Tuesday, September 20, 2011

John Travolta

John Travolta














John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Travolta's acting career declined in the early 1980s and continued to deteriorate throughout the remainder of the decade. His career faced a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Pulp Fiction, and he has since continued starring in Hollywood films including Face/Off, Ladder 49, and Wild Hogs. Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty.

Saturday Night Fever - John Travolta's (1977) Epic Walk n Epic Dance :-))


Grease - You Are The One That I Want HQ

Inside the Actors Studio - John Travolta - Part 1/10

John Travolta - 1983 - Staying Alive - Intro


John Travolta bailando


John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis:80s Crotch Thrustin


Ellen & John Travolta dance


Miley Cyrus & John Travolta "I Thought I Lost You" (BOLT)





Early life

Travolta, the youngest of six children,[1] was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City. His father, Salvatore Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995), was a semi-professional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company.[3] His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke, January 1912 – December 1978),[2] 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.[4] His siblings, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta, have all acted.[4] His father was a second-generation Italian American and his mother was Irish American; he grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and has said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture.[7][8] He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975.[6][9]
Career

Early career
After attending Dwight Morrow High School,[10] 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'".[11][12] He then moved to Los Angeles to further his career in show business.
Travolta's first California-filmed television role was as a fall victim in, Emergency! (S2E2), in September 1972,[13] 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).[14] Around the same time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), in which his sister, Ellen, also occasionally appeared (as Arnold Horshack's mother).[15] The show aired on ABC.
'70s stardom


Travolta in one of his earliest roles, in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)
Around this time, Travolta had a hit single entitled "Let Her In", peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[16][17] In the next few years, he appeared in two of his most noted screen roles: Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and as Danny Zuko in Grease (1978).[4] The films were among the most commercially successful pictures of the decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom.[18] Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.[19] At age 24, Travolta became one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.[20] His mother and his sister Ann appeared as extras in Saturday Night Fever and his sister Ellen appeared as a waitress in Grease. Travolta performed several of the songs on the Grease soundtrack album.[21] 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.[22]
Downturn


Travolta in 1983
After Urban Cowboy, Travolta starred in a string of flops[citation needed] that sidelined his acting career. These included Perfect, co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and Two of a Kind, a romantic comedy reteaming him with Olivia Newton-John. During that time he was offered, but turned down, lead roles in what would become box office hits, including American Gigolo[23] and An Officer and a Gentleman, both of which went to Richard Gere.[24]
Resurgence


Travolta dancing with Princess Diana at the White House, November 9, 1985
In 1989, Travolta starred in Look Who's Talking, which grossed $297,000,000, making it his most successful film since Grease. Travolta continued to the two sequels 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), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career was revived.[25][26][4] 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), 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),[4] and a military detective in The General's Daughter (1999).
2000–present


Scene from Battlefield Earth, showing (left to right) Barry Pepper, Travolta and Forest Whitaker in costume.
Travolta also starred in Battlefield Earth (2000) based on a work of science fiction 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 received almost universally negative reviews and did very poorly at the box office.[27] Travolta played Mrs. Edna Turnblad in the remake of Hairspray, his first musical since Grease.[28]
Personal life

Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble; Hyland died of breast cancer in 1977.[29]


Travolta has been married to actress Kelly Preston since 1991.
Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. The couple had a son, Jett (1992–2009).[30] Their daughter, Ella Bleu, was born in 2000. On May 18, 2010, Travolta and Preston announced that she was pregnant with the couple's third child,[31] later confirmed to be a boy.[32] Their son, Benjamin, was born on November 23, 2010 in Florida.[33]
Travolta and Preston have regularly attended marriage counseling; Travolta has stated that therapy has helped the marriage.[34]
Travolta is a certified private pilot and owns five aircraft, including an ex-Qantas Boeing 707–138 airliner. The plane bears the name Jett Clipper Ella in honor of his children.[35] Pan American World Airways was a large operator of the Boeing 707 and used Clipper in its names. The 707 aircraft bears the marks of Qantas, as Travolta acts as an official goodwill ambassador for the airline wherever he flies. His $4.9 million estate in the Jumbolair subdivision in Ocala, Florida, is situated on Greystone Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his front door.[36] 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 8-day expenses-paid trip to Australia, with Travolta serving as pilot for the trip. He had helped Winfrey plan the trip for over a year.[37] On 24 Nov. 1992 Travolta piloting his Gulfstream N728T at night (on top of a solid undercast) had a total electrical system failure while flying under instrument flight rules into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. During the emergency landing there was a near mid-air collision with a USAir Boeing 727, due to a risky decision by an air traffic controller.[38]
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.[39] After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, joining other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, Travolta flew his 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area.[40]
In June 2010, Travolta and Preston donated $10,000 to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund while on a trip to South Africa.[41]
Son's death
On January 2, 2009, Travolta and Preston's son, Jett, died while on their holiday vacation in The Bahamas.[42][43] A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure.[44] Jett, who had a history of seizures,[45] reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease as an infant.[46] On September 24, 2009, long a source of speculation,[47] Travolta and Preston confirmed that their son had autism and suffered regular seizures.[48] They made their statements while giving a testimony after a multi-million dollar extortion plot against them regarding the circumstances of their son's death. After a mistrial, [49] Travolta dropped the charges.[50] Travolta has credited his family and faith in helping him survive the tragic death of his son, and in moving forward with his film career.[51]
Filmography

List of film and television credits
Year Title Role Notes
1975 The Tenth Level John TV movie
1975 The Devil's Rain Danny
1976 The Boy in the Plastic Bubble Tod Lubitch
TV movie
Nominated—TV Land Award
1976 Carrie Billy Nolan
1977 Saturday Night Fever Tony Manero
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1978 Moment by Moment Strip Harrison
1978 Grease Daniel "Danny" Zuko
Henrietta Award – World Film Favorite Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1980 Urban Cowboy Buford 'Bud' Uan Davis
1981 Blow Out Jack Terry
1983 Staying Alive Tony Manero
1983 Two of a Kind Zack Melon
1985 Perfect Adam Lawrence
1987 Basements Ben TV segment "The Dumb Waiter"
1989 Look Who's Talking James Ubriacco
1989 The Experts Travis
1990 Look Who's Talking Too James Ubriacco
1991 Shout Jack Cabe
1991 Eyes Of An Angel Bobby aka The Tender
1991 Chains of Gold Scott Barnes TV movie; also writer
1992 Boris and Natasha: The Movie Himself cameo
1993 Look Who's Talking Now James Ubriacco
1994 Pulp Fiction Vincent Vega
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1995 Get Shorty Chili Palmer
American Comedy Award
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1995 White Man's Burden Louis Pinnock
1996 Michael Michael
1996 Phenomenon George Malley
1996 Orientation: A Scientology Information Film Himself short subject
1996 Broken Arrow Maj. Vic 'Deak' Deakins
1997 Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's Himself documentary
1997 Mad City Sam Baily
1997 Face/Off Sean Archer/Castor Troy Nomination—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1997 She's So Lovely Joey Giamonti also executive producer
1998 A Civil Action Jan Schlichtmann
1998 The Thin Red Line Brigadier General Quintard Satellite Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble
1998 Junket Whore Himself documentary
1998 Primary Colors Governor Jack Stanton Nomination—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1999 The General's Daughter Warr. Off. Paul Brenner/Sgt. Frank White
1999 Our Friend, Martin Kyle's dad animated educational film, voice only
2000 Welcome to Hollywood Himself mockumentary; cameo
2000 Lucky Numbers Russ Richards
2000 Battlefield Earth Terl also producer
Razzie Award for Worst Actor
2001 Domestic Disturbance Frank Morrison
2001 Swordfish Gabriel Shear
2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember "Austinpussy" Johann van der Smut (Goldmember) / Himself cameo
2003 Basic Tom Hardy
2004 Ladder 49 Captain Mike Kennedy
2004 A Love Song for Bobby Long Bobby Long
2004 The Punisher Howard Saint
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D James Benson "Jim" Irwin narrator; documentary
2005 Be Cool Chili Palmer
2006 Lonely Hearts Elmer C. Robinson
2007 Wild Hogs Woody Stevens
2007 Hairspray Edna Turnblad
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008 Bolt Bolt the Dog voice
2009 The Taking of Pelham 123 Benard Ryder
2009 Old Dogs Charlie Reed
2010 From Paris with Love Charlie Wax
2012 Savages Dennis
2012 The Expendables 2[52]
List of credits in series television
Year Title Role Notes
1972 Emergency! Chuck Benson[53] Episode: "Kids"
1972 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Episode: "A Piece of God"
1973 The Rookies Eddie Halley Episode: " Frozen Smoke"
1974 Medical Center Danny Episode: "Saturday's Child"
1975–1979 Welcome Back, Kotter Vincent "Vinnie" Barbarino
Discography

Albums
Year Album US
1974 Over Here! —
1976 John Travolta 39
1977 Can't Let You Go 66
1978 Travolta Fever 161
Grease 1
1983 Two of a Kind 26
1986 The Road to Freedom —
1996 Let Her In: The Best of John Travolta —
2003 The Collection —
2007 Hairspray —
Singles
"Dream Drummin'" (1974)
"Easy Evil" (1975)
"Can't Let You Go" (1975)
"You Set My Dreams To Music" (1976)
"Goodnight Mr. Moon" (1976)
"Rainbows" (1976)
"Settle Down" (1976)
"Moonlight Lady" (1976)
"Right Time Of The Night" (1976)
"Big Trouble" (1976)
"What Would They Say" (1976)
"Back Doors Crying" (1976)
"Let Her In" (1976) – #10
"Whenever I'm Away From You" (1976) – #38
"Slow Dancin'" (1976)
"It Had To Be You" (1976)
"I Don't Know What I Like About You Baby" (1976)
"All Strung Out On You" (1977) – #34
"Baby, I Could Be So Good At Lovin' You" (1977)
"Razzamatazz" (1977)
"You're the One That I Want" – #1 (1978) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)
"Sandy" (1978)
"Greased Lightnin" (1978) – #47
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (1980)
"Hooker Madness" (1983)
"Take A Chance" (1983) (w/ Olivia Newton-John)
"Two Sleepy People" (1997) (w/ Carly Simon)
"I Thought I Lost You" (2008) (w/ Miley Cyrus)

Reference from Wikipedia.com

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