John Travolta's Real Name: John Joseph Travolta

Quick answer: John Travolta's full name is John Joseph Travolta. He was born on February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. He became a 1970s icon through Welcome Back, Kotter, Saturday Night Fever, and Grease, then returned to stardom with Pulp Fiction (1994). Travolta is his birth surname (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Travolta, John, 1954-." One of its citation notes reads "John Joseph Travolta; born February 18, 1954 in Englewood, N.J.; American actor, dancer, and singer." Joseph is his middle name, and he has never used a stage name.

Britannica says he was the youngest of six children. His interest in performing was encouraged by his mother, an actress and drama teacher. With his parents' approval he left high school at 16 to act. He worked in commercials and small TV roles, made his Off-Broadway debut in Rain in 1972, toured in Grease, and made his Broadway debut in Over Here!

Career highlights

Playing Vinnie Barbarino on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–79) made him a teen idol. The 1976 single "Let Her In" became a chart hit. He starred in the TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). After bit parts in The Devil's Rain and Carrie, he became a film star with Saturday Night Fever (1977). He spent months learning disco routines for the role, and it earned him an Academy Award nomination. Grease (1978), with Olivia Newton-John, followed with its hit soundtrack, and Urban Cowboy (1980) helped spark a country music craze.

His career cooled in the 1980s. Films such as Staying Alive (1983) and Perfect (1985) did poorly, though Look Who's Talking (1989) and its sequels gave him a lift. Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) brought a full comeback and a second Oscar nomination. Later films include Get Shorty, Face/Off, Primary Colors, Swordfish, and Hairspray (2007). On TV he played Robert Shapiro in The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016) and earned an Emmy nomination for Die Hart.

He married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. She died of breast cancer in 2020. Their son Jett died in 2009 at 16, and they also have two other children, Ella Bleu and Benjamin.

Name notes for searchers

Travolta is his family surname, and Joseph is his middle name. His TV breakout character, Vinnie Barbarino, is a role, not an alias. The Library of Congress lists no variant names for him.