John Travolta

John Travolta is an American actor, producer, dancer, and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979). He played a memorable role as a high school teenager who played cruel jokes on Carrie (1976) before going on to star in the box office hits Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). Travolta’s career grew cold in the 1980s but he eventually found a comeback when he played the long-haired hitman in Quentin Tarantino‘s 1994 comedy-drama Pulp Fiction.

Born on February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey, his middle name is Joseph. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.

John Travolta – His Religion

Travolta was raised by the daughter of Irish immigrants and the son of Italian immigrants. That being the case, his childhood was dominated by Catholicism.

While shooting his first major film role in the 1975 horror movie The Devil’s Rain, Travolta was given the book L. Ron Hubbard book Dianetics. He soon became a practitioner of Scientology, the religion that Hubbard founded in 1952. Travolta has remained a high profile Scientologist for many decades, speaking positively of its impact on his personal life.

“I’ve been so happy with my [Scientology] experience in the last 40 years,” the actor said. “I’ve been brought through storms that were insurmountable, and [Scientology has] been so beautiful for me, that I can’t even imagine attacking it.” (1)

John Travolta – His Political Views

John tends to stay out of politics, U.S. or otherwise. However, there is evidence to assume that Travolta is a Democrat, or at least friends with Democrats.  For example, when the Clinton family was being investigated for fraud in 2008 – just as Hillary Clinton was running for president for her first time – Travolta testified on the Clintons’ behalf.

That said, he also starred as a Bill Clinton-esque President in the 1998 political satire film Primary Colors. That movie didn’t portray Travolta’s Clinton-like politician in a totally favorable manner.

John Travolta – His Hobbies

Travolta is a private pilot and is an enthusiast about flying big jets. He owns five aircraft, including an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138 airliner that bears the name Jett Clipper Ella in honor of his children.

As a celeb, John also participates in quite a bit of charity, much of which is associated alongside the Church of Scientology. Other causes that Travolta has supported are the Red Cross and Meals on Wheels.

In the aftermath of the death of his son Jett in 2009, Travolta created The Jett Travolta Foundation to help children born with special needs. (2)

John Travolta – His Relationships

Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. The couple had three children: Jett (born 1994), Ella Bleu (born 2000) and Benjamin (born 2010). Preston passed away on July 12, 2020 after a two-year fight against breast cancer. (3)

In January 2009 John’s 16-year-old son Jett passed away in the aftermath of a seizure. Jett had a history of seizures, and reportedly suffered from Kawasaki disease.

Allegations have been made against Travolta for having clandestine homosexual affairs. Two men, both masseuses, stepped forward in 2012 to make such claims and launch lawsuits against Travolta for sexual battery that happened during these events. Both plaintiffs had their lawsuits dismissed without prejudice a short time later. Lawyers for Travolta have strenuously denied the claims made by the two undisclosed men and claimed to have evidence that would show Travolta was not in the city where the alleged assaults took place. (4)

Random Facts & Trivia

• Travolta has been twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for performances in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction. He won his only Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty and has received a total of six nominations, the most recent being in 2008.
• In 2014, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema.
• In 1985 Travolta attended a black tie event hosted by the Princess of Wales, Diana Spencer. The two of them performed a dance together which received tremendous attention from the world press at the time.

Sources:

1: Tampa Bay Times

2: Jett Travolta Foundation

3: People

4: The Telegraph

Photo by Georges Biard. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License

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