American actor, dancer and singer John Travolta was born on February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey. He was enrolled in a drama school where he studied voice, dance and acting. His mother was actress and singer Helen Cecilia, who appeared in the radio group The Sunshine Sisters and his father, Salvatore Travolta, was a semi-professional football player. John Travolta dropped out of Dwight Morrow High School during his junior year to get a job as a performer. He was given a role in the touring company of the musical Grease and was also on Broadway’s Over Here! He furthered his career when he moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in several minor roles.
John Travolta landed roles as extras on the CBS soap opera The Edge of Night and another CBS serial The Secret Storm. The first television role he had was in Emergency! in 1972, but he had his big break in the horror film Carrie in 1976. It was also during that time that he landed his famous role of Vinnie Barbarino on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which aired until 1979. During the 70s, he appeared in his memorable screen roles, playing Tony Manero in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and Danny Zuko in Grease. He performed most of the songs in the Grease album, catapulting him to international stardom. His next hit film was the 1980 Urban Cowboy, but this was followed by numerous critical flops. These included Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. Discouraged by other unsuccessful films like Perfect and Two of a Kind, Travolta decided to pursue a career in flying and eventually earned his pilot’s license. His only success then was the film Look Who’s Talking, also starring Kirstie Alley.
John Travolta’s regained his fame by landing a role of Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in 1994. He won an Academy Award nomination for his performance, and he continued to star in other box office hits. He was in Get Shorty in 1995, Face/Off in 1997 and A Civil Action in 1998. He also played a military detective in The General’s Daughter. In 2000, he was cast as Gabriel Shear in Swordfish and as Howard Saint in 2004’s The Punisher. That same year, he was noted for his performance in Ladder 49. He then starred in Wild Hogs and Hairspray in 2007.