John Travolta was born Feb. 18, 1954, in Englewood, N.J. A high school dropout, he made his acting debut in commercials and in the touring company of the musical "Grease." In 1975, he made his film debut (with a one-line role in The Devil's Rain) and launched his teen-idol career with a role on the TV sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter."

Travolta shot to superstardom in Saturday Night Fever (1977), earning an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. Just months later, he delivered a one-two punch with the immensely successful Grease. Lesser hits followed in the 1980s, and by the end of the decade, Travolta's career was waning.

But Quentin Tarantino rescued Travolta by casting him as hit man Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (1994), and after nabbing his second Oscar nod, Travolta was a star again. Since then, he's played both good and bad guys in such films as Broken Arrow, Michael and Face/Off.