Travolta Senior

Mother and son, Helen and John had a special bond through their shared love of the performing arts. The patriarch of the family, Salvatore Travolta was an Italian-American whose grandparents had emigrated to the United States. As a second-generation immigrant, Salvatore felt the promise of the American dream and pursued his love of football.

He had a semi-professional career as a football player but decided to take on something with more stability. Salvatore retired from his sports career and opened a tire shop to be run by the family in New Jersey. Sadly in 1995, Salvatore died leaving a gaping hole in the Travolta family.