THREE 1978 POSTCARDS ALL SIGNED BY THE LEGENDARY JOHN TRAVOLTA IN BLACK
John Travolta garnered rave reviews which resulted in a Primetime Emmy Award, a Critics’ Choice Award and two Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro in the 2016 F/X miniseries “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”. John also won an Emmy and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Limited Series as a producer of the show alongside Executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson.
John has been honored twice with Academy Award nominations, the second for his riveting portrayal of a philosophical hit-man in Quentin Tarantino’s PULP FICTION. He also received BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for this highly acclaimed role and was named Best Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, among other distinguished awards.
Travolta received further praise as a Mafioso-turned-movie producer in the comedy sensation GET SHORTY, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. In 1998, Travolta was honored by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts with the Britannia Award, and in that same year he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago Film Festival. Travolta also won the prestigious Alan J. Pakula Award from the US Broadcast Critics Association for his performance in A CIVIL ACTION, based on the best-selling book and directed by Steve Zailian. He was nominated again for a Golden Globe for his performance in PRIMARY COLORS, directed by Mike Nichols and co-starring Emma Thompson and Billy Bob Thornton, and in 2008, he received his sixth Golden Globe nomination for his role as Edna Turnblad in the big-screen, box-office hit HAIRSPRAY. As a result of this performance, the Chicago Film Critics and the Santa Barbara Film Festival decided to recognize Travolta with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his role. In February 2011, John was honored by Europe’s leading weekly program magazine HORZU, with the prestigious Golden Camera Award for “Best Actor International” in Berlin, Germany. In April 2014, John received global recognition when he was presented with the award for Outstanding Contribution to International Cinema by the International Indian Film Academy at the 2014 IIFA Film Awards. John has also recently been honored with Career Achievement Awards by both the Deauville and Napa Valley Film Festivals.
John has starred in a number of monumental films, earning his first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his role in the blockbuster SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, which launched the disco phenomenon in the 1970s. He went on to star in the big- screen version of the long-running musical GREASE and the wildly successful URBAN COWBOY, which also influenced trends in popular culture. Additional film credits include the Brian DePalma thrillers CARRIE and BLOWOUT, as well as Amy Heckerling’s hit comedy LOOK WHO’S TALKING and Nora Ephron’s comic hit MICHAEL. Travolta starred in PHENOMENON and took an equally distinctive turn as an action star in John Woo’s top-grossing BROKEN ARROW. He also starred in the classic FACE/OFF opposite Nicolas Cage, and THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER, co-starring Madeline Stowe. In 2005, Travolta reprised the role of ultra- cool Chili Palmer in the GET SHORTY sequel BE COOL. In addition, he starred opposite Scarlett Johansson in the critically acclaimed independent feature film A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, which was screened at the Venice Film Festival, where both Travolta and the films won rave reviews.
photo-1454023989775-79520f04322cOther feature film credits include box-office hit-comedy WILD HOGS, the action-thriller LADDER 49, the movie version of the successful comic book THE PUNISHER, the drama BASIC, the psychological thriller DOMESTIC
DISTURBANCE, the hit action picture SWORDFISH, the successful sci-fi movie BATTLEFIELD EARTH, based upon the best-selling novel by L. Ron Hubbard, and LONELY HEARTS. In addition, Travolta starred opposite Denzel Washington in director Tony Scott’s remake of THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3, and he provided the voice of the lead character in Walt Disney Pictures’ animated hit BOLT. BOLT was nominated for a 2009 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, in addition to Best Song for John and Miley Cyrus’ duet titled, “I Thought I Lost You.”
Travolta starred in Walt Disney Pictures’ 2009 film OLD DOGS, along with Robin Williams, Kelly Preston and Ella Bleu Travolta, followed by the action thriller FROM PARIS WITH LOVE, starring opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers. John starred alongside Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and Demian Bichir in the Oliver Stone directed movie, SAVAGES.
John starred in the crime drama GOTTI, where he played mob boss John Gotti opposite his wife, Kelly Preston as Victoria Gotti. The film, directed by Kevin Connolly, was released in theaters across the country in 2018. Last year John filmed SPEED KILLS, a movie about the high-stakes world of speedboat racing, and TRADING PAINT, where he will played a dirt track racing legend opposite Shania Twain, Michael Madsen and Toby Sebastian.
He can next be seen in THE POISON ROSE, as Private Investigator Carson Phillips. The detective thriller co-stars Morgan Freeman, Famke Janssen and his daughter Ella Bleu Travolta. John recently completed filming on THE FANATIC, about a celebrity-obsessed man who goes to great lengths to get a response from his favorite movie star. This movie is expected to be released later this year.
John has received 2 prestigious aviation awards: in 2003 the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Foundation Award for Excellence for his efforts to promote commercial flying, and in 2007 The Living Legends Ambassador of Aviation award.
John currently holds the jet licenses and type ratings for the Boeing 747 (Australian cert) and Boeing 707. He also holds licenses in Gulfstream, Challenger, Hawker, Falcon, Lear, Citation jets as well as the de Havilland Vampire and Canadair CL-41 Tutor/Tebaun military jets.
Travolta is the Qantas Airways Global Goodwill “Ambassador- at-Large” and piloted the original Qantas 707 during “Spirit of Friendship” global tour in July/August 2002.
John flew the 707 to New Orleans after the 2005 hurricane disaster bringing food and medical supplies, and in 2010, again flew the 707, this time to Haiti after the earthquake, carrying supplies, doctors and volunteers.
John, along with his wife, actress Kelly Preston, are also very involved in their charity, The Jett Travolta Foundation, which raises money for a wide variety of charitable and educational causes.
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954)[1][2] is an American actor, singer and dancer. Travolta rose to fame during the 1970s, appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). His acting career declined through the 1980s, but enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Pulp Fiction (1994), and he has since starred in films such as Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Face/Off (1997), Swordfish (2001), Be Cool (2005), Wild Hogs (2007), Hairspray (2007), Bolt (2008), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009).
Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for 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 2010, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema.[3] 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.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Early career
2.2 1970s stardom
2.3 Downturn
2.4 Resurgence
2.5 2000–present
3 Personal life
3.1 Family
3.2 Religion
3.3 Flying
3.4 Other
3.5 Sexual assault allegations
4 Filmography
5 Discography
5.1 Albums
5.2 Singles
6 Awards and nominations
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Early life
The youngest of six children,[4] Travolta was born[1] and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of Bergen County, New Jersey. His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995),[5] was a semiprofessional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tyre Exchange.[6][1] His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke; January 18, 1912 – December 1978),[5] 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.[7] His siblings Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta were all inspired by their mother's love of theatre and drama and became actors.[7] His father was a second-generation Italian American with roots in Godrano, Sicily, and his mother was Irish American.[8][9] He grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture.[10][11] He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975.[9][12] Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior at age 17 in 1971.[13]
Career
Early career
Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino in the ABC comedy Welcome Back, Kotter, c. 1976
After attending Dwight Morrow High School,[14] Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the touring company of the musical Grease and on Broadway in Over Here!, singing the Sherman Brothers' song "Dream Drummin'."[15][16] He then moved to Los Angeles for professional reasons.
Travolta's first screen role in California was as a fall victim in Emergency! (S2E2), in September 1972,[17] but his first significant movie role was as Billy Nolan, a bully who was goaded into playing a prank on Sissy Spacek's character in the horror film Carrie (1976).[18] Around the same time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the ABC TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–79), in which his sister, Ellen, also occasionally appeared (as Arnold Horshack's mother).[19]
1970s stardom
Travolta had a hit single titled "Let Her In," peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1976.[20][21][22] In the next few years, he starred in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and two of his most noted screen roles: Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Danny Zuko in Grease (1978).[7] The films were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom.[23] Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor,[24] making him, at age 24, one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.[25] His mother and his sister Ann appeared very briefly in Saturday Night Fever and his sister Ellen played a waitress in Grease. Travolta performed several of the songs on the Grease soundtrack album.[26] In 1980, Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze that followed on the heels of his hit film Urban Cowboy, in which he starred with Debra Winger.[27]
Downturn
Travolta in 1983
After Urban Cowboy, Travolta starred in a series of commercial and critical failures that sidelined his acting career. These included Two of a Kind (1983), a romantic comedy reteaming him with Olivia Newton-John, and Perfect (1985), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis. He also starred in Staying Alive, the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever, for which he trained rigorously and lost 20 pounds;[28] the film was a financial success, grossing over $65 million, though it, too, was scorned by critics.
During that time, Travolta was offered, but declined, lead roles in what would become box-office hits, including American Gigolo[29] and An Officer and a Gentleman, both of which went to Richard Gere.[30]
Resurgence
Travolta in 1997
In 1989, Travolta starred with Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking, which grossed $297 million, making it his most successful film since Grease. Next came Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993), but it was not until he played Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's hit Pulp Fiction (1994), with Samuel L. Jackson, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career revived.[7][31][32] The movie shifted him back onto the A-list and he was inundated with offers. Notable roles following Pulp Fiction include a movie-buff loan shark in Get Shorty (1995), a corrupt U.S. Air Force pilot in Broken Arrow, an FBI agent and terrorist in Face/Off (1997), a desperate attorney in A Civil Action (1998), a Bill Clinton–esque presidential candidate in Primary Colors (1998),[7] and a military investigator in The General's Daughter (1999).
2000–present
In 2000, Travolta starred in and co-produced the science fiction film Battlefield Earth, based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard, in which he played the leader of a group of aliens that enslaves humanity on a bleak future Earth. The film had been a dream project for Travolta since the book's release in 1982, when Hubbard had personally written him to try to help make a film adaptation.[33] The film received almost universally negative reviews and did very poorly at the box office.[34] Travolta's performance in Battlefield Earth also earned him two Razzie Awards.
Throughout the 2000s, Travolta remained busy as an actor, starring in many films, including Swordfish (2001); Ladder 49 (2004); Be Cool (2005); Lonely Hearts (2006); Wild Hogs (2007); the animated film Bolt (2008), in which Travolta voiced the title character; The Taking of Pelham 123; and Old Dogs (both 2009).
In 2007, Travolta played Edna Turnblad in the remake of Hairspray, his first musical since Grease.[35]
Since 2010, Travolta has starred mostly in action films and thrillers. In 2016, he returned to TV in the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson, in which he played lawyer Robert Shapiro.[36]
Personal life
Family
Travolta with wife Kelly Preston at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). They remained together until her death from breast cancer on March 27, 1977. He married actress Kelly Preston in 1991, and they bought a house in Islesboro, Maine.[37] They had three children: Jett (1992–2009), Ella Bleu (born 2000), and Benjamin (born 2010).[38] They have regularly attended marriage counseling, and Travolta has stated that therapy has helped the marriage.[39] They reside in Ocala, Florida.
On January 2, 2009, Jett died at age 16 while on a Christmas vacation in the Bahamas.[40][41] A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure.[42] Jett, who had a history of seizures, reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease since the age of two.[43][44] Travolta confirmed that Jett had autism and suffered regular seizures, and immediately made his public statements while giving testimony after a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against him in connection with Jett's death.[45] After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and has credited his immediate family and Scientology with helping him to cope with Jett's death and move forward with his career.[46][47][48] In memory of Jett, Travolta created the Jett Travolta Foundation, a nonprofit organization to help children with special needs.[49] It has contributed to organizations such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, and Simon Wiesenthal Center.[50]
Religion
Travolta dancing with Princess Diana at the White House in 1985; the dress she wore came to be known as the "Travolta dress"
Travolta has been a practitioner of Scientology since 1975, when he was given the book Dianetics while filming the movie The Devil's Rain in Durango, Mexico.[51]
In May 1991, Time magazine published a cover story titled "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". In the article, former Scientology executive director William Franks alleged that Travolta was wary of leaving Scientology because he feared its leaders would publish revelations of his private life, primarily a history of homosexual behavior.[52] The claims were reiterated by Franks and other Scientology defectors in the 2013 book Going Clear, and former Scientology official Marty Rathbun claimed that he had worked with Travolta's attorneys several times to keep allegations about Travolta's homosexuality out of the press and resolve lawsuits against him.[53][54]
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, joining other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, Travolta reportedly flew his Boeing 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area.[55]
Flying
Travolta in the cockpit of his Boeing 707 in 2002
Travolta is a private pilot[56][57] and owns four aircraft. This excludes the ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B (Ex-VH-EBM) that he owned. In 2017, the plane was donated to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) near Wollongong, Australia, and is expected to be flown to Australia in November 2019.[needs update][58] Travolta plans to be on board when the aircraft is flown to Illawarra Regional Airport, where HARS is based, however will not be allowed to fly it, because it will be registered as an Australian aircraft.[58] The 707 aircraft bears an old livery of Qantas, and Travolta acted as an official goodwill ambassador for the airline wherever he flew.[59] Travolta named his 707 "Jett Clipper Ella," in honor of his children. The "Clipper" in the name represents that Pan Am used that word in the names of their aircraft.[60]
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.[56][61]
On November 24, 1992, Travolta was piloting his Gulfstream N728T at night above a solid undercast when he experienced a total electrical system failure while flying under instrument flight rules into Washington National Airport. During the emergency landing, he almost had a mid-air collision with a USAir Boeing 727, an event attributed to a risky decision by an air traffic controller.[62]
Travolta was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007 and acts as the award show's official ambassador.[63]
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.[64]
He is the author of the book Propeller One-Way Night Coach, the story of a young boy's first flight.[65]
Other
Travolta endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[66]
In January 2019, after years of wearing wigs, Travolta began sporting a bald head.[67]
Sexual assault allegations
In May 2012, an anonymous masseur filed a lawsuit against Travolta, citing claims of sexual assault and battery. A lawyer for Travolta said that the allegations were "complete fiction and fabrication". Travolta's counsel also stated that his client would be able to prove that he was not in California on the day in question and asserted that Travolta would "sue the attorney and Plaintiff for malicious prosecution" after getting the case thrown out.[68] A second masseur later joined the lawsuit making similar claims.[69][70] Both lawsuits were subsequently dropped by the complainants and dismissed without prejudice.[71]
On September 27, 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Travolta and his attorney Marty Singer by writer Robert Randolph because he found that a letter, written by Singer in response to allegations in a book by Randolph, was protected by free speech.[72]
In September 2014, Travolta denied claims made in January 2014 by his former pilot, Douglas Gotterba, that the two had shared a sexual relationship during the six-year period in which Gotterba worked for Travolta's aircraft company, Alto.[73]
Filmography
Main article: John Travolta filmography
Discography
Albums
Year Album 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 US Billboard US Cash Box US Record World US AC CAN CAN AC UK
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 7 12
"Whenever I'm Away from You" 38 62 64 26 61 29
"Slow Dancin'"
"It Had to Be You"
"I Don't Know What I Like About You Baby"
1977 "All Strung Out on You" 34 28 48 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 2 1
"Summer Nights" (with Olivia Newton-John) 5 3 4 3 1
"Sandy" — — — — — 2
"Greased Lightnin'" 47 45 51 11
1980 "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" — — — —
1983 "Take a Chance" (with Olivia Newton-John) 3 — —
1997 "Two Sleepy People" (with Carly Simon) — — — —
2008 "I Thought I Lost You" (with Miley Cyrus) —