John Travolta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Travolta
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Travolta in 2018
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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 |
| Relatives |
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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 television 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.
Travolta became well-known for his role in the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). He then starred in popular movies like Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), and Blow Out (1981). He was nominated for an Oscar for his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
Some of his other famous 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), The Punisher (2004), Wild Hogs (2007), Hairspray (2007), Bolt (2008), and Savages (2012).
Travolta also returned to television, playing lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He received an Emmy Award as a producer for this show. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his role in the action-comedy web series Die Hart (2021).
Besides acting, John Travolta has released nine music albums. Four of his songs even made it into the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His albums often came out with his movies, like the Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture album, which was a huge hit. Travolta is also a trained aircraft pilot.
Contents
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 and a former semi-professional football player.
His mother, Helen Cecilia, was an actress and singer. She also taught drama and English in high school. John's siblings, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam, were all inspired by their mother's love for theater and became actors too.
John grew up in a neighborhood with many Irish-American families. His father's family came from Italy, and his mother's family was Irish-American. He was raised Catholic but later became a Scientologist in 1975. He left Dwight Morrow High School at age 17 in 1971 to pursue his acting dreams.
A Star's Journey: John Travolta's Career
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 on Broadway. Then, he moved to Los Angeles to further his career. His first important movie role was in the horror film Carrie (1976).
Around the same time, he landed his big role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). His sister, Ellen, also appeared in the show sometimes. In 1976, Travolta had a hit song called "Let Her In", which reached number 10 on the Billboard chart.
In the late 1970s, he starred in two of his most famous movies: Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). These films were huge successes and made Travolta an international star. Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. At 24, he was one of the youngest actors ever nominated for this award. His mother and sister Ellen also had small roles in these films.
The 1980s and a Comeback
After Urban Cowboy (1980), Travolta starred in 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 Olivia Newton-John, and Perfect (1985).
However, he did star in Staying Alive (1983), a sequel to Saturday Night Fever. This movie was a financial success, earning over $65 million. In 1989, Travolta starred with Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking, which was a huge hit and became his most successful film since Grease.
Success in the 1990s
Travolta continued with the Look Who's Talking series, appearing in Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993). His career really took off again when he played Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's hit movie Pulp Fiction (1994). This role earned him another Academy Award nomination.
After Pulp Fiction, Travolta starred in many notable films. These included Get Shorty (1995), where he played a movie-loving loan shark, and Broken Arrow (1996), where he was a corrupt Air Force pilot. He also appeared in Michael (1996), Face/Off (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Primary Colors (1998), and The General's Daughter (1999).
The 2000s and Beyond
In 2000, Travolta starred in and helped produce the science fiction film Battlefield Earth. This movie was based on a book by L. Ron Hubbard. The film received many negative reviews and did not do well at the box office.
Despite this, Travolta remained busy as an actor throughout the 2000s. He starred in films like Swordfish (2001), Wild Hogs (2007), and the animated Disney film Bolt (2008), where he voiced the main character. He also appeared in The Taking of Pelham 123 and Old Dogs (both 2009).
In 2007, Travolta played Edna Turnblad in the musical remake of Hairspray. This was his first musical film since Grease.
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, playing lawyer Robert Shapiro.
Other Interests and Philanthropy
Aviation Enthusiast
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John Travolta is a skilled pilot and can fly large planes like the Boeing 707, 737, and 747. He has owned several aircraft. He once owned an old Qantas Boeing 707, which he named "Jett Clipper Ella" after his children. He even served as a goodwill ambassador for Qantas. In 2017, Travolta donated his Boeing 707 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in Australia.
In 1992, Travolta had an emergency while flying his plane at night. His electrical system failed, and he almost had a mid-air collision. He was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007. In 2010, he helped Oprah Winfrey plan a trip to Australia for her entire studio audience, flying them there himself.
Travolta 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 Jumbolair Airport, which has its own runway and taxiway leading right to his house.
Helping Others
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, John Travolta helped with relief efforts. He reportedly flew his Boeing 707, filled with supplies, doctors, and volunteers, to the disaster area.
Personal Life and Family
John Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland in the 1970s until her passing in 1977. In 1988, he met actress Kelly Preston while filming The Experts. They married in Paris in 1991.
They had three children: Jett (born 1992), Ella Bleu (born 2000), and Benjamin (born 2010). The family lived near Ocala, Florida.
Sadly, Jett passed away at age sixteen in 2009 while on vacation. John Travolta later created the Jett Travolta Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps children with special needs.
On July 12, 2020, his wife, Kelly Preston, passed away at age 57. Travolta shared on social media that he would be taking time to be with his children after their loss.
John Travolta is also good friends with the rapper Pitbull. They worked together on Travolta's 2018 film Gotti.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| US | ||
| 1974 | Over Here! (musical) | — |
| 1976 | John Travolta | 39 |
| 1977 | Can't Let You Go | 69 |
| 1978 | Travolta Fever | 161 |
| Grease (soundtrack) | 1 | |
| 1983 | Two of a Kind (soundtrack) | 26 |
| 1986 | The Road to Freedom (collaboration) | — |
| 1996 | Let Her In: The Best of John Travolta | — |
| 2003 | The Collection | — |
| 2007 | Hairspray (soundtrack) | 2 |
| 2012 | This Christmas (with Olivia Newton-John) | 81 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard |
US Cash Box | US Record World | US AC |
AUS |
CAN | CAN AC | UK |
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| 1974 | "Dream Drummin'" | ||||||||
| 1975 | "Easy Evil" | ||||||||
| "Can't Let You Go" | |||||||||
| 1976 | "You Set My Dreams to Music" | ||||||||
| "Goodnight Mr. Moon" | |||||||||
| "Rainbows" | |||||||||
| "Settle Down" | |||||||||
| "Moonlight Lady" | |||||||||
| "Right Time of the Night" | |||||||||
| "Big Trouble" | |||||||||
| "What Would They Say" | |||||||||
| "Back Doors Crying" | |||||||||
| "Let Her In" | 10 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 74 | 7 | 12 | ||
| "Whenever I'm Away from You" | 38 | 62 | 64 | 26 | — | 61 | 29 | ||
| "Slow Dancing" | |||||||||
| "It Had to Be You" | |||||||||
| "I Don't Know What I Like About You Baby" | |||||||||
| 1977 | "All Strung Out on You" | 34 | 28 | 48 | 35 | — | 30 | ||
| "(Feels So Good) Slow Dancin" | 106 | 127 | |||||||
| "Baby, I Could Be So Good at Lovin' You" | |||||||||
| "Razzamatazz" | |||||||||
| 1978 | "You're the One That I Want" (with Olivia Newton-John) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| "Summer Nights" (with Olivia Newton-John) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 1 | ||
| "Sandy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | ||
| "Greased Lightnin'" | 47 | 45 | 51 | 40 | 11 | ||||
| 1980 | "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1983 | "Take a Chance" (with Olivia Newton-John) | 3 | — | — | — | ||||
| 1990 | "The Grease Megamix" (with Olivia Newton-John) | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | |||
| 1991 | "Grease: The Dream Mix" (with Frankie Valli & Olivia Newton-John) | — | — | — | — | 47 | |||
| 1997 | "Two Sleepy People" (with Carly Simon) | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2008 | "I Thought I Lost You" (with Miley Cyrus) | — | — | ||||||
Filmography
Awards and Nominations
John Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty. He has received a total of six Golden Globe nominations. In 2014, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema.
Images for kids
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Travolta dancing with Diana, Princess of Wales, at the White House in 1985.
See also
In Spanish: John Travolta para niños
