John Travolta

Known for his iconic roles in films like Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978), American actor John Travolta has become one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood since his debut in the early '70s. Born on February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey, he dropped out of high school at age 17 and moved to New York, where he joined the cast of the musicals Grease and Over Here! After settling down in Los Angeles, he jumped to fame as Vinnie Barbarino on the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which aired between 1975 and 1979. During this time, he also tried his luck as a singer, scoring the Top 10 hit "Let Her In" in 1976. John Travolta's big break came in 1977 when he portrayed Tony Manero in the dance film Saturday Night Fever. Only a year later, he starred alongside Olivia Newton-John in the musical rom-com Grease, whose original soundtrack produced chart-topping hit singles such as "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights." Even though his popularity waned during the '80s, John Travolta experienced a resurgence during the following decade thanks to his role as Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination in the category of Best Actor. Other notable films from that time include Get Shorty (1995), Michael (1996), and Face/Off (1997). In the years that followed, John Travolta starred in numerous action films and thrillers and returned to television in 2016 as lawyer Robert Shapiro on American Crime Story's The People v. O. J. Simpson.