John Travolta facts: Actor's age, children, wife, films and family explained

17 February 2023, 16:01 | Updated: 22 February 2023, 15:34

John Travolta is one of the most successful actors of recent times after starring in some of the best movies of the last fifty years.

Here are the most important facts about the legendary American actor and producer, John Travolta:

1. How old is John Travolta?

   John Travolta was born on February 18, 1954. He celebrated his 69th birthday in 2023.

   

   He grew up in New Jersey with his father Sam Travolta, a semi-professional American football player, and his mother, Helen Cecilia, an actress and singer who became a a high school drama and English teacher.

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   John Travolta's five siblings, Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta all became actors after being inspired by their mother's love of theatre.

2. What are John Travolta's most famous movies?

   

   John Travolta exploded onto the Hollywood scene in the late 1970s with his lead roles in the still-iconic movies, Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978).

   The 1990s saw his star in the wildly successful Look Who's Talking trilogy alongside Kirstie Alley, and Pulp Fiction (1994) which saw the star be nominated for the Best Actor award at the 1995 Oscars, and Get Shorty (1995).

   

   In the 2000s Travolta starred in a variety of movies including Swordfish (2001), Be Cool (2005) and Hairspray (2007) before turning his hand to both acting and producing in 2015.

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   Travolta received his first Primetime Emmy Award as a producer of the first season of the TV series American Crime Story The People v OJ Simpson (2016), which he also starred in and was the executive producer of Gotti (2018).

3. Is John Travolta married?

   John Travolta was married to 'the love of his life', actress Kelly Preston, from 1991 until her death in 2020, after a two-year battle with breast cancer.

   

   John and Kelly met at a screen test in 1987 for comedy, The Experts, however Kelly was married and it wasn't until 1990 that they started dating.

   After a whirlwind romance, the pair got married on September 5, 1991, and were happily married for almost 29 years.

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   Upon announcing his wife's devastating passing, Travolta said: "Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered."

4. Does John Travolta have children?

   John Travolta and Kelly Preston had three children together.

   

   The couple welcomed their first child Jett, in April 1992 and their second child Ella Bleu in April 2000.

   The Travolta family experienced tragedy in 2009 when their eldest son, Jett, 16 died after having a seizure while on holiday with his family.

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   John and Kelly then welcomed their third child, son Benjamin, in 2010, with Travolta saying at the time that their little "miracle" had "given the house a renewed spirit and purpose."

   

   John Travolta has since said that being a father is life's greatest 'privilege'.

5. What is John Travolta's net worth?

   

   John Travolta is seen as one of the most successful stars in Hollywood.

   The actor and producer has a reported net worth of $250 million.