Born John Joseph Travolta half Italian half Irish on February 18, 1954 at the Englewood Hospital in New Jersey at 2:53 p.m. weighing seven pounds, nine ounces. His parents were Italian Salvatore (Sam), a former semi-pro football player turned mechanic, who inspired his love of airplanes and whom he get his handsome looks. His mother Helen of Irish decent, a drama teacher, inspired his love for acting. The money he made from acting went into flying lessons and then into purchasing airplanes. He has since earned his commercial pilot's license. "I can now fly for American Airlines if I should wish to pursue it." John is the youngest child of a family of six, his siblings include: Ellen, Sam, Margaret, Ann and Joey. Growing up, John and his family performed nightly shows in the basement of their Jersey home. Young Johnny began taking tap dancing lessons from Gene Kelly's brother Fred. Also at the age of six he took his first airplane ride. He flew unaccompanied from New York to Chicago to see his sister Ellen perform in the musical Oklahoma. As an adolescent, he performed in local musicals and dinner-theater shows. After dropping out of school at age 16 (with his parents permission) he began his full-time acting career. He promised his father that if he didn?t make it as an actor he would return to school. It wasn't long before he was making more money acting than his father was in his business. Travolta began making appearances off and on Broadway, eventually landing a small role in the original New York cast of a little nostalgia show called Grease. This was where he met his off and on girlfriend, and now close family friend Marilu Henner. 1975, Travolta, age 21, introduced "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-rino" to America, via the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, and became a star, not to mention a pinup god. His success as high-school delinquent Vinnie Barbarino led to a pop career. He put out three albums (Can't Let Go, John Travolta, Travolta Fever). He then got a supporting role in Carrie. He was then in the acclaimed made for t.v. film The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. During the filming of which is when he met and fell in love with Diana Hyland. They were together for less than a year when she died in his arms of cancer. He earned a Best Actor nomination for the 1977 Oscar-nominated hit Saturday Night Fever. He then showed off his dance and musical skills again in 1978 in the motion picture version of Grease (the most successful musical of all-time). Ind December of 1978cancer had taken his mother away. It was at this time that he called the President of Paramount to let him out of doing American Gigalo. In return he owed the studio two films which would end up being UrbanCowboy and Staying Alive. His other roles in the 80's were few and far between which also included Blow Out, Two of a Kind and Perfect. After this time period he fired his agency firm and moved out of Hollywood, selling his home and moving to Florida. In 1987 after a two year break he began working again with his new Producer-Agent, Jonathon Krane. Over a two year period they did a number of projects together which began with The Experts, where Travolta met his bride to be Preston. They finally struck Black-Gold with Look Who's Talking. It did not win him any praises from critics but was a world-wide box office smash. This led them to quickly begin working on the sequel, Look Who's Talking Too in Vancouver B.C. During which co-star Kirstie Alley played match-maker with Travolta and Preston (who just happened to be in Vancouver working as well as single). It was at the dinner party Travolta asked Preston "Your not with anybody now, Do you Want to be boyfriend and girlfriend?" which she immediately replied yes, they have been together ever since. Shortly after the premiere of Look Who's Talking Too they took off to Switzerland with a small group of family and friends to celebrate Christmas and New Year's. It was at the stroke of midnight New Year's when Travolta got on one knee and proposed. Earlier in the day he saw the engagement ring in the window of the hotel's jewelry store and thougt that he was going to propose in six months anyway way why not buy the ring now. Afterwhich he found himself unable not to propose. They were married twice the following September, the first time on the 12th in Paris with a religious ceremony and the second on the 19th with a civil ceremony in Florida. Their son Jett was born the following April. The next big career break for Travolta came in 1994 with the help of writer-director Quentin Tarantino that brought Travolta back to the limelight. It took some convincing, but he finally agreed to play heroin-addicted hit man Vincent Vega in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Working for only $140,000, the film proved a popular and critical success and earned Travolta his second career Best Actor Oscar nomination. Which launch Travolta as an A-List actor and becoming a member of the $20 million club. In Travolta's case, all work means lots of pay -- like earning more than $250 million since 1997. In both his professional and personal life, he's flying higher than ever before. Travolta's career gave new meaning to the phrase "comeback." Since then, he has had a Midas touch on nearly all of his films, including: Get Shorty (my favorite, for which he won a Golden Globe award); Broken Arrow; Phenomenon; Michael; Face/Off ; Primary Colors(for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe); A Civil Action; and The General's Daughter. He then attempted to expand his career with different types of roles in Battlefield Earth and Lucky Numbers but they did not go over well. He has slowed down a little the last few years making more time for the family which expand with the birth of Ella Bleu in April 2000. His most recently seen films in theaters was Domestic Disturbance (one of the top ten video rentals of 2002) and in also Swordfish (one of the biggest DVD's of all-time). Without a 2002 theatrical release (other than his cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember) it will be the first time since 1992 the year of Jett's birth with Basic is now playing in theaters. It has been a casualty of the war with Iraq. The NY Premiere was cancelled and has lower than expected numbers. It is a great film and a must see for all of John's fans. It will huge on video with people regretting not seeing it in theaters. Maybe Sony should have left it to be released in April after not before Anger Management, which got their premiere cancelled as well. John has also voiced for an upcoming animated short for the Sci-Fi Channel. It could also become an IMAX film. Without a 2002 release (other than a cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember) it will be the first year without a theatrical release since 1992, the year of Jett's birth. Summer 2002 John flew over 80 hours and 35,000 miles as Quantas Airlines Ambasadore at large. Since returning from the trip around the world he took his time in finding the right project. Filming with Jauquin Pheonix in Ladder 49 about firefighters began filming in March 2003 with a release date of October 8, 2004. Touchtone was aimming for a November 2003 release but changed their minds so as not to rush post- production. Which is good, Paramount rushing Domestic Disturbance into theaters before Vanilla Sky was not a good decision for the film. The Punisher with John as the head mob bad guy is due out April 16, 2004. Be Cool the sequel to Get Shorty filming recently in LA. There are rumours about another Grease film with John, Olivia and Stockard Channing set 25 years latter, but nothing has been signed. Quetin Taratino is also finally writing the screeenplay The Vega Brothers, the pre-quel to Resiviors Dogs and Pulp Fiction. But I have heard rumours that Quentin does not want to do it. John is said to be in talks for Harvey, the remake of a James Stewart film that he was nominated for an academy award. Another possible upcoming project could be Dallas: The Movie with John as JR.
When asked who has influenced him the most in his life and career he replied "My family." He also stated that the confidence that his parents (pictured with him below)had in him as an actor has helped. "That has always stayed with me. I am often asked whether I would lose my self-confidence. Never, as far as my acting abilities are concerned. At times I have lost confidence in my career, but never in my ability." Travolta says the greatest misconception about fame is that it changes a person's life. "You're still the same person you were before you became famous and you're still the same person if you lose it all. My friends can tell you that's been true about me."
John Travolta and Kelly Preston along with Tom Cruise, Jenna Elfman and Kirstie Alley are among the most outspoken celebrities that are members of the controversial Church of Scientology. "Scientology has given me the tools to organize my life to get the most from it." He appeared on 20/20 to defend Scientology against its critics in America and abroad. He even spoke to U.S. President Bill Clinton asking him to intercede on behalf of Scientology in its battles with the German government, which claims it is a cult. "Scientology has taught me to believe in the joy of life. We are not here on Earth to be in pain and suffer. We're here to enjoy life," explains Travolta. And enjoy he does. They have a magnificent Mediterranean home on a ranch in Brentwood, California; as well as homes in Florida, Hawaii and a 20 bedroom home in Maine, which was their first purchase together upon their marriage in 1991. Until recent years the home in Maine was where they would hold the family Christmas party, including lodging 50-60 people. "Kelly and I share the view that life is an art and that you must work at any art," says Travolta. "We put as much effort into our marriage as we do any of our movies." Travolta and Preston was honored by the New York Friars Club, the pair received the "Man and Woman of the Year" award at the club's annual celebrity tribute in 1997. At the ceremony they sang together on stage. Maybe someday soon the rest of us will be able to enjoy them toghetheron film again. Below is a preview of how hot it will be. |
