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John Travolta's Best Roles

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Jul 20, 2018 11:09 PM
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Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta
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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Saturday Night Fever

The role that made John Travolta a household name! In this 1977 film, he played a working class man who is the king of the disco dance floor. In addition to launching a career and earning him his first Academy Award nod, the movie also popularized disco music.


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Miramax Films

Pulp Fiction

This 1994 crime film was extremely well received by critics and audiences alike, earning seven Oscar nominations, including Travolta being nominated for Best Actor. It has been called one of the best films ever made.


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New Line Cinema

Hairspray

The 2007 adaptation of the musical and 1988 film starred Travolta as Edna Turnblad. The role has been played by a man in drag since the original film.


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Paramount Pictures

Grease

Grease is the word, obviously. Travolta starred alongside Olivia Newton-John in the iconic musical film that spawned a sequel and a best-selling album.


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Walt Disney Studios

Old Dogs

Funny duo Travolta and Robin Williams starred in this film about best friends. The movie was dedicated to Jett Travolta, John's son who died less than a year before it's release.


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ABC

The Boy In The Plastic Bubble

One of Travolta's first roles was as a boy with an auto-immune disease that forced him to spend his life in a plastic bubble. The film was released on ABC in 1976.


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Tri-Star Pictures

Look Who's Talking

In his most successful role since Grease, Travolta starred with Kirstie Alley in the romantic comedy that had two sequels within four years.


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MGM

Get Shorty

Travolta played a loan shark in this 1995 crime comedy and reprised his role in the sequel that was released ten years later.


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Paramount Pictures

Urban Cowboy

In Travolta's third major film role, he played Bud in a movie many called the country music equivalent of Saturday Night Fever, cementing his place as an actor with impressive musical abilities.


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10/19
Warner Bros.

Battlefield Earth

Travolta starred in this film adaption of a novel written by the founder of scientology, the religion he practices. The movie was widely panned by critics, but has since become a cult classic.


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Walt Disney Studios

Bolt

Travolta lent his voice to Disney animation film in 2008. He voiced the titular role of Bolt, a dog who gets separated from his owner.


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MGM

The Taking of Pelham 123

Denzel Washington played the hero to Travolta's villain in the 2009 thriller film. This movie marked John's first action role in years, and he made $20 million for his part.


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20th Century Fox

Broken Arrow

This 1996 action film centers around the theft of two American nuclear weapons and the attempts of authorities to recover them. Six weeks of filming were required to capture all of the many stunts.


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Paramount Pictures

Face/Off

Travolta starred as an FBI agent alongside Nicolas Cage who played a terrorist. In the film, the men assume each other's physical appearance.


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New Line Cinema

Michael

In this 1996 film, Travolta plays an unconventional angel sent to Earth to perform various tasks. Unlike the traditional angel, Michael drinks and smokes, but also has an amazing amount of wisdom.


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Universal Pictures

Primary Colors

The 1998 political comedy was a critical success and earned two of it's actors Oscar nods, but was a box-office bomb, making only $52 million from a $65 million budget.


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Warner Bros. Pictures

Swordfish

The 2001 action crime film saw Travolta starring alongside Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. The soundtrack of the film featured original songs, and was well received.


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Buena Vista Pictures

Wild Hogs

Harley Davidson provided motorcycles for the making of this biker comedy road film. The film was a box-office hit, and was Travolta's first film since 1999 to gross over $100 million domestically.


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Lionsgate

From Paris With Love

Travolta played a secret agent in this French-American film. Since it's 2010 release, he has shown interest in doing sequels, but they are not currently in development.


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