Ellen Travolta

Ellen M. Travolta (born October 6, 1939) is an American actress known for playing Louisa Arcola Delvecchio in Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi as well as Gloria Cerullo in General Hospital and Lillian in Charles in Charge (1987-1990).

Ellen Travolta
Travolta in 2004
Born	Ellen M. Travolta (1939-10-06) October 6, 1939 (age 85) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Dwight Morrow High School
Alma mater	Carnegie Mellon University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1975–present
Known for	Happy Days Joanie Loves Chachi Charles in Charge
Spouses	James Fridley ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1977)​ Jack Bannon ​ ​ (m. 1983; died 2017)​ [1]
Children	2
Relatives	Joey Travolta (brother) Margaret Travolta (sister) John Travolta (brother)

Early life

Ellen M. Travolta was born on October 6, 1939, in Englewood, New Jersey^[2] to Salvatore ("Sam") Travolta and Helen Cecilia (née Burke) Travolta. Her father was a semi-professional football player^[3] before becoming a tire salesman and a partner in a Firestone franchise called Travolta Tires.^[4]

Travolta has five younger siblings: Joey, Margaret, Sam, Ann, and Hollywood star John.

Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, New Jersey^{[citation needed]} and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[5]

Career

As an actress and singer, she appeared with "The Sunshine Sisters," a radio vocal group.^[3] She later became a drama coach, actress, and director of student productions.^[6]

She is probably best known for her portrayal of Louisa Arcola Delvecchio, the aunt of Fonzie (Henry Winkler) and mother of Chachi Arcola (Scott Baio), in five episodes during the 1980s of the 1950s-era American sitcom Happy Days and in episodes of its spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi. Travolta also played the mother of Baio's character on the syndicated comedy series Charles in Charge from 1987 to 1990.^{[citation needed]}

She had already portrayed Jimmy Baio's mother on a 1978 episode of The Love Boat. Travolta played Mrs. Horshack-O'Hara in three episodes of Welcome Back, Kotter, a comedy series on which her brother, actor John Travolta, starred as Vinnie Barbarino. She also appeared alongside her brother in the 1978 summer blockbuster Grease. Later in the 1970s, she played Dorothy Manucci in the short-lived television series Makin' It.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Travolta has been a longtime performer and supporter of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre^[7] where she appeared in a production of Hello, Dolly! in the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre in 2000 and 2012 playing the star role opposite her husband's portrayal of Horace Vandergelder.^[8] The theatre is the beneficiary of the Helen Burke Travolta Memorial fund, established in honor of Travolta's mother. Travolta has stated, "My mother was the beginning of all of this for us. She loved the theater, and she was always involved with the community theater and she encouraged all of us to be in it."^[9]

Travolta married James Fridley in May 1964.^[10] They had two children, a son, actor Tom Fridley and a daughter, Molly Allen Ritter.^[11]

Travolta and Fridley divorced in 1977. She then married actor Jack Bannon on April 9, 1983. In 1994, the couple moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.^[8][12] They remained together until Bannon's death in 2017.

Selected TV and filmography

• 1976: All in the Family (TV Series) - Secretary
• 1976-1977: Visions (TV Series) - Nurse / Angie
• 1977: Cover Girls (TV Movie) - Photographer
• 1977: What's Happening!! (TV Series) - Lily
• 1977: Police Story (TV Series) - Karen Ramsey
• 1977: Intimate Strangers (TV Movie) - Marilyn Burns
• 1977-1978: Welcome Back, Kotter (TV Series) - Mrs. Horshack-O'Hara
• 1977-1978: Eight Is Enough (TV Series) - Real Estate Agent, Della Gale / Dr. Abbott
• 1978: One Day at a Time (TV Series) - Mrs. Shaddock
• 1978: The President's Mistress (TV Movie) - Analyst
• 1978: CHiPs (TV Series) - Helen
• 1978: Wheels (TV Mini-Series)
• 1978: The Courage and the Passion (TV Movie) - Emily
• 1978: Grease - Waitress
• 1978: Are You in the House Alone? (TV Movie) - Rouillard
• 1978: The Love Boat (TV Series) - Norman's Mother
• 1978: Diff'rent Strokes (TV Series) - Ms. Aimsley
• 1979: Elvis (TV Movie) - Marion Keisker
• 1979: Chief of Detectives (TV Series) - Janine
• 1979: Human Experiments - Mover
• 1979: Marie (TV Movie) - Carla Coburn
• 1979: Makin' It (TV Series) - Dorothy Manucci
• 1980: The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (TV Series) - Myra Kimberly
• 1980: Three's Company (TV Series) - Mrs. Marconi
• 1980: Number 96 (TV Series) - Rita Sugarman
• 1982: Quincy, M.E. (TV Series) - Mrs. Margolin
• 1982-1983: Joanie Loves Chachi (TV Series) - Louisa Arcola Delvecchio
• 1986: Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (TV Movie) - Marion
• 1987-1990: Charles in Charge (TV Series) - Lillian
• 1989: Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) - Mona
• 1994-1996, 2023, 2024: General Hospital (TV Series) - Gloria Cerullo
• 1997: The Single Guy (TV Series) - Mrs. Cordova
• 1997: The Pretender (TV Series) - Dara's Mother
• 1998: Too Hard to Die (Video) - Rose Devlin
• 1998: Mel - Dr. Vogul
• 1999: The Basket - Agnes
• 1999: Passions (TV Series) - Alice
• 2001: Face to Face - Joanne
• 2002: Judging Amy (TV Series) - Mrs. Haskell's lawyer
• 2006: Lonely Hearts - Ida
• 2006: Waitin' to Live - Gossipy Woman
• 2009: Falling Up - Dean Swift
• 2018: Mistrust - Margie
• 2019: The Untold Story - Hope
• 2022: Haul out the Holly - Mary Louise

2023 Haul out the Holly Lit up^[13]

2023-2024 General Hospital^[14]

References

1. Skipper, Richard. "Jack Bannon : Horace Vandergelder (opposite Ellen Travolta) Coeur D'Alene Summer Theater' 2000 and 2012 productions of Hello, Dolly!". Richard Skipper's Celebrities. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
2. "Ellen Travolta: Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. "Featured Birthday John Travolta". Tunetown Studios. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
4. Saks, Diane (August 2011). Overcoming Celebrity Obsession. iUniverse. p. 217. ISBN 978-1-45022-847-3.
5. Holmes, Abby (September 15, 2010). "Dear Ellen". The Wenatchee World. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
6. Reeves, Michael. "John's mom gave him introduction to acting". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2013.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. Kerschner, Jim (May 23, 2004). "Travolta family to put on a show". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
8. Skipper, Richard. "Ellen Travolta - Call on Dolly: Celebrating The First Fifty Years of Hello, Dolly!". Retrieved October 14, 2013.
9. Kershner, Jim (February 22, 1998). "Keillor And Radio Show Here In June". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
10. Saks, Diane (June 2001). Ellen Travolta. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595182763.
11. "Dear Ellen". The Wenatchee World. October 15, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
12. Bannon, Ellen Travolta and Jack (May 14, 2012). "Excitement of Summer Theater (video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
13. "Haul Out the Holly: Lit up". IMDb.
14. "Ellen Travolta is Headed Back to 'General Hospital' – Here's Why". April 23, 2024.

External links

• Ellen Travolta at IMDb