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John Travolta au festival de Cannes, photo by Georges Biard.

Top 10 Facts about John Travolta

John Travolta is one of the most loved actors with the most female fans and followers. He was born on February 18, 1954 with 5 siblings namely, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta.

Like most actors he left school to pursue an acting career and he struggled for a bit before hitting the big screens and becoming the star that he is right now.

His father was a second-generation Italian American with roots in Godrano, Sicily, and his mother was Irish American who was an actor and a talented actress. All of them were inspired by their mother’s love of theatre and drama and became actors.

He was raised Roman Catholic and later converted to Scientology in 1975, and since then he has given many interviews explaining things about Scientology, and why he chose it. He converted after being given the book Dianetics while filming The Devil’s Rain in Durango, Mexico. Here are 10 interesting facts about John Travolta.

1.He dropped out of school

With little formal education John made it and became a star. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 years to follow his passion in acting and moved across the Hudson River to New York City. His first role was in the touring company of the musical Grease and on Broadway, singing the Sherman Brothers’ song Dream Drummin.

He took on a range of jobs to be able to make ends meet, including being a supermarket check-out boy and an airline luggage porter. He became a hit after his roles in Grease in 1978, Saturday Night Fever, Hairspray, the Experts and Pulp Fiction.

2.He met his late wife, Kelly Preston, on the set of the 1989 film, The Experts

Travolta with wife Kelly Preston at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, photo by Georges Biard.

When the two met, Kelly Preston was married to the actor Kevin Gage but the two later divorced. In 1991 Travolta and Kelly got engaged in Switzerland and together they had three children. Sadly, Kelly passed away in 2020 after a battle with breast cancer.

3.He Turned Down  several roles including A Role In The Movie Chicago

John has turned down several roles offered to him but he has expressed it before that one of his biggest regrets was turning down a role in the movie Chicago. This was his view after he saw the film and how passionate it was. He was offered the role 3 times by the Studio executive, Harvey Weinstein.

Richard Gere was then offered the role he turned down, which he willingly accepted. Apart from the role in Chicago, he turned down the lead roles in Days of Heaven, American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman.

4.He Sang A Duet With Miley Cyrus

John is not only a good actor but also a talented musician. Many say he got his skill from his mother, who was also a talented singer who had appeared in The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal group.

In the animated movie Bolt, 2009, the song on the soundtrack called I Thought I Lost You, featured the one and only Mr. John Travolta alongside the country and pop sensation, Miley Cyrus.

5.Princess Diana Named A Dress After Him

Travolta dancing with Diana in 1985, photo by United States Federal Government – from the Ronald Reagan Library.

While at event, at the White House, Princess Diana really wanted John to dance with her and he finally walked up to her at midnight and asked her for a dance. Princess Diana later named the dress she wore on that night of the dance the “Travolta Dress.”22.

The dress she wore was simply magnificent and it only fit the name of the man who danced with her and the two had a great relationship. Read more about the top 10 facts about Princess Diana here.

6.He won and got nominated for many awards

Photo by Mirko Fabian on

Travolta has been nominated and awarded many awards for his movie performances and his work as a producer. In 1981, he was named Man of the Year at Harvard’s prestigious Hasty Pudding Theatrical Club, a group of students known for putting on burlesque shows and musicals.

After his performance in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction, Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Later in 2016, Travolta received his first Primetime Emmy Award, as a producer of the first season of the anthology series American Crime Story, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson. Additional, he received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the series of lawyer Robert Shapiro.

He won a 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 2011. He received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema in 2014.

7.He is a gifted Author

John Travolta, photo by Georges Biard.

Travolta is a man of many talents such as acting, dancing and singing. On top of that he is a talented author and writer. His works and writings have been published, all with positive review and feedback.

One of his popular books that shocked the world was one that involved his son who died of seizure. The book is titled the Propeller One-Way Night Coach, and was read by many. Read more on the top 10 most famous American authors here.

8.He’s had wild fan encounters

Like any famous person, fans at times can be obsessive and a bit over the top, catching stars off guard. John Travolta is a famous actor with a lot of fans from all over the world making it difficult to lead a private life altogether.

It is not essentially a bad thing but at times obsessed fans can take it too far. There was an incident that shook him when a fan came to his home and violated his privacy.

9.He’s a licensed pilot

Travolta in the cockpit of his Boeing 707 in 2002, photo by Konstantin von Wedelstaedt.

John Travolta is a trained pilot and certified to fly private planes. He is a proud owner of five aircrafts and often flies his family around. He once had a horrific accident when his plane experienced a total electrical failure but he managed an emergency landing.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, he joined other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts. Travolta apparently flew his Boeing 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into the disaster area making a great difference.

10. He is a member of the Church of Scientology

Despite the fact that he was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family, Travolta has been a member of the Church of Scientology since 1975. He converted after being given the book Dianetics while filming The Devil’s Rain in Durango, Mexico.

Travolta is truly one of the most loved actors with many talents. He struggled when he started his acting career and things were not looking good especially with his lack of formal education. However, he was ambitious enough to get recognized and grace the screens with his presence, making him everyone’s favorite.