MY LIFE IN 10 PICTURES

Look back at John Travolta’s storied Hollywood career.

“Dancing’s a part of my soul. I enjoy it. It makes people happy, and it makes me happy.”

— John

GROWING UP one of six kids in Englewood, N.J., John Joseph Travolta admitted, “I could take out the garbage and I would

be heard. I never needed to do a lot to get attention, so my performing came out of joy.” And from his start on the stage through his success in hits like Grease and Pulp Fiction to even

flops like Perfect, he tried to maintain that perspective even through personal tragedy, such as the death of his son Jett. “The truth is, I didn’t know if I was going to make it. Life was no longer interesting to me, so it took a lot to get me better.” And John, who turns 65 on Feb. 18, has persevered. “As you get older you have to

force yourself to have new dreams.”

1975 THINKING BACK

1

John realized that his life had changed forever after only three episodes of TV’s Welcome Back, Kotter had aired. “I was in Palm Springs and was recognized everywhere I went,” he said of playing “Sweathog” Vinnie Barbarino. “The [ratings] were phenomenal — [then again] there were only three channels.”

1977

2 BOOGIE FEVER

“My strongest memory [of Saturday Night Fever] is the day I did my dance solo to ‘You Should Be Dancing,’” said John. “I worked on the choreography for nine months to get ready so I was a like a racehorse coming out of the gate.”

MY LIFE IN