Feverish Facts About John Travolta

October 16, 2023 | Morgan EUA

Feverish Facts About John Travolta


“Dancing's part of my soul. I enjoy it, it makes people happy, and it makes me happy".— John Travolta

“I don’t believe in regrets; I believe your future is in your tomorrows".— John Travolta

His wife found everything about him sexy—especially his lips—and I can’t blame her. He’s a devil on the disco dancefloor. He’s gorgeous and charming even as a woman. He’s greased lightning, baby! John Travolta has played a wide variety of parts in his lifetime and his career has had its ups and downs, but all told this T-bird is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. I’ve seen Grease at least 20 times and I’m just dying to see Gotti, but in the meantime, I’ll settle for these 42 sexy, funny, and sometimes tragic facts about John Travolta’s stardom.


1. Beauty School Dropout

Stay in school, kids—or else you might become a world-famous actor. That’s what happened to John Travolta, anyway. He dropped out of Dwight Morrow High School as a junior to pursue his career in acting and is doing pretty well by that decision. Who knows where the movie industry would be now if he had stayed in school.

john travolta

2. Amore

The star we now all know and love was born John Joseph Travolta to Helen and Salvatore Travolta in Englewood, New Jersey. He was one of six children and had a mostly Irish upbringing as per his mother’s background. His father was of Italian descent.

John TravoltaGetty Images

3. Coasting Through The Heat Lap Trials

I think I’ve figured out Travolta’s inspiration for his performance in “Greased Lightning”—his dear ol’ dad owned a shop in Hillsdale, NJ that fixed up tires called “Travolta Tires".

John TravoltaGreased Lightening, 1978, Warner Bros.

4. 10/10

Travolta was never just an actor. He has also released many of his own songs, including one titled “Let Her In". He was good enough at his musical pursuits that this song made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1976.

John TravoltaShutterstock

5. And The Academy Award Goes To…

Travolta has experienced considerable success throughout his acting career, most notably a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his role in Saturday Night Fever. At the time he was only 24 and one of the youngest actors to receive this honor.

John TravoltaSaturday Night Fever, 1977, Paramount Pictures

6. All In The Family

John wasn’t the only Hollywood darling in the Travolta family. His mother and sister were also given minor roles in Saturday Night Fever, and another one of his sisters played a waitress in Grease. The Travolta women representing!

John TravoltaGreased Lightening, 1978, Warner Bros.

7. Young Love

One of Travolta’s first loves was his co-star in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Travolta was only 22 at the time and Diana Hyland was 18 years his senior. Sadly, the love couldn't last long: Hyland departed this life while Travolta was filming Saturday Night Live. Filming stopped at the time to accommodate him while he attended his beloved's funeral.

John TravoltaGetty Images

8. Little Miracles

Travolta eventually found new love and married his wife Kelly Preston. They were together for 19 years, until Preston's tragic passing in 2020. The couple had three children, but their oldest, Jett, is no longer with us. Their middle child, Ella Bleu, was born in 2000. Their youngest child is Benjamin and was born in 2010. 

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

9. Troubles In Paradise

Travolta and Preston had problems in their marriage, no different than the rest of us. Unlike many, though, this famous couple managed to attend marriage counseling and the therapy had a great positive effect on their relationship.

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

10. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

Travolta and Preston loved marriage so much, they did it twice! Just kidding. They had two weddings, as their initial marriage officiated by a Scientologist minister was considered not valid under the law. So they did it all over again.

John TravoltaGetty Images

11. Who Let The Dogs Out?

Travolta secured the leading role of John Gotti in his latest movie Gotti, as the family personally selected him. Pitbull was so impressed with Travolta's transition into the underworld kingpin role that he offered to contribute to the film's musical score.

John TravoltaGotti, 2017, Flower Films

12. Love Can’t Be Bought

Travolta was not the first man to propose to Preston. No, in 1989 it was Charlie Sheen who fell in love with her and offered her a pink 2.5 karat diamond ring. They never got married, but they did live together.

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

13. Killer Coincidence

This is just scary coincidence. Scary movie coincidence, that is. Both Preston and Travolta starred in movies based on the works of Stephen King. Even weirder, both movies are titled after a girl whose name starts with a “C". Travolta was in the movie Carrie and his partner played a role in Christine. Crazy.

John TravoltaCarrie, 1976, Red Bank Films

14. Tragedy Strikes

One of the worst tragedies of Travolta’s life occurred when his oldest son was 16. Jett Travolta, who suffered from seizures initiated by Kawasaki disease, met his untimely demise due to a seizure during a Christmas vacation in the Bahamas in 2009.

John TravoltaGetty Images

15. When Life Gives You Lemons

The legacy of Travolta's son is evident in the Jett Travolta Foundation, established by his parents following his passing. The not-for-profit sets out to help children with special needs and has assisted other famous organizations in their pursuits, like the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.

John TravoltaFlickr

16. Shoot For The Stars

It’s not only Travolta’s acting career that is soaring at great heights—he is also a skilled private pilot and owns four planes.

John TravoltaGetty Images

17. Getting High With Travolta

Travolta treats his friends very well, including his good pal Oprah Winfrey. With Travolta’s help, Winfrey surprised her studio audience on her talk show with an all-expenses paid vacation to Australia. The trip had been in the planning stages for about a year. And the best part? Their flight pilot to get to the destination was the one and only John Travolta.

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

18. In Sickness And In Religion

Although he was raised as a Roman Catholic, Travolta converted to Scientology in the 1970s. His wife is also a part of the Church of Scientology.

John TravoltaShutterstock

19. Alpha Male

Travolta is best known for his live action acting roles, but you can also find him playing a cartoon dog in the animated Disney picture Bolt. Travolta played the part of the lead dog in the movie, which was nominated for multiple awards.

John TravoltaFlickr

20. Party In The USA

Travolta did not leave his music career entirely in 70s. He more recently recorded a duet with one of the biggest pop names of the 21st century—Miley Cyrus, of course. They recorded the song for the movie Bolt, and it’s titled “I Thought I Lost You". Clearly Travolta’s still got it, because it received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song.

John TravoltaFlickr

21. Real-Life Superhero

Travolta uses his gift of flight for good. After the hurricane disaster in New Orleans, the movie star flew his personal Boeing 707 to the site with food and medical supplies. Five years later, he provided similar support to the survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

John TravoltaGetty Images

22. Addict Or “Enthusiast”?

Let’s admit it—we’re all a little addicted to coffee. You don’t have to feel bad about it, though, because there’s always someone worse off than you and, in this case, that person is John Travolta. Travolta admitted to using “half a pound” of Starbucks’ Sumatra blend in his morning cup.

John TravoltaShutterstock

23. A Regular Prince Charming

One magical night, both Travolta and Princess Diana were invited to an event at the White House. The Princess arrived with a dream to dance with Travolta and, at midnight, Travolta made her wish come true. Princess Diana was so excited about that moment that she even named the dress she had been wearing after him: “the Travolta Dress".

John TravoltaPxfuel

24. Dance Like The Whole World’s Watching

Besides acting, what is Travolta best known for? According to his IMDb page, his trademarks are his cleft chin and “razor-sharp” cheekbones. He’s also understandably known for working a dance sequence into all of his roles—he dances in nearly ALL of his films.

John TravoltaGetty Images

25. Here’s To Gere!

Considering Travolta’s fame and huge number of acting credits, it makes sense that he’s had to turn down a few roles in his career. Included in the gigs he's declined are Chicago, An Officer and a Gentlemen, American Gigolo, and Days of Heaven. What do all of these films have in common? The lead parts ultimately went to Richard Gere. That’s right, while Travolta was picking and choosing parts to make his career, he also single-handedly made a career for Gere!

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

26. In The Cage With Cage

Travolta spent two full weeks with Nicolas Cage before they went into filming for Face/Off so that they could master each other’s characters. To do this, they decided on specific ways of speaking and moving for each character that would be easy to mimic.

John TravoltaFace/Off, 1997, Paramount Pictures

27. Pick A Home, Any Home

For Travolta, a house would never be complete without a take-off and landing strip for his airplanes. And that’s exactly what his home in Ocala, Florida has. But it doesn’t stop there, because Travolta also owns three other homes in California, Maine, and Hawaii.

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

28. The Acting Diet

Travolta’s weight has gone up and down like a yoyo throughout his acting career. In 1977 he lost 9kg (20lbs) for Saturday Night Fever. He gained it all back and then some for his role in Primary Colors in the 90s. Then he cut the weight again in 2001 (by doing boxing and yoga) for Swordfish.

 

John TravoltaSaturday Night Fever, 1977, Paramount Pictures

29. Parlez-vous français?

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir), John? I’m just kidding. But I do love a thick French accent, and Travolta speaks the language fluently.

John TravoltaShutterstock

30. Hair, Makeup, And Fat Suit

Travolta didn’t have to gain any weight when he played Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, but what actually happened might be even more difficult. He had to wear a heavy fat suit and five different face prosthetics to transform into the necessary look. It took him four hours to get into the get up each time.

John TravoltaHairspray, 1997, Ingenious Media

31. An On-set Serenade

Hairspray was the second movie titled after a hair product that Travolta starred in. The first, of course, was Grease. One day he started singing the Grease tune “Summer Nights” on the set of Hairspray, and apparently Zac Efron and Amanda Bynes were around to hear it. They freaked out and contacted everyone they knew via text to tell them about it!

John TravoltaHairspray, 1997, Ingenious Media

32. If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

Don’t mess with a John Travolta dance sequence. After working extremely hard on his fancy footwork for the Saturday Night Fever “You Should be Dancing” scene, the studio recommended it be shot as a close-up. Travolta was so upset that he insisted it be done as a full body shot to show off his moves—or he would quit.

John TravoltaSaturday Night Fever, 1977, Paramount Pictures

33. Friends 4ever

Now this is the definition of a true friend: Anson Downes, Travolta’s co-star in the movie Carrie, still runs lines with him 40 years later.

 

John TravoltaGetty Images

34. Fever Over Travolta

It’s hard to film on-site with Travolta because his many adoring fans will almost definitely find him. So, filming for Saturday Night Fever had to be cleverly planned. The film crew would try to shoot scenes as early in the morning as possible to avoid the crowds and would even publish pretend call sheets to throw off the hordes. These sneaky maneuvers tended to be successful, and they usually finished filming before Travolta fans gathered too heavily.

John TravoltaFlickr

35. Dancing Dirty

Travolta has had some famous dance teachers in his time, including Patrick Swayze’s mom Patsy, who taught him the two-step for Urban Cowboy.

 

John TravoltaWikimedia.Commons

36. Do Not Try This At Home

Travolta does his own stunts. Or at least, he did for the bull riding scene in Urban Cowboy. Travolta was so committed to the bit that he had a mechanical bull installed in his home to practise. He got so good at this random feat that the stunt double was no longer necessary!

John TravoltaGetty Images

37. Blood, Sweat, And Tears

Saturday Night Fever was an all around epic dance movie for Travolta. His climactic dance piece was so intense that he frequently soaked through his dancing suit with sweat. This meant that he used two suits for the scene so that one could dry while he was dancing in the other.

John TravoltaSaturday Night Fever, 1977, Paramount Pictures

38. Brows On Fleek

Okay, okay, Travolta is great and all, but we want the juicy deets. What are his flaws? According to his wife, it’s the length of his eyebrows. Apparently she goes nuts if they get too long.

John TravoltaShutterstock

39. Step Into Someone Else’s Shoes

Travolta donated a number of his personal vehicles to the movie Gotti. To make his portrayal as real as possible, he also wore some of John Gotti’s actual clothing for the film, including his ties. Talk about getting into character.

John TravoltaGotti, 2017, Flower Films

40. Pause And Inhale The Outlaw

For Travolta, the most unusual aspect of embodying underworld boss John Gotti was the opportunity to don the man's actual suit—given it still carried a faint scent of his cologne. I'm sure that would help get into character, but thinking about all that the man did in those clothes? It must have been hard to concentrate.

John TravoltaGotti, 2017, Flower Films

41. Close To Catastrophe

Travolta may be an extremely skilled and professional flyer, but even he is not immune to disaster. Once, while flying through a busy air thoroughfare with his wife and son on board, his plane’s electrical system completely failed. His radios and lights failed, so with no other option, he oriented himself towards the distant lights of Washington, DC. Using only a tiny manual compass and a literal flashlight, Travolta and his co-pilot executed an emergency landing in Washington that blew out four of their tires and closed the airport for a full four hours. Peoples' flights would have been delayed, but I’m sure they got a great story out of it!

John TravoltaGetty Images

42. It Takes A Village

At the time of Travolta’s near plane crash, everyone came to his rescue. Four large airports in and around Washington halted all flights and even rerouted a plane to direct Travolta to safety. The two planes nearly collided, so it’s a miracle Travolta and everyone he had on board survived the ultimate, spectacular landing.

John TravoltaShutterstock

Sources:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12


More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.