John Travolta Biography

John Travolta moved to New York City and got a role in a touring company of the musical Grease and the Broadway hit, Over Here. He then moved to Los Angeles for better prospects.

His first television role was of a fall victim in, Emergency!, in 1972, but his first significant movie role was as Billy Nolan, a bully in the horror film, Carrie, four years later.

His role as the swaggering Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, aired on ABC from 1975 to1979, gave him the first taste of fame.

He starred in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, a 1976 made-for-TV movie, aired on ABC TV network. It was inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems.

Urban Cowboy, a 1980 Western romantic drama film about the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan Davis 'Bud' played by John Travolta and Sissy played by Debra Winger, captured the decade’ popularity of country music.

His career hit a low patch with many critical failures including, Perfect, and Two of a Kind. During this period he turned down movies that went on to be box-office hits.

In 1989, John Travolta starred in Look Who's Talking which grossed $297,000,000. The film was successful enough to spawn two sequels: Look Who's Talking Too, and, Look Who's Talking Now, in the next four years.

The critically acclaimed 1995 crime-comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Get Shorty, was based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name and starred John Travolta alongside Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito.

Face/Off, a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo was a critical and financial success. It starred Nicolas Cage and John Travolta playing an FBI agent and a terrorist, respectively.

John Travolta essayed the role of Governor Jack Stanton in, Primary Colors, a 1998 drama film based on the novel Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics, about Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign.

He starred in The General's Daughter, a 1999 murder mystery film based on a novel of the same name by Nelson DeMille and directed by Simon West. The plot concerns the mysterious death of the daughter of a prominent general.

He played Mrs. Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, a 2007 American film based on the Broadway musical of the same name. It became he sixth highest grossing musical film in US cinema history.

The 1977 dance film, Saturday Night Fever, starred John Travolta as Tony Manero, a carefree young man. It was a huge commercial success, and significantly helped to popularize disco music around the world.

In Grease, a 1978 musical film, he starred opposite Olivia Newton John. It was successful both critically and at the box office. Its soundtrack album ended the year as the second-best selling album.

Pulp Fiction, a 1994 crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, resurrected John Travolta’s career. One of the most significant films of its era, it made $213,928,762 at the box-office.

John Travolta was twice nominated for the Oscars in the Best actor in leading role category: in 1978 for Saturday Night Fever, and in 1995 for his role in Pulp Fiction.

In 1985, he was honored with a Star on the Walk of Fame in the Motion Picture category at 6901 Hollywood Blvd. The renowned sidewalk stars salute the celebrities who made Hollywood great.

He earned 6 Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Primary Colors and Hairspray. He won it in 1996 for Get Shorty.

He married actress Kelly Preston in 1991 and presently have two children Ella Bleu and Benjamin. Their eldest son Jett was autistic and suffered from Kawasaki disease and died on a vacation in the Bahamas in 2009.

John Travolta lost his wife Kelly Preston to breast cancer in July 2020.