John Joseph Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954)[1][2] is an American actor. Travolta began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.
Travolta came to prominence starring in the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), followed by leading roles in Carrie (1976), Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), and Blow Out (1981). He earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Pulp Fiction (1994). His other notable films include Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Michael (1996), Face/Off (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Primary Colors (1998), The General's Daughter (1999), Wild Hogs (2007), Hairspray (2007), Bolt (2008), and Savages (2012).
Travolta returned to television portraying lawyer Robert Shapiro in the series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He received a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He was also Emmy-nominated for his role in the comedy short Die Hart (2021). Outside of acting, Travolta is also a singer-songwriter. He has released nine albums, including four singles that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100's Top 40. His albums have typically accompanied films he has starred in, such as Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978)–which topped the Billboard 200. Travolta is also a private pilot.[3]
Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). They remained together until Hyland's death from breast cancer on March 27, 1977. In 1980, Travolta dated French actress Catherine Deneuve.[38] Travolta also had an on-again/off-again relationship with actress Marilu Henner, which ended permanently in 1985.[39] In 1988 while filming The Experts, Travolta met actress Kelly Preston, whom he married in Paris in 1991. They had three children: Jett (1992–2009), Ella Bleu (born 2000), and Benjamin (born 2010).[40] They regularly attended marriage counseling and Travolta has stated that therapy helped the marriage.[41] They resided in Ocala, Florida.
On January 2, 2009, Jett died at age 16 while on a Christmas 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, reportedly had had Kawasaki disease since the age of two.[45][46] Travolta confirmed that Jett was autistic and had regular seizures, and immediately made his public statements while giving testimony at the trial of two defendants (a paramedic and a former Bahamas senator) who Travolta alleged tried to blackmail him with a multimillion-dollar extortion plot involving private information in connection with the death of his son Jett.[47] After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and has credited his immediate family and Scientology with helping him to cope with Jett's death and move forward with his career.[48][49][50] In memory of Jett, Travolta created the Jett Travolta Foundation, a nonprofit organization to help children with special needs.[51] It has contributed to organizations such as the Oprah Winfrey.