The tempestuous career of formidable Hollywood star John Travolta decisively discredits the old adage that there are no second acts. The New Jersey native first gained fame as a suave, dim-witted, Brooklyn high school student on the sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" (ABC, 1975-79). Being in the right place in the right era, he became inextricably linked to pop culture trends, thanks to sensational starring roles in the disco drama “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) and the 1950s retro musical, “Grease” (1978). Travolta also had a hand in the country music revival of the early 1980’s with his popular portrayal of a mechanical bull-riding Texas oil rigger in “Urban Cowboy” (1980). Then – for some indiscernible. reason – the biggest male movie star of the 1970s languished throughout the next decade and beyond, his engaging talent essentially untapped and virtually forgotten until a bold decision by independent filmmaker Quentin Tarantino to cast him in a leading role in the graphic cult mainstay, “Pulp Fiction” (2004). Following the rousing response to Travolta’s gritty, darkly funny performance as a junkie hit man, he was overnight commanding tens of millions of dollars for macho actioners like “Get Shorty” (1995), “The Thin Red Line” (1998) and “Ladder 49” (2004). Audiences cheered and critics raved when Travolta made a belated return to his musical roots in 2007, earning a Golden Globe nomination for busting a move as a tubby Baltimore stage mom in the box office smash “Hairspray.” In fact, Travolta defined more than any other celebrity – save perhaps Cher and Frank Sinatra – the very idea that a so-called “has been” could revive a career deemed long dead; even coming back stronger than ever.The youngest of six kids, John Joseph Travolta was born on Feb. 18, 1954, and raised in Englewood, NJ. In contrast to the round robin dinner table slapping of the “Saturday Night Fever” Manero family, Travolta’s home was a liberal, artistic haven, with his older siblings involved in local theater and his mother Helen’s solid background as a singer, actress, and drama teacher. Travolta wanted to be onstage from the start, and was fortunate to gain early exposure to theater, dance, and art films at home. His father Salvatore – co-owner of the family business Travolta Tire Exchange – had built a stage in the basement, but Travolta, nicknamed “Bone” because he was so skinny, hardly needed it, as he would perform for anyone, anywhere, at the drop of a hat. His parents enrolled him in drama school in New York, where he learned the holy trinity of old-school entertainment: singing, acting and dancing. By the age of 12, he was appearing in local productions.
At 16, Travolta landed his first professional role in a summer stock production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” Following his junior year of high school, he dropped out to pursue entertainment, moving in with his sister Ann in Manhattan. He began building a resume with off-Broadway dramas and musicals, TV commercials, and even recorded a few pop singles for local record labels. In Hollywood, Travolta spent a couple of years trying to break into the business, but after a few guest spot