John Travolta Biography

John Travolta

Born (Date): February 18, 1954

Born (Location): Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.

Occupation: Actor | Singer

Years active: From 1972

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Early Life

The youngest of six children, Travolta was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County, New Jersey. His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta (November 8, 1912 – May 29, 1995), was a semiprofessional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tire Exchange.

His mother, Helen Cecilia (January 18, 1912 – December 2, 1978), 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.

His siblings Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta were all inspired by their mother's love of theatre and drama and became actors. His father was a second-generation Sicilian American with roots in Godrano, Province of Palermo, and his mother was Irish American.

He grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture.

He was raised Catholic, but later converted to Scientology in 1975 at age 21. Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior at age 17 in 1971.

Acting Career

He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Carrie (1976), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Urban Cowboy (1980).

His acting career declined throughout the 1980s, but he enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Pulp Fiction (1994), and went on to star in films including Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Phenomenon (1996), Face/Off (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Primary Colors (1998), Hairspray (2007), and Bolt (2008).

Award & Honor

Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performances in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction.

He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty and has received a total of six nominations, the most recent being in 2011.

In 2014, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema.

In 2016, Travolta received his first Primetime Emmy Award, as a producer of the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson.

He also received an additional Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series.

Aviation

His estate in Ocala, Florida is situated at Jumbolair Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his house, with two outbuildings for covered access to planes.

Travolta was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007 and acts as the award show's official ambassador.

On September 13, 2010, during the first episode of the final season of her talk show, Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be taking her entire studio audience on an eight-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Australia, with Travolta serving as pilot for the trip. He had helped Winfrey plan the trip for more than a year.

He is the author of the book Propeller One-Way Night Coach, the story of a young boy's first flight.

On March 20, 2022, Travolta posted a video on his Instagram stating he had received his type rating to fly a 737. He also is rated to fly 707 and 747 planes.