease soundtrack (1978) was a number one hit. He also had hit singles like "Let Her In" and "You're the One That I Want" (with Olivia Newton-John).
| Year | Album | Chart |
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| US | ||
| 1976 | John Travolta | 39 |
| 1978 | Grease (soundtrack) | 1 |
| 2007 | Hairspray (soundtrack) | 2 |
| 2012 | This Christmas (with Olivia Newton-John) | 81 |
Awards and recognition
John Travolta has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for his roles in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in Get Shorty. He has received many other awards and nominations throughout his long career.
See also
- List of youngest nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role
In Spanish: John Travolta para niños
