John Joseph Travolta was born on February 18, 1954 in Englewood, New Jersey. His father Salvator, mother Helen, and older siblings Ellen, Sam Jr., Margaret, Joe, and Annie rounded out the Roman Catholic family. Travolta had two nicknames when he was a kid: “Bones”, because of his skinny physique, and “Brat” because he was the youngest, and was undoubtedly coddled. You’ve seen him on television in Welcome Back, Kotter, and in movies like Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Pulp Fiction and Wild Hogs. Now, read this informative article and learn some little known facts about John Travolta you probably didn’t know!
His Childhood
If you know anything about John Travolta, it’s that he is a flying aficionado. After seeing Peter Pan fly effortlessly, Travolta climbed a stairway and tried it himself. His bedroom was loaded with model airplanes. When he was eight years old, he took his first ever ride on an airplane, the first of many, many airplane rides he would take later in life.
His Education
All but one of John Travolta’s siblings became entertainers. He took dancing lessons as a child. He also became a member of an acting group when he was twelve years old. A little known fact about John Travolta is that, when he was a junior at Dwight Morrow High School, his parents allowed him to drop out of school and begin acting in New York. He acted on television commercials and snagged other small parts.
His Career
It’s no secret either that the 1970’s brought fame and fortune to John Travolta. But it also brought him heartache and pain. Before he performed in ‘Saturday Night Fever’, John Travolta got a part in the TV movie ‘The Boy in the Plastic Bubble’ in 1976. The movie is based on the life story of Tod Lubitch, who was born with a weak immunity system. Because of his ailment, he had to live in a germ-free environment. Travolta played the lead role, while veteran actress Diana Hyland played Lubitch’s mother. Despite their nearly twenty years age difference, the two began a love affair in real life. Sadly, their romance ended when Hyland died of cancer in 1977. A little known fact about John Travolta was that he accepted the Emmy Award Hyland won for her role in the movie after she died.
Flying High
In 1974, John Travolta fulfilled a lifetime dream when he finally became an FAA licensed pilot after taking lessons. He now is the proud owner of airplanes and jets including a GulfStream II, a Learjet and a Boeing 707. A little known fact about John Travolta is that he earned more than $121 million in the 1990’s alone. A good thing since his love of flying is such an expensive hobby.
He also owns four homes that are located in Maine, Hawaii, Florida and Brentwood, California. His Floridian home is located in the Greystone Airport, so he can take off and land easily.
His Family Life
Besides having a relationship with Diana Hyland, Marilu Henner, Olivia Newton-John and Debra Winger are also his past girlfriends. Today, he’s married to actress Kelly Preston. They have a son and a daughter, Jett Jackson and Ella Bleu. Jett was born in 1992 and Ella was born in 2000. A little known fact is that John Travolta wanted to name his son “Jett” and his wife agreed. But when he wanted to name his daughter “Qantas”, (as in Qantas Airways), Kelly refused.
Another little known fact about John Travolta is that he and Kelly were actually married twice- once on September 5th, and again on September 12th, 1991. The first marriage ceremony was illegal because it was performed by a Scientologist (Travolta is a member of the Church of Scientology) in Paris. So the couple got legally married in Florida a week later.
Travolta credits his following of L. Ron Hubbard’s teachings for his successful life. Hubbard is the founder of the Church of Scientology.
