John Travoltais certainly one of the most interesting characters in Hollywood, on and off-screen.An outspoken member of the Church of Scientology, he’s been responsible for some of the industry’s most notorious box office bombs. However, he’s also starred in some of Hollywood’s most revered and iconic films of all time.
Travolta was riding firmly at the top of his game in the late 1970s, but during the ’80s, Travolta’s career was plagued by some unfortunate box office flops and poor role choices that failed to properly showcase his talent. However, the trajectory of his career changed when Quentin Tarantino eyed him for the role of Vincent Vega in the genre-defying, all-around classicPulp Fiction.Travolta re-established his star status, and the critical and commercial success ofPulp Fictionled to a career resurgence in the ’90s.
As of late, his career appears to be dipping again. His output has been less than impressive, with the majority of his movies getting universally panned by critics and going straight to streaming. But if history is anything to go by, it would be foolish to write off Travolta just yet, as there’s always a chance the king of comebacks could rediscover his mojo and add to his collection of great films.
Related:Here’s What Makes Pulp Fiction the Best Action Movie of the 90s
Updated on August 3rd, 2023 byDanilo Raul:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
15Carrie (1976)
Watching John Travolta play a villain is a guilty pleasure, especially in his younger days. The man looks like a pleasant person, so it’s more impactful to see him act twisted to unsuspecting victims on screen. Brian De Palma’sCarrieis an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel starring Sissy Spacek as the shy and misunderstood Carrie White. John Travolta plays Billy Nolan, the film’s lead antagonist, and all-around school bully.
Even though Travolta was already a bit old to play a teenager, he aces the part with a nuanced performance as the callous, vindictive Billy. He is not fond of people accepting Carrie while calling him out for making her life miserable. He’s the one to play the prank with the pig blood,unleashing Carrie’s telekinetic powersand dooming all his classmates to a fiery death.
14Urban Cowboy (1980)
John Travolta still sported a baby face look at 26, so he was a great choice to play Bud Davis in the coming-of-age storyUrban Cowboy. The romantic drama is written and directed by James Bridges and features the talents of Debra Winger and Scott Glenn. Travolta plays a conservative cowboy moving to Pasadena to gain fame and fortune in the cowboy scene in the city.
After meeting Sissy, they fall in love and marry, but their opposing views on gender roles drive them apart, making Sissy fall in love with Bud’s rival, Wes. Resolved to get Sissy back by any means, he challenges Wes to a bull riding competitionwhere the best rider gets the girl in the end. It’s a lovely film, very reflective of the era it was made and the values of past times.
13Phenomenon (1996)
Sometimes sci-fi can portray some goofy scenarios while trying to convey a message. Other times, this branch of fiction can be used to tell a wholesome story. John Travolta has been at the two ends of the spectrum. The good one isPhenomenon(the bad one isBattlefield Earth, but don’t tell him that). This movie, written by Gerald Di Pego and directed by Jon Turteltaub, features Travolta as George Malley, a small-town mechanic who gains extraordinary cognitive powers after witnessing a strange light.
Believing it to be a miracle or a signal sent by aliens, George uses his increased intellect to help people. He creates a potent fertilizer to help the farmers in his town, redirects sunlight to develop new energy sources, and learns multiple languages. When a second event revealsthe devastating reality of his newfound skills, George is forced to run for his life as the government and the scientific community hunt him to harvest his mind.
12Swordfish (2001)
Swordfishis a movie remembered for multiple things. It was the second film by Hugh Jackman for a major Hollywood studio, and it had John Travolta playing a sleek and ambiguous CIA operative named Gabriel Shear.
The movie, written by Skip Woods and directed by Dominic Sena,tells the story of a brilliant hackerwho gets released from prison and is quickly recruited by Gabriel to crack the security of a rival intelligence agency and steal their money. Travolta steals the show by playing a bombastic villain with a flair for the dramatic and a relentless disposition to kill anyone who challenges him.
11Michael (1996)
In the 1996 dramedyMichael, Travolta plays the Archangel Michael, as he’s sent down to Earth to complete various tasks for his creator. Surrounded by an outstanding cast that includes Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, and Bob Hoskins, Travolta shines in the titular role.
The film is quirky and funny, while still pulling at the heartstrings in moments where Michael must play cupid, and in a particularly tear-jerking moment where he brings the protagonist’s dog, Sparky, back to life after being hit by a truck.Michaelwas a unique ’90s comedy that never received the amount of love it deserved.
Related:10 Major Roles John Travolta Turned Down or Didn’t Get
10Broken Arrow (1996)
In one of his rare action villain roles, Travolta plays Major Vic Deakins inBroken Arrow. Travolta plays the opposite of Christian Slater in a role where he steals nuclear warheads in hopes of blackmailing the U.S. government for money, or else he will detonate the missiles in populated areas.
Though not as memorable as his other ’90s villain role,Face/Off, Travolta does a great job embodying a cool and collected psychopath much in the same way as the 1997 thriller.Broken Arrowdoesn’t get as much love as it should, and most of its positives come from Travolta’s great performance.
9The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Though its title is a mouthful,The Taking of Pelham 123is a straightforward action thriller, one elevated by Travolta’s performance as criminal hijacker Dennis “Ryder” Ford (alias Mr. Blue). Here, Travolta trades in his poufy, carefully styled hair and clean-shaven face for edgy sideburns and a handlebar mustache.
It’s a different look for Travolta, but one that shows the actor aging gracefully. In some ways, his performance hearkens back to the violent criminality of his role inPulp Fiction, only here he’s more frightening than funny. It’s a strong dramatic part and one that Travolta excels at.
8Hairspray (2007)
Hairsprayis based on the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John Waters' 1988 comedy film of the same name. It follows the “pleasantly plump” teenage girl Tracy Turnblad, as she encounters stardom as a dancer on a local television dance show and rallies against racial segregation. John Travolta plays Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother, who is agoraphobic and ashamed of her obesity.
Travolta’s casting as Edna continued the tradition of having a man in drag portray the character, as seen in the original 1988 film. It has been reported that the movie executives originally expected the part to be filled by an actor more well-known for his comic roles. However, due to his success in the musicalGreaseand their faith in his versatility, producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron fought for Travolta, and the rest is history. Travolta played this larger-than-life character so well that it seems hard to imagine any other actor beside the original’s Divine in the role.
7In a Valley of Violence (2016)
The newest film on this list,In a Valley of Violenceis a whip-smart western from Ti West (ofXandPearlfame). Part black comedy and part thriller, it puts a refreshing spin on the genre and includes star performances from Ethan Hawke and John Travolta. Travolta takes on the role of Clyde Martin, a marshal trying to keep his town, Denton, under control and out of trouble.
When an unlucky drifter arrives on the scene, trouble arrives with him, and Denton’s fragile peace is broken. Travolta plays Martin as a stoic, respectable marshal doing his best to maintain order in a violent world. It’s a fun genre role for the veteran actor and one of his best films in recent memory.
6Get Shorty (1995)
Get Shortywas a sharply satirical film that perfectly adapted Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name by delivering the perfect mix of comedy and thriller. John Travolta stars alongside Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito. It follows Chili Palmer (Travolta), a Miami mobster and loan shark who inadvertently gets involved in feature film production after traveling to Los Angeles to collect a casino debt from a B-movie director.
LikeHairspray, Travolta wasn’t necessarily everybody’s first choice, with Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, and Michael Keaton all reportedly being offered the role of Chili Palmer before each turned it down. That said, Travolta is in top form here, bringing his trademark cool as only he can while also demonstrating his comedic chops when the script calls for it.
