John Travolta is an American actor, producer, and singer who has been in the entertainment industry for over 40 years. He is best known for his roles in films such as Grease (1978), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Pulp Fiction (1994) and Get Shorty (1995). He was also nominated for an Academy Award twice – once for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1994’s Pulp Fiction and again for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995’s Get Shorty.
Travolta was born February 18th 1954, to Salvatore Travolta and Helen Cecilia Burke. His mother was an actress while his father worked as a semi-professional football player before he became an airline pilot after World War II. Growing up with five siblings, John started performing at age 12 when he began taking dance classes at the local community center near his home town of Englewood, New Jersey. His first professional role came when he starred on Broadway alongside Stockard Channing during the musical Grease.
After establishing himself as both a successful film star and musician with hit single “Let Her In” from 1976 album Can’t Let You Go; Travolta went on to become one of the most recognizable faces of Hollywood’s Golden Age throughout the 80s appearing numerous times on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson show along with other TV appearances including Welcome Back Kotter where he played Vinnie Barbarino.
The end of 1980 saw Travolta score another big success when he starred opposite Olivia Newton-John in Grease which remains one of his most iconic roles to date. This led him to be casted by Quentin Tarantino to appear as Vincent Vega alongside Samuel L Jackson’s Jules Winnfield during 1994’s cult classic Pulp Fiction which earned him his first Academy Award nomination along with multiple awards including BAFTA Awards & Golden Globe nominations and wins respectively.
Following this success, John continued acting throughout 2000’s appearing sporadically but still managing to earn critical acclaim through performances such as A Civil Action or Ladder 49 until 2010 where appeared alongside Denzel Washington & Chris Pine during Unstoppable earning praise from critics alike claiming it “as good if not better than some action blockbusters”.
Today we know John Travolta as more than just an entertainer but rather someone who has devoted their life towards inspiring others through their work within Scientology church since 1975; donating millions towards charity works across USA & Africa amongst other causes worldwide making him one of Americas’ most beloved celebrities today even after all these years!
John’s career began when he was only 16 years old after being cast as Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter which ran from 1975 to 1979. His performance earned him two Golden Globe nominations and a Primetime Emmy nomination.
After that show ended he went on to star in several other popular television shows before making his big screen debut with The Boy In The Plastic Bubble (1976).
In 1977 Travolta starred opposite Olivia Newton-John in what would become one of the most successful musicals ever made – Grease! This role catapulted him into superstardom and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Following this success he continued to be typecast as heartthrobs or romantic leads but eventually broke away from these roles with his performance opposite Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction (1994) which won him another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Since then John has gone on to appear in over 60 movies including Primary Colors (1998), Swordfish (2001), Get Shorty (1995) among many others; proving himself as an incredibly versatile actor who can play a variety of characters across multiple genres ranging from drama to action/adventure films like Face/Off (1997). He also returned to television with hit series such as The People Vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story where he portrayed Robert Shapiro earning yet another Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie.
Throughout his long career John has also branched out into music releasing 5 studio albums between 1978 – 2001 all while still continuing acting projects at the same time! It’s no wonder why generations have grown up loving this multi-talented entertainer whose work continues inspiring audiences around the world today!
