Actor/pilot John Travolta flew his Boeing 707 to Dayton, Ohio, last week to receive the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics award. He was recognized for his dedication to aviation and commercial flying.
Early years: Travolta was born Feb. 18, 1954, in Englewood, N.J. His mother enrolled him in a drama school in New York, where he studied voice, dancing and acting.
At 16, Travolta landed his first professional job in a summer stock production of the musical "Bye Bye Birdie," quit school and moved to New York. He worked in summer stock and on TV commercials, went to Hollywood and had some small series parts, then returned to New York for his first Broadway role in "Grease."
Travolta returned to Hollywood and appeared in several TV series until he took a key role in ABC's "Welcome Back, Kotter."
Travolta's movie career soared with the 1977 move "Saturday Night Fever," for which he received an Oscar nomination. Next came another musical triumph, "Grease," in 1978. Although Travolta's career stalled in the 1980s, he said his faith in himself never wavered. In 1994, he starred in the hit "Pulp Fiction." Travolta has several films in pre-production now, including "Ladder 49," and "A Love Song for Bobby Long."
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Personal: Travolta had a relationship with actress Diana Hyland until she died of breast cancer in 1977. He is married to actress Kelly Preston. They have two children. The family is deeply involved in Scientology.
Travolta owns many planes including a high-performance Canadian military Tubuan CL-41 two-seater, a Learjet 24, a Gulf stream II and a Boeing 707.
In his words: "It just seems to happen that as you get older, you season, and better opportunities come your way."
Web link: www.sonic.net/~mfortsch/menu.html
Compiled by Carol Bradley Bursack
Sources: Associated Press, Dailycelebrations.com, Imdb.com
