Was John Travolta ever considered attractive?

For the 70s he was considered handsome. He also got quite lean and muscular for the awful Staying Alive sequel movie.

He was cock sexy in Saturday Night Fever.

He had a certain magnetism, charisma and presence. He was ideal for that part. Conventionally good looking men are two a penny in Hollywood. Few of them can carry a film. As is proven time and time again.

Was John Travolta ever considered attractive? Why, yes. Yes, he was. What a ridiculous question that could have been answered with a google image search.

I worked a week on Staying Alive, the film for which he was at his physical peak. I never saw him except full clothed, from his neck to his toes. But even fully dressed, he exuded charisma. On camera, he has never looked as good as he did in person. You couldn't take your eyes off him.

That's when I understood why he was so successful at such a young age. The blue eyes, the smile... he just knocks you over. Auditions and interviews and probably even performance on stage would play perfectly to all his strengths. I have never found him as photogenic or as commanding on screen as he was charismatic when seen in person. That charisma carried him a long way and did it quickly, too.

He's never been a favorite of mine, but during that one week on Staying Alive, I would have shot my own mother to get in his pants. That's a handy talent to have in a place like Hollywood.

It was the 1970s. A certain gangly appeal was box office gold

I was listening to a pop culture podcast this morning (Tea Time), and they were doing teen movie superlatives. I was surprised when John Travolta was mentioned as being one of the hottest guys by one of the co-hosts. I don't know...I can see how he might be considered attractive, but he's been considered a joke for most of my life (excluding a brief period in the mid to late 90's)

He was always jolie laide. And he looked like a cry-baby.

[R4] = John Travolta, waiting for his masseur to arrive.

Weren’t Olivia and John thought of as an ‘iconic’ onscreen couple in their day?

[quote]Weren’t Olivia and John thought of as an ‘iconic’ onscreen couple in their day?

They were hyped as such. But that's not the same as actually achieving such exalted status.

Who ARE these queens peering through their lorgnettes and talking about "gangly appeal" and "jolie laide"? Wake up, ladies. The young John Travolata was HOT AS FUCK.

His face/head is shaped like Jon Bon Jovi’s and from some angles and with certain lighting, he was very handsome in an unusual way.

...and then from other angles, he resembled SNL’s old Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer character.

(For reference)

He was considered massively hot in the 1970s. There's nothing to even argue about here, he simply was considered one of the hottest men around, I don't know who here is claiming otherwise because it's wrong.

No, OP. He was never cast as the lead in TV shows, movies, or Broadway productions, because of his repellent visage. Editors of teen magazines never chose to put him on covers; they did not want to frighten the little girls. He was so unattractive, even Princess Diana took pity on him and chose him as her White House ball dance partner.

R15 I think the claim is coming from looking back at him in 2020 and being puzzled by the appeal by contemporary standards.

In case you haven’t noticed, “hot” and “It Boy” today applies to the Chrises who famously barely can be differentiated—Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, et al. Bodybuilders with blond or light brown hair, a standardized, whitewashed sort of face.

Travolta’s body and features probably can’t be understood as attractive to Zoomers who grew up looking at Instagram and only understanding CrossFit-built ‘influencers’ and drag queens as attractive.

Bah Bah Bah Barbarino!

There is only ONE kind of hot and Travolta doesn’t fit the mold!

When he approaches you and asks to take a selfie at 3am in a hotel gym and then begs to suck your dick, you’ll understand the attraction, OP.

He was hot as hell back then. He had genuine, movie star charisma. I honestly can't think of one movie star today that has half the charisma Travolta had back in the day. Maybe Chris Pine or Michael B. Jordan, but not really...

I never found him attractive until he hit middle age with Pulp Fiction.

Anybody would look hot hanging around with the rest of the sweathogs.

R21 Chris Pine has the charisma of dired potato peel.

[OP] Are you a blind Lesbian nun? What a stupid question.

In the 70s Travolta was considered very sexy and handsome to the teenage girl crowd. I also knew a few senior ladies who had crushes on him.

I grew up watching Grease over and over and over on VHS with my sister. We wore out the videotape and had to re-record it from a broadcast airing.

We both thought Travolta was swoony. Although we also watched Grease 2 and I wanted to be and wanted to be with Maxwell Caulfield...

I think it helped that he was surrounded by some of the most unattractive men of TV in Welcome Back Kotter, which made him standout as attractive, so that’s how people first got to know him.

He had great hair and was lean with a lot of body hair - unbeatable combination in the ‘70s. Plus blue eyes and that dimple.

I find him attractive as a middle aged man now that he’s not wearing toupees.

I find him attractive as a middle aged man now that he’s not wearing toupees.

Maybe even twice as attractive.

Skinny and hairy was what it took to drive the ladies and the gays wild in the 70s. Put a gold chain on top of a thick mat of gnarly black chest hair for the winning look!

Is he still middle aged? Isn’t he now an eldergay?

John Travolta looked part COYOTE in those days.

R34, over 65 is considered middle age by most gays.

He was very attractive in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. But it was also the charisma and he gave great performances in both films.

I think the fact that he has made so many terrible films works against him.

But I do think since dropping the toupees, he has aged into an attractive older man.

He was but I have always found him really unnatractive. He has a greasy look.

He was gorgeous in Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy.

He was the big breakout star on Welcome Back Kotter because he had that special 'IT' factor, handsome and sexy. His face and hair were beautiful. He was so popular that he wasn't on all of the episodes of the last season of the show because he had left to start making movies and became a big star.

He's a hot daddy now. Gorgeous as young man — especially Urban Cowboy. Seems eternally sweet. Badass actor. He's mine. You bitches can stay away from him. I don't even care about Scientology, which is no weirder than Catholicism.

I rewatched Urban Cowboy and he was so fucking sexy with the beard. I hated that he shaved it off in the movie.

He was fortunate to be born male because otherwise he’s got Barbra/Gaga face syndrome.

I found it totally creepy that Stanwyck had to accept her honorary Oscar from Travolta. He was teenie bopper green and not the right choice to introduce and present the award to her imho. Travolta was never really an adult to me until he got old and fat.

The WICK-edly talented...Adele Dazeem!

Before my time, but I thought Travolta's rise to fame was due to his appeal to teenage girls who thought he was super dreamy when he was on that sitcom whose name I am forgetting, about high school students.

[quote] Who ARE these queens peering through their lorgnettes and talking about "gangly appeal" and "jolie laide"? Wake up, ladies. The young John Travolata was HOT AS FUCK.

Extraordinary that anyone would ask the question. He was only a star because he was gorgeous. He was beautiful and hot. We loved to stare at him and wanted to f*ck him.

R46 You’re thinking of Head of the Class. Travolta played Arvid!

Yes, Travolta was good looking but his sister Ellen was considered a goddess

He was hot AF when he was younger. He even made a stupid tv movie about a boy in a plastic bubble iconic, esp. in the nut hugger shorts. Btw, Beamish aka Momma from Throw Momma from the Train plays his nurse in that movie!

R50 This is the only iconic Bubble Boy.

Travolta as the gigolo wannbe, Strip, and his lonely needs a man matron, Trish. The movie, Moment by Moment (1978).

Travolta at his movie career peak. You have GOT to see it!

R52 As if Lily Tomlin would hire a male whore!

She did, R53, so shut up

You, R10, are as dumb as fuck.

I think he falls easily into the attractive range, Even Bruce Willis played leading men and Bogart years before that. Not all men require Brad Pitt pretty boy looks to play leads in Hollywood. I think the women are usually more cookie cutter.

I'm elder-gay enough to remember when Travolta was a huge teen idol, 3 years before Saturday Night Fever hit the screens. Welcome Back Kotter was a big it on ABC, mostly because of teen girls' attraction for Vinnie Barbarino, (basically the same character he won awards for, years later, in Pulp Fiction).

I honestly think his perceived attractiveness quotient was significantly amplified by having been paired with Olivia. She was mesmerizing to look at, somehow being cute, pretty and beautiful all at the same time.

I don't see the Barbarino and the Vince Vega characters as similar in any way. Both well acted.

R58 I love your description of Olivia Newton John. You really described her appeal. May I add sexy to cute, pretty and beautiful?

Barbara Stanwyck wanted Travolta to present her with the award. They were good friends.

That was also the year Blow Up was released and there was talk of a possible oscar nomination for him. He wasn't floundering yet.

I grew up in suburbia, that soundtrack was practically a required purchase. Travolta was it.

[quote]that sitcom whose name I am forgetting, about high school students.

It is a puzzler, and especially mystifying that no one had named it previously in this discussion you burst into, blurting your observations and opinions.

This was a time when Fonzie was presented as sexually irresistible.

R61, good friends my ass. They may have been acquainted. The End.

R61 I wish he had presented her the award. He turned Idina Menzel into Adelle Dazeem. Just imagine what he might have done with Stanwyck!

Good grief yes Travolta was attractive. Look at the photos then and now. Thought hot by all. D.L. never fails to amuse on such questioning posts when the bottom-dwellers here chime in, all negative such-and-such is just not good enough for them. I'd pay money to see their pictures at 20-3O ..... bet they're some camera-breaking beauts.

OP what kind of trolling asshole question is that. A simple search would inform you he was popular as a pinup, a stud, a sex symbol. GAWD THE DAMNED TROLLING OPENING GAMBITS ON DL. Fucking brain dead.

Try to ignore the headband. You have to understand that in the 70s and early 80s few guys had muscled bodies and six packs. Weightlifting was not common. Travolta’s body was worked out and put on display at its best in the horrible Staying Alive movie.

Sorry pic didnt load

The ONLY time Travolta was buff for a millisecond was in the shitty Staying Alive. That's it. Usually he was a skinny and ordinary.

"Was Winston Churchill a great leader?"

(I'm a stupid cunt because really I haven't the foggiest idea, and I can't be assed to google.)

He’s beginning to resemble Xenu.

I used to fantasize about going down on him while plotting up ways to get revenge on my high school nemesis at senior prom!

R74 Are those two things related in any way? Or...?

He was sexy as fuck throughout the '70s and '80s.

R75=Norma

Norma WHAT?

This bitch, r78!

Olivia certainly was pert in the ‘70s!

John definitely had great chemistry with Olivia. r58 makes a good point. They were paired at the right time. They were both at the peak of their looks, although they both looked good in Two of a Kind although I didn't care for Olivia's shorter hair.

C'mon r75.

Very young, he was quite attractive. He was better live action than in photos.

He and Tonya Danza both have a kind of “Cute Cro Magnon” appeal.