The Truth About John Travolta

The grease actor’s brother opens up about the star’s incredible – and headline-grabbing – life

- Paul Ewart

He wowed us with his enviable dance moves in Saturday Night Fever, he made us swoon with his quiff and leather jacket as Danny in Grease, and in Pulp Fiction he showed his acting credentials as the fast-food-obsessed assassin. But away from the big screen and the limelight, it turns out that John Travolta is a far cry from a typical Hollywood A-lister. Just ask his brother Joey.

“John’s an all-round nice guy– he really is!” Joey says of his 66-year-old younger brother. “I think there’s a gentleness and a kindest to him that shines through his performances.

“He gets it from our dad – our dad was a really sweet, kind, and inclusive man.”

First rising to stardom during the ’70s, appearing on TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, it wasn’t long before John made the transition to the big screen. However, his route to acting was very much a family affair.

“Showbiz is definitely in our family,” says Joey, 69. “Our mother was a singer when she was younger and all our sisters are involved in the theatre and television. In fact, John started doing it because of our older sisters. He’d go along with them to open auditions and always end up getting a part.

“He was a very talented kid – I knew even back then that he was gonna be a big star.”