John Travolta came to fame playing Vinnie Barbarino on the popular 1970s sit-com Welcome Back Kotter. He also had a small but crucial part in Carrie, and played the title role in the TV tearjerker The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. On the set of Plastic Bubble, he had a famous affair with Diana Hyland, the actress who played his mother. Hyland died of cancer the following year, while she was playing the mom on early episodes of Eight is Enough. Travolta parlayed his TV fame into movie stardom, dancing in Saturday Night Fever, singing in Grease, and two-stepping in Urban Cowboy.
A long-time Scientologist, Travolta produced and starred in a 2000 film adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction novel Battlefield Earth, one of cinema's all-time turkeys. In The New York Times, Elvis Mitchell said it "may well turn out to be the worst movie of this century". Roger Ebert said it was "not merely bad; it's unpleasant in a hostile way". Travolta says he once used Scientology's "Assist" method, a system of healing through "getting in communication" with the body, to speed Sting's recovery from "a sore throat and flu symptoms or something."
While vacationing in the Bahamas with his wife, children, and staff, Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett was discovered dead in a hotel bathroom by the family's nanny, Jeff Kathrein, on 2 January 2009. Jett Travolta was widely reported to have suffered from autism, but Scientology maintains that autism does not exist, and the Travoltas always explained that Jett instead had Kawasaki disease, an immunological illness they said was caused by exposure to carpet-cleaning chemicals.
[1] Rumors have circulated for years, but took on new strength when paparazzi photos of Travolta kissing Jeff Kathrein on the lips were uncovered by TMZ in 2006, now widely distributed. While nobody denies Travolta is happily married, the photograph is difficult to explain in light of the fact that American-born men do not generally greet other men in that manner. See also Owen Thomas, "Travolta's Rumored Gay Lover Discovered Dead Son", Gawker, 3 January 2009.
Father: Salvatore Travolta (semi-pro football player, d. 26-May-1995)
Mother: Helen Burke (drama coach, swimmer, b. 18-Jan-1912, d. 3-Dec-1978 cancer)
Brother: Joey Travolta (actor, b. 14-Oct-1950)
Sister: Ellen Travolta (actress, b. 6-Oct-1940)
Sister: Ann Travolta (actress)
Sister: Margaret Travolta (actress)
Brother: Sam Travolta (actor)
Girlfriend: Diana Hyland (actress, until her death)
Wife: Kelly Preston (actress, m. 12-Sep-1991, two sons, one daughter)
Son: Jett Travolta (b. 13-Apr-1992, d. 2-Jan-2009)
Daughter: Ella Bleu Travolta (b. 3-Apr-2000)
Son: Benjamin Travolta (b. 23-Nov-2010)
High School: (dropout)
Concerned Businessmen's Association of America
Scientology
Endorsement of Breitling watches
Endorsement of Qantas
Wedding: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (2006)
Italian Ancestry Paternal
Irish Ancestry Maternal
Risk Factors: Toupee, Yoga
TELEVISION
American Crime Story Robert Shapiro (2016-18)
Welcome Back, Kotter Vinnie Barbarino (1975-79)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
The Poison Rose (23-May-2019)
Gotti (15-May-2018)
I Am Wrath (14-Apr-2016)
In a Valley of Violence (12-Mar-2016)
The Forger (12-Sep-2014)
Killing Season (29-Jun-2013)
Savages (25-Jun-2012) · Dennis
Paul Williams Still Alive (11-Sep-2011) · Himself
From Paris with Love (4-Feb-2010) · Charlie Wax
Old Dogs (25-Nov-2009) · Charlie
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (4-Jun-2009)
Bolt (21-Nov-2008) [VOICE]
Hairspray (20-Jul-2007)
Wild Hogs (2-Mar-2007)
Lonely Hearts (30-Apr-2006) · Elmer Robinson
Be Cool (4-Mar-2005)
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2-Sep-2004)
Ladder 49 (26-Aug-2004)
The Punisher (16-Apr-2004) · Howard Saint
Basic (28-Mar-2003) · Hardy
Austin Powers in Goldmember (22-Jul-2002) · Famous Goldmember
Domestic Disturbance (30-Oct-2001)
Swordfish (4-Jun-2001)
Welcome to Hollywood (27-Oct-2000) · Himself
Lucky Numbers (24-Oct-2000)
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (10-May-2000) · Terl
The General's Daughter (18-Jun-1999)
Our Friend, Martin (1999) [VOICE]
A Civil Action (25-Dec-1998)
The Thin Red Line (25-Dec-1998) · Brig. Gen. Quintard
Primary Colors (20-Mar-1998) · Gov. Jack Stanton
Mad City (10-Oct-1997)
Face/Off (27-Jun-1997) · Sean Archer
She's So Lovely (15-May-1997) · Germoni
Michael Jackson: HIStory on Film - Volume II (1997) · Himself
Michael (25-Dec-1996)
Phenomenon (3-Jul-1996) · George Malley
Broken Arrow (9-Feb-1996) · Vic Deakins
Get Shorty (20-Oct-1995) · Chili Palmer
White Man's Burden (05-Oct-1995)
Pulp Fiction (14-Oct-1994) · Vincent Vega
Look Who's Talking Now (5-Nov-1993) · James Ubriacco
Boris and Natasha (17-Apr-1992)
Shout (4-Oct-1991)
Eyes of an Angel (25-Sep-1991)
Chains of Gold (25-Jul-1991)
Look Who's Talking Too (14-Dec-1990) · James
Look Who's Talking (13-Oct-1989) · James
The Experts (13-Jan-1989) · Travis
Perfect (7-Jun-1985)
Two of a Kind (16-Dec-1983)
Staying Alive (15-Jul-1983) · Tony Manero
Blow Out (24-Jul-1981)
Urban Cowboy (6-Jun-1980) · Bud
Moment by Moment (22-Dec-1978) · Strip
Grease (7-Jul-1978) · Danny
Saturday Night Fever (16-Dec-1977) · Tony Manero
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (12-Nov-1976)
Carrie (3-Nov-1976) · Billy Nolan
The Devil's Rain (Jul-1975)
Official Website:
http://www.travolta.com/
Rotten Library Page:
John Travolta
AKA John Joseph Travolta