Biography
John Travolta is an American actor who began acting on television before becoming a leading man in cinema. His achievements include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.
Age
He is 70 years old as of 18 February 2024. He was born in 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey, United States. His real name is John Joseph Travolta.
Family – Education
Travolta, the youngest of six children, grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City located in Bergen County.His father, Salvatore “Sam” Travolta, was a semi-professional American football player who later became a tire salesman and partner in the Travolta Tire Exchange.Helen Cecilia (née Burke), his mother, was an actress and singer who had performed in The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal trio, as well as acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher.
His siblings Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta were all motivated by their mother’s love of theater and drama to become actors. His father was a second-generation Italian American from Godrano, Sicily, and his mother was Irish American. He grew up in an Irish-American area and described his household as largely Irish in culture. Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior in 1971, at the age of 17.
Wife
Travolta had multiple romances, notably with Diana Hyland, Catherine Deneuve, and Marilu Henner. He married actress Kelly Preston in Paris in 1991, and they have three children: Jett, Ella Bleu, and Benjamin. They regularly went to marriage counseling, and Travolta believes it helped their marriage. Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston, died at the age of 57 on July 12, 2020, at their home in Anthony, Florida, after being diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier. Preston had received treatment at various hospitals and was currently being treated at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, when she died.
Son
Jett died in The Bahamas at the age of 16, citing a seizure as the explanation. Travolta confirmed that Jett was autistic and had frequent seizures. He testified in the prosecution of two defendants who reportedly attempted to blackmail him with a multimillion-dollar extortion scheme. Following a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and credited his family and Scientology for assisting him in dealing with Jett’s loss and moving forward with his career.Travolta established the Jett Travolta Foundation in his memory, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting children with special needs. The foundation has supported organizations such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, and Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $250 million.
House
His mansion in Ocala costs $10 million.Florida is more than simply a luxurious five-bedroom residence; it also serves as a private airport.The Saturday Night Fever singer, now 69, erected the house on the exclusive Jumbolair Aviation Estates property in the 1990s.The property features not only an airfield and runway, but also space to park two of his planes directly outside his residence, allowing them to be boarded within a minute of exiting the front door.
John and his late wife Kelly Preston were the first to buy and build a home on the country’s sole private runway.The 550-acre estate presently features a 3,600-foot runway, a 7,600-square-foot mansion originally owned by horse breeder Muriel Vanderbilt, an 8,700-square-foot conference center, and about seventeen unsold villas with runway access. John restored his midcentury home when he first moved in, and it now has five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, big, open-plan living areas, and a beautiful pool in the garden.
John’s house also contains a massive 16-car garage, which he is carefully converting into a parkour-style gym for his son, Ben, who is improving his acrobatic talents by the week. The actor and pilot value the outdoor space as a fun place for adults and children to hang out. One of his architects told Architectural Digest, “The pool cabana is an adult playhouse. John intended to use it for dancing, which is why it has a large open area and stone flooring.
With a water slide, a large swimming area, and a golf course, the home’s exterior is a veritable amusement park. John collaborated on the home with his wife of nearly 30 years, Kelly, who died at the age of 57 in 2020. Kelly spoke enthusiastically about her husband’s love with planes during an interview with AD in 2004. The couple had a distinct vision: to be able to see both of their valued jets from within the house, including the bedroom, great room, and dining room.The final design includes parking ports for both jets approximately 100m from the front door, allowing John to almost taxi right to his own home!
John lives with his daughter Ella and son Ben, who is now 12 (John and Kelly’s son Jett died tragically at the age of 16 in 2009). Scroll down to see the greatest photos of their amazing family home, as shared by John and Ella.
Hairspray
Travolta’s first musical since Grease was the 2007 version of Hairspray, in which he played Edna Turnblad. Tracy’s mother, Edna Turnblad, owns a washing business and is agoraphobic and ashamed of her fat. Travolta’s casting as Edna continued the tradition of having a guy in drag play the character, which dates back to the original 1988 film, which starred drag queen Divine, and the Broadway adaptation of Hairspray, which had Harvey Fierstein as Edna.
New Line Cinema executives had hoped to fill the job with an actor known for performing humorous parts, including Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and Tom Hanks. Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, on the other hand, actively pursued Travolta for this role because he had previously played Danny Zuko in Grease, the second most successful movie musical of all time, trailing only Mamma Mia!.
Saturday Night Fever
He appeared as Anthony “Tony” Manero in the 1977 American dance drama film Saturday Night Fever. Tony Manero, a 19-year-old Italian-American from Brooklyn, escapes his everyday routine by going to 2001 Odyssey, a neighborhood discotheque. He has four close friends: Joey, Double J, Gus, and Bobby C. Annette, a neighboring girl, is enamored with Tony but not drawn to her. Tony and his companions make a ritual stop on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which represents escape to a better life.
Tony’s older brother, Frank Jr., leaves the priesthood, but Tony is relieved that he is no longer the black sheep of the family. Gus was hospitalized after being attacked by the Barracudas, a Puerto Rican gang. Bobby C., a devout Catholic girlfriend, asks Frank Jr. for an abortion, but Frank says it’s improbable. The crew exacts revenge on the Barracudas, crashing Bobby C’s car into their hangout. Tony and Stephanie won first prize in the dance competition. However, Tony feels a Puerto Rican couple outperformed them and that the judges’ choice was ethnically motivated.
Tony’s buddies, Joey, Double J, and Annette, join him in the car, and Joey viciously rapes Annette. Bobby C. dies after performing risky stunts. Tony, disgusted and disillusioned, rushes off, leaving Double J, Joey, and Annette behind. He apologizes and intends to move to Manhattan to begin a new life. Stephanie forgives Tony, and they reconcile, restoring their relationship.