John Travolta's Coolest Throwback Photos

John Travolta is celebrating his birthday today!

The legendary actor who starred in classics such as Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Face Off, Pulp Fiction and many more blockbusters, is turning 71 on Feb. 18! He first came on the scene playing a bully in 1976's Carrie and has consistently delivered outstanding performances since.

Travolta married the love of his life, actress Kelly Preston in 1991 and the two welcomed three children together — Jett, Ella Bleu and Benjamin. Sadly, the couple's oldest son Jett died in January 2009 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. He was 16.

On July 12, 2020, Travolta announced via Instagram that his beloved wife had died at the age of 57 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. "Kelly's love and life will always be remembered," the actor wrote.

Throughout all the sadness, Travolta has made it a point to continue looking at the good in life and remains a source of strength for Ella and Benjamin. Back in 2021, the Saturday Night Fever actor opened up about the emotional conversation he and his son had after Preston's death when Ben revealed he was afraid to lose his dad too.

"I said, 'But you know, Ben … you always love the truth and I'm going to tell you the truth about life. Nobody knows when they're gonna go or when they're going to stay,' " John recalled.

He continued, "Your brother [Jett] left at 16. Too young. Your mother left at 57. That was too young. But who's to say? I could die tomorrow. You could. Anybody can," he said. "So let's look at it like it's part of life. You don't know exactly. You just do your best at trying to live the longest you can."

In celebration of one of film's greatest icons, check out some of John Travolta's coolest throwback pictures below.