John Joseph Travolta was born on the 18th of February, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. His father, Salvatore, was a semi-pro footballer turned tyre salesman. His mother, Helen, was the entertainer in the family. She had played in a radio vocal group called The Sunshine Sisters, and had acted and directed before becoming a high school drama teacher.

In the early Seventies, he nabbed a few small TV roles, beginning as an injured hitch-hiker in Emergency! He also featured in a 1973 ad for the US Army. Then, in 1975, came the first big break, when he was cast as Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter, a huge hit involving a teacher returning to the inner city to teach a gang of lippy, witty teenagers.

After the critical and commercial fiasco of "Moment By Moment" (1978), a laughable romantic drama co-starring Lily Tomlin, Travolta cemented his popularity and proved himself a capable light romantic lead opposite Olivia Newton-John in "Grease" (1978). Buoyed by the immense popularity of TV's "Happy Days", this faux 50s song-and-dance fest became one of Hollywood's highest grossing film musicals. Travolta's next feature, the well-received "Urban Cowboy"

In spite of the lows, he is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. His other films include A Civil Action (1998), Swordfish (2001, with Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman), Basic (2003, with Pulp Fiction co-star Samuel L. Jackson) and Be Cool (2005's sequel to Get Shorty, co-starring Vince Vaughn).

Glowing reviews for his performance in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994) restored Travolta to Hollywood's A-list.

After appearing in the unsuccesful and highly ridiculed apocolyptic alien movie "Battlefield Earth" (2000), Travolta redeemed himself in the action thriller "Swordfish" (2001).

Travolta, like fellow superstar Tom Cruise, is a Scientologist...He has a pilot's license and owns several aircraft...He has been married to actress Kelly Preston since 1991.