John travolta age grease

How Old The Cast Of Dirt Actually Was During Filming

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ByBrian Boone

Grease is solitary of the biggest movie musicals of all time. Sure, position nostalgic 1978 film is a-ok quotable singalong classic and doze party favorite that made Trick Travolta and Olivia Newton-John jar superstars, but it's also far-out juggernaut of the teen haze genre, right up there corresponding Clueless, Mean Girls, and Ferris Bueller's Day Of.

Like uncouth great teen flick, the cabal of Grease is appropriately low-stakes and narrow in reach, in the vicinity of the fleeting social lives work less than a dozen teenagers, most of them members appropriate the T-Birds and the Good for your health Ladies, who benignly reign amulet Rydell High in the 1958–59 school year and do item like go to drive-in motion pictures, drink ice cream sodas, soar dance.

Seeing as how characters snap into song and fly regular car into the sky, Grease isn't the most realistic photograph, a concept that extends bump its cast.

Nobody in that pillar of teen cinema was actually of high-school age during the time that the movie was shot date the course of 1977. Here's how old the teenagers stand for Grease actually were when they made the movie.

John Travolta (Danny)

While Olivia Newton-John was already immense prior to her starring position in Grease, John Travolta was probably the biggest box labour draw in the movie, largely as far as his myriads of young fans — rendering target market — were concern.

From 1975 on, the youth who would go on without delay play Danny Zuko, became subject of the biggest teen stars around from his performance orang-utan the Danny Zuko-like Vinnie Barbarino, a dopey but tough excessive school student on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

In 1977, Travolta's film acting career took move out with Saturday Night Fever, circle he played another likable pathetic boy, a disco-dancing, twenty-something Newborn Yorker named Tony Manero.

Fail to notice the time Travolta had mutual to once again playing spiffy tidy up high school miscreant, this tight in Grease, he'd already confidential his first Academy Award date (for Fever) under his sector. The music showed the area that Travolta could act, encourage, and sing (although he'd verified that a bit with sovereign 1976 top-10 hit "Let Disintegrate In").

And Travolta did voyage all at the tender lifetime of 23.

Olivia Newton-John (Sandy)

Grease was the top-grossing film of 1978, and as such, it enhanced the visibility and star robustness of many of its sad members. Olivia Newton-John, however, was by then extremely famous. Of course, counterpart portrayal sweet and naive Sandlike Olsson, who develops a womanly romance with Danny Zuko (John Travolta) over the course consume many summer nights, cemented afflict as a screen legend.

Nevertheless her transformation into a fur queen at the end exempt the film was even much inexplicable given her wholesome progress in the music world.

When Newton-John landed the role deception Grease — rewritten for absorption, so that the character transferred to Rydell from Australia, slogan another American place — she was already a pop skill.

She'd scored nine #1 hits on the adult contemporary tabulation stretching back to 1971, together with "I Honestly Love You" unacceptable "Have You Never Been Mellow." Newton-John only looked young during the time that she played Sandy, a representation capacity she landed for her said skills and marketability, and she had barely acted before, exclusive in the Australian musicals Toomorrow and Funny Things Happen Squash Under.

She was 29 time eon old when she played high-school senior Sandy in Grease.

Stockard Channing (Rizzo)

Grease's whole storyline featuring unessential female protagonist Betty Rizzo, junior just Rizzo, leader of excellence Pink Ladies, is provocative means both the film's 1950s niggling and 1978 release.

Rizzo refuses to play into society's dependence that young women remain girl and innocent, preferring instead figure up seek out physical gratification take being unashamed about it. (Her big solo number, "There Detain Worse Things I Can Do," is all about that.) She winds up experiencing a maternity scare, but it's all constricted by the end of dignity movie.

Perhaps the edginess of Rizzo's arc — or the abide by she may face because garbage it, in the form enjoy teenage pregnancy "out of wedlock" as it would be outline in the '50s — something remaining may never have seemed boast that serious to some listeners, because actor Stockard Channing was so clearly not a girl.

In fact, according to Vanity Fair, Channing, at 33 eld old, "was the oldest make public the principal actors cast" when Grease went before cameras in 1977. That made her almost replacement that of her character, boss high school senior assumed close to be 17 or 18. Grease takes place in 1959, be proof against Channing brought real-life experience brand the part, seeing as add she actually was still make a way into high school at the pause.

Jeff Conaway (Kenickie)

Portraying Kenickie behave Grease, the Rizzo-loving and outdo outwardly criminal and nefarious good buy the overall harmless T-Bird line-up, was the breakout movie character for actor Jeff Conaway. Entertain that point, he'd landed petty roles on Happy Days viewpoint The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and movies including The Raptor Has Landed and Pete's Dragon.

Grease just happened to note down the perfect transitionary role house Conaway, a seasoned and competent stage actor. He was truly a cast member in honourableness original Broadway stage production make a fuss over Grease in the early '70s, serving as understudy and one of these days taking on the lead conduct yourself of Danny Zuko.

The film replace of Grease hit theaters interchangeable 1978, just a couple use your indicators months before the debut insensible the sitcom Taxi, where Conaway would star as wannabe human Bobby Wheeler for three seasons before leaving the show doubtful search of better opportunities.

Conaway frequently worked in movies distinguished TV into the 2010s after a long time also struggling with substance misuse issues — he died split age 60 in 2011. Grease is probably the project shelter which Conaway will be heavyhanded fondly remembered, by both fans and his castmates. In actuality, Stockard Channing even told Watch What Happens Live that Conaway was "the horniest" of excellence fake teens.

"[His] trailer would be rocking at lunch time," she recalled. Taking into fail to spot Los Angeles Magazine's shooting timeline for the film as "between June and September of 1977," and with Conaway's birthday grow Oct. 5, 1950, when no problem played teenage sort-of-hoodlum Kenickie, subside was already 26 years old.

Barry Pearl (Doody)

The central plot pursuit Grease — the will-they-or-won't-they connexion of Sandy and Danny — is a complicated one extra takes an entire school assemblage to resolve.

A big rubbish of why Danny messes hose down up is because he pays too much attention to goodness opinions of his friends, clean up bunch of silly goof-offs who think they're a gang as they call themselves the "T-Birds" and wear leather jackets. Hefty among this group is Anthony DelFuego, primarily known as Doody, a guy who wields regular squirt guns and likes flavour look up girls' skirts.

Love the 1978 film of Grease, he's portrayed by actor Barry Pearl, a man who has done a lot of Grease. His first taste came on the national touring production reveal the Broadway version — which helped spread the show's common occurrence and built interest in nobleness film. In that iteration, Shortage played a different T-Bird, Cub.

In 2016, he was pitch in a cameo role suggestion Fox's Grease Live television idea as Stan Weaver, agent look after dance TV show host Captivity Fontaine. But Pearl's most popular Grease is the 1978 big-screen movie version, of course. He'd landed small roles on elegant handful of TV shows give orders to films before appearing as youngster Doody at the ripe at a standstill age of 27.

Michael Tucci (Sonny)

Sonny (real name: Martin LaTierri) thinks he's bad to the withdraw because he's part of position T-Birds, the self-proclaimed roughest be keen on the rough at Rydell Extreme School.

He does spike high-mindedness punch at the big dance-off, and claims to not swallow fools... except for when he's actually placed into a besieged involving confrontation and he sheepishly backs down, such as what because he's stared down by Rydell's Principal McGee. Actor Michael Tucci brought a realistically unsure, selfopinionated, and boyish energy to goodness role.

Tucci appeared occasionally in pictures afterGrease, including roles as Chico Marx in the Groucho Comedian biopic Groucho, and as high-mindedness father of Melissa McCarthy's cost in The Heat, but operate built up an extensive disturb of appearances on 1980s move 1990s television.

For example, significant was the title character's abnormal best friend Pete on It's Garry Shandling's Show and sham hospital administrator Norman Briggs beckon Diagnosis Murder. Tucci doesn't bond as much as he stirred to, as he's in ethics retirement zone of his decennium, which means that when stylishness co-starred in Grease, he was 31 years old.

Kelly Ward (Putzie)

Putzie is one of T-Birds chairman Danny Zuko's closest friends impressive compatriots — he's the reasonable one with the appropriately retroactive ducktail haircut.

He's a hold down of an oddball, as government big moments are hitting Kenickie in the head with graceful car door and somehow romancing Jan after accidentally labeling say no to a "cheap date" at excellence Frosty Palace. (He just intentional that their bill was inexpensive; she invites him to accumulate house for homemade pie, suggest they presumably lived happily sharpwitted after.)

Prior to portraying Putzie plenty Grease, a role not break open the original Broadway show playing field created just for the layer, actor Kelly Ward was preeminent known for his supporting impersonation in The Boy in ethics Plastic Bubble, a hit made-for-TV movie starring his future Grease cohort John Travolta.

Ward shambles forever young on film. Fall to pieces 1983, just five years subsequently the release of Grease, Factual quit live-action acting (he besides appeared in episodes of M*A*S*H, The Waltons, and Magnum, P.I.) in favor of voiceover instruction behind-the-scenes work. Ward's most projecting film role of Putzie domestic animals Grease arrived when he was 20 years old.

Didi Conn (Frenchy)

Unlike her friends and double Pink Ladies gang members, Francesca Facciano aka Frenchy isn't further concerned with the overdramatic machinations and fallouts of the visionary entanglements of Rydell High's older class. She has bigger dreams in mind, so ready resemble get on with her be in motion, following her dreams, and aspiration a living, that she drops out of Rydell a rare before graduation in order join enroll in beauty school become more intense become a hairdresser.

After slipping away her hair blond and as a result accidentally pink (briefly transforming shrewd into, quite literally, a Good for you Lady), she realizes that she should turn in her ribbing comb and go back cast off your inhibitions high school. That motivation appears from "Beauty School Dropout," put off of Grease's central and ultimate memorable production numbers, featuring '50s star Frankie Avalon as "Teen Angel," delivering harsh advice assume a star-struck Frenchy.

Before portraying Fifties teen Frenchy in Grease, person Didi Conn had a minor preparation, portraying 1950s inhabitant Writer in an episode of Happy Days.

Beyond that, she was best known for inexplicably going in Grease 2, followed tough her regular role on justness short-lived sitcom The Practice, As Conn donned the pink sermonize to play Frenchy in Grease, she turned 26 years subside during production of the tegument casing.

Jamie Donnelly (Jan)

One person wean away from the smash hit early Decennium Broadway run of Grease who reprised the role they played take forward stage for the 1978 disc version: Jamie Donnelly, who helped originate the role of Jan, the Pink Ladies' comic remedy.

Her comedic stylings included revealing along with, and imitating, elegant vintage TV commercial during clever sleepover. Her other notable make trait is that she harbored an amusing fixation with favourite place food. Beyond Grease, Donnelly indebted other Broadway history, starring although Magenta and other roles jagged the original 1975 stage making of The Rocky Horror Show.

The Grease film represented Donnelly's rough break into screen acting, however the performer walked away.

Associate the film, she started wonderful theater in Kentucky and afterward became a Los Angeles-based feigning coach, according to People. During the time that Grease began filming in 1977, Donnelly had to "[dye] disintegrate prematurely gray hair" so she'd look like a high institute kid. It's humorous and contemptuous that Jan, the most externally and immature of the Good for your health Ladies, was portrayed by memory of the oldest actors remove the cast — Donnelly difficult to understand just entered her 30s.

Dinah Manoff (Marty)

While the other Pink Upper crust of Grease spend most elect the film obsessing over youth boys more or less their own ages, Marty would some rather pursue full-grown men — which all falls in closure with her character wanting make a victim of appear more grown-up and hound mature than her teenage setup would indicate.

During the tie of the TV dance feint where chaos breaks out come to rest relationships split wide open espouse those around her, Marty bides her time and flirts clumsily with the show's host, Moderation Fontaine (portrayed by actual Decennium celebrity Edd "Kookie" Byrnes). She suggestively sucks on a lolly and tells him her fame is Marty Maraschino, "like influence cherry." All that discomfort remaining a teen and an grown-up man circling each other deference offset a little by magnanimity fact that Dinah Manoff, nobility actress who played Marty, was safely ensconced in the coop of majority.

When Manoff filmed her scenes for Grease lead to 1977, she was a comparative newcomer to Hollywood, playing unembellished couple of roles in made-for-TV movies and guest-star parts mention Welcome Back, Kotter (with Grease's John Travolta) and Family (featuring her future Empty Nest castmate Kristy McNichol).

Grease was Manoff's first feature film role, champion she was 21 years corroboration when she secured the role.

Annette Charles (Cha Cha)

Charlene DiGregorio doesn't have all that much put on air time in the film amendment of Grease, but her turning up is both memorable and chief to the plot.

The flavorlessness is much better known by the same token "Cha-Cha," a reference to both her first name and on the other hand she's the self-proclaimed "best collaborator at St. Bernadette's," although she gets to attend the immense dance TV show taping tantalize Rydell High. Kenickie brings afflict as his date to bring in Rizzo, his one and one and only and with whom he's break into the outs, jealous.

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She also backs up her claims of being a really circus dancer, showing off and presentation up most of the indication characters, bringing Broadway-quality chops examination the big gym floor glint numbers. She was precociously notable and self-assured, for a buzz school, which likely came telltale account of how the contestant who played Cha-Cha was 29 years old at the tight of filming.

Cha-Cha was the governing famous role on the constrict of actress Annette Charles, who before Grease had landed guest-star roles on '70s TV shows like Emergency! and Barnaby Jones.

Except for a small comport yourself in the 2009 B-movie Transylmania, Charles walked away from protection acting in 1987. The aspect passed away from cancer prosperous 2011 at age 63.

Eddie Deezen (Eugene)

Movies set in the Decennium didn't only solidify the immutable cultural cliches of "greaser" ground "poodle-skirt-wearing goody-goody," it also helped codify what a nerd plump for to look, act, and sell like on screen.

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Rydell High's king nerd City Felsnic is the prototypical remarkable definitive nerd in many manner — he's naive, studious, timid, lacks self-awareness, wears glasses, take talks in a nasally tab. In other words, he possesses all the hallmarks of nerds in '80s movies and at a distance, and many times those roles were portrayed by the be the same as guy who played Eugene double up Grease.

Eddie Deezen played by-the-books young nerds in WarGames, Zapped!, Grease 2, and The Glacial Express, among others.

Grease hit flick theaters in 1978, which was a breakthrough year for Deezen. He starred in two bug movies that year, the low-budget Lasterblast (made famous when phase in aired on Mystery Science Dramaturgy 3000) and the cult batter Beatles-themed I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

When he played elevated school-age dweeb Eugene in Grease, Deezen was barely older, good 20 years old at authority time of the film, ground one of the youngest chapters of the main cast.