The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

John Travolta (Actor)

Born: February 18, 1954 in New Jersey

Best Known For: Saturday Night Fever.

Early-life: John Joseph Travolta was born on February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. He is the youngest of six children. His father owned a tyre-repair shop. Travolta made his stage debut in an amateur production of Who'll Save the Ploughboy? and enjoyed the experience so much, his mother enrolled him in acting, singing and dancing lessons. He decided he wanted to be a musical comedy star, quit school at 17 and landed jobs on stage in the musicals Grease and Over Here!

Career: Travolta eventually moved to Los Angeles to further his acting career. His big break came with sitcom Welcome Back Cotter; he also made an early movie appearance in Carrie. Saturday Night Fever and the film version of Grease proved he was a major force to be reckoned with. More big-screen outings followed but, despite the success of Look Who's Talking, a string of flops in the 1980s meant he fell out of favour until Quentin Tarantino cast him in Pulp Fiction in 1994. He's since made various hits, including Swordfish, Primary Colors and Get Shorty. Over the past few years he's appeared in Wild Hogs, Hairspray, From Paris with Love and The Taking of Pelham 123. He remains an A-list star.

Quote: "I have fame on the level of a Marilyn Monroe or an Elvis, but part of the reason I didn't go the way they did was because of my beliefs."

Trivia: Wed actress Kelly Preston in 1991.

Robert Reed (Actor)

Glynnis O'Connor (Actor)

Ralph Bellamy (Actor)

Diana Hyland (Actor)

Buzz Aldrin (Actor)

Randal Kleiser (Director)

5:10 pm - 7:10 pm, Saturday, January 10 on wedotv Movies UK (98)

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