Many viewers were so focused on the amazing performances of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 film Grease that they didn’t even notice John’s sister make a cameo appearance.
Ellen Travolta, who is a few years older than John, is a Broadway and TV actress. She had a minor role in Grease that may have gone unnoticed by some, but is still commemorated by die-hard fans more than 40 years after the film was released.
John Travolta, whose role in Grease is said to be one of his greatest, is the youngest of six siblings: Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam.
All six Travolta children followed in their mother’s footsteps and pursued careers in show business. While John ended up becoming the most famous family member, his siblings all had varying degrees of success in the business too.
Fans are still calling Grease the perfect musical, and every single person who was involved in the project contributed to its monumental success: including Ellen Travolta!
Who Did Ellen Travolta Play In Grease?
Ellen Travolta played one of the waitresses in the Frosty Palace Diner who watches the televised Rydell High dance. She’s the dark-haired waitress who says, “Oh, there’s Danny and Sandy.”
In an interview with Spokesman, Ellen revealed that she came to be in the film by chance. She was on the Paramount lot at the time of shooting the film, filming a role in another sitcom, and decided to visit the Grease set where her brother was also filming.
“Do you want to be in the movie? Can my sister be in the movie?” John reportedly asked.
“So the next day they wrote me in a part,” Ellen recalled. “That’s how loose it was, and never knowing the success it would become. I get residuals every 13 weeks for 40 years. And I only worked two days, maybe one day, with Joan Blondell and that group, and I had a lot of fun.”
Unlike John, who had previously appeared in the stage version of Grease as the character of Doody, Ellen Travolta had never acted in any adaptation of the famous musical.
She told Spokesman that she enjoyed watching the effect the movie had on her kids:
“And my kids were crazy for it,” she recalled. “It was before DVDs or anything. Every Saturday I’d drop them off at the movies and I remember them all going to get popcorn during Hopelessly Devoted to You.’ That was the popcorn break.”
And while some viewers may have missed Ellen’s appearance in Grease, others still approach her on the street and talk about the impact the film had on them:
“ … a mother will come up to me with a little girl, maybe four years old, and say, ‘Do you [know] who this is?’ The girl just looks at me. ‘This is the waitress in Grease.’”
“I was 37,” Ellen went on. “That was 41 years ago that we did that … It’s very funny. … I think [it] was such a simple reflection of that time. It’s really a love story with great music, and everyone is funny.”
Ellen then admitted that she much prefers the movie to the stage production. “I don’t care for the play. I think the movie is way better than the play.
What Else Has Ellen Travolta Starred In?
Grease is undoubtedly one of the most successful projects that Ellen has appeared in, but she has plenty of other acting credits under her belt too.
She began acting in 1974, four years before Grease was released, and landed a role on the ABC show Happy Days, where she played Louisa Arcola. Ellen starred as Louisa for five episodes between the eighth and 11th seasons of the show, later reprising the role on a spin-off called Joanie Loves Chachi.
Ellen also portrayed the role of Lillian in the CBS sitcom Charles in Charge, between 1987 and 1990. She also had roles in The Love Boat, Welcome Back, Kotter, and the 1979 television film Elvis. Additionally, Ellen was a vocalist with the radio group The Sunshine Sisters and later worked as a drama coach and student production director.
John Travolta’s Family Members Also Made Cameos In Saturday Night Fever
Ellen Travolta’s cameo in Grease wasn’t the first time that John’s family members had appeared in his movies.
According to 80s Kids, John’s mother Helen Travolta, and his sister Ann Travolta, made guest appearances in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, which is another of John’s most iconic movies.
Helen plays the role of the woman that John’s Tony sells a can of paint to. The appearance marks her only cameo in one of his films. Helen was already an established actress and singer, who also performed with the group The Sunshine Sisters. She later became a high school English and drama teacher.
Ann Travolta plays a waitress at the pizza bar who gives Tony slices of pizza and speaks the first line of dialogue in the movie.