John Travolta, now 68, is the biggest star to come from Grease after playing hunk Danny, fresh from his starring role as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. Litten gave a good account of himself at Headingley with Will Gardiner also standing tall. Joan Blondell had a huge acting resume under her belt when she appeared in "Grease" as the waitress, Vi. Kenickie, the T-Birds second-in-command, was brought to the screen by Jeff Conaway. had metastasized and spread to her bones. Price played Rhonda, another member of the Pink Ladies. The risqu title track ruled the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, and its tongue-in-cheek, aerobics-inspired music video became an MTV staple. The couple had three children together: Jett,who tragically died from a seizure in 2009, Ella Bleu, and Benjamin. She made several appearances in TV and movies over the years as well but left her career in the entertainment business after earning a bachelors degree fromAntioch University Los Angelesin psychology and theater. Sims added, "'Cool Rider,' please," which is the iconic song performed by Pfeiffer in the film. Her music career hit even more heights after the role, winning another Grammy and achieving huge success with her 1981 single Physical., She starred in a number of other films after the release of Grease such asXanadu and Two of a Kind in which she was reunited with Grease co-star John Travolta but never found the same success on the big screen., Newton-John married her first husband, actor and dancerMatt Lattanzi, in December 1984. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. But 15 years later the gay actor and dancer contracted HIV. A few decades following Conaway's TV and movie heyday, fans were sad to see Conaway turn up on "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,"where he revealed he was addicted to alcohol and prescription painkillers. His death is the latest in a long line of tragedies that have struck those who worked on Grease since its blockbuster box office days. The 1982 sequel toGrease (1978) was not the hit its predecessor was, sure, but the cult following of Grease 2 which follows a new class of Pink Ladies and T-Birds at Rydell High is unrivaled. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Zmed played Nogerelli, the leader of the T-Birds. Hewas just 46 years old at the time of his death. I love Grease 2 so much. Actress: Grease 2. But within months of landing the role of heartthrob Danny, Johns girlfriend Diana Hyland died of breast cancer, aged 41. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The stars have also had their fair share of ups and downs in the decades years after Greasedebuted in theaters. After a whirlwind fling of "Summer Nights," the pair assumes their time together is over, and that Sandy must return to Australia with her parents. 'Can't Hardly Wait' Cast: Where Are They Now. Are Any of the Main Actors From The Ten Commandments Movie Still Alive? Conaway played struggling actor turned cab driver, Bobby Wheeler, on and off for four seasons, starting in 1978. She has two children with her husband, television writer and producer David E. Kelley, and returned to the small screen in 2022 as Betty Ford on Showtime's The First Lady. Frenchy was best known for being a beauty school drop-out. Since her debut, the actress has had a prolific career. Green is now the CEO of The Young Americans, a nonprofit organization designed to teach and inspire young performers. Olivia, along with John Travolta, will forever be recognised as the loved-up Sandy and Danny who did some summer loving. Tony Award-winning Dinah, now 66, went on to feature in films including Childs Play, Welcome Home and Ordinary People after Grease. While the first Grease film became a cultural phenomenon when it was released in 1978, its sequel didn't receive the same reception. She was 81. Prosecutors brought the charges of assault and disorderly conduct against him. Didi Conn played Frenchy in the movie (left). "I was glad when it was over, to tell you the truth," the actress said. Dennis eventually died of complications from Aids in April 1994. Already aGrammy-winning recording artist and country music star when she was cast as good-girl-gone-bad Sandy, Olivia Newton-John's career rose to greater heights after the movie became the biggest box office hit of 1978. While she was arguably most known for playing Sandy in the cult classic, Newton-John had an incredible music career that earned her four GRAMMY awards out of 12 nominations. She stayed busy for the rest of the '80s, starring in the film version of the play, as well as parts in Ordinary People (1980)and the horror movieChild's Play (1988). 'Who's the Boss?' Tragically Jeff, who played bad boy Kenickie died at age 60, in 2011, from pneumonia after years battling addiction. The Cast of 'Beetlejuice': Where Are They Now? Conn was married to her first husband, actor and writer Frank Conn, from 1975 to 1978, the year Grease was released.She and her second husband, composer David Shire, have been married since 1984. The singer-actress passed on August 8, 2022, after a 30-year-long battle with breast cancer (via People). Olivia 'Your Danny, your John': Travolta pays heartbreaking tribute had metastasized and spread to her bones. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, Grammy-winning recording artist and country music star. In 2008, he appeared on Seasons 1 and 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew for drug and alcohol treatment. I actually did a production of Children of Eden with Adrian Zmed, so I'm a fan. 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"Grease" co-star John Travolta was devastated to hear the news and penned a sweet dedication on social media. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Fans of Grease are mourning the loss of the 1978 musical's lead, The actress has been remembered in a series of heartfelt tributes from her former costars and friends after her husband,John Easterling, shared the news of her death on, Newton-Johnwas best known as a singer and already had three Grammys under her belt when she took on the role of sweet and innocent Sandy Olsson in Grease. The actress moved on to roles in Supergirl (1984) and Men Seeking Women (1997), and on Perversions of Science. While his character in "Grease" had eyes for Dinah Manoff's Marty Maraschino, two decades earlier, young fans had their eyes on him. 4 min read. They began collaborating on a play about high school life during the golden age of rock n roll in the 50s. While he never quite reached the heights of Grease again, Pearl went on to become an acting teacher.. He was 91. Tucci became a TV household name as long running characters in Diagnosis: Murder alongside Dick Van Dyke and on the comedy series It's Garry Shandling's Show. She went on to a voice role on the TV series "Alvin and the Chipmunks," among other shows. Another famous character actress, Dody Goodman, played Eve Arden's character's sidekick, wacky high school secretary Blanche Hodel in "Grease" and its sequel. Olivia Newton-John's husband, John Easterling, announced that she had died on Monday morning at age 73 She was best known as a singer and already had three The character was the leader of the T-Birds rival gang called the Scorpions. Tell us again.' In 1994, he died at the age of 46 due to complications from AIDS. However, Goodman was so in tune with "Grease" that in1994, she even appeared in a Broadway revival of the story in which she played English teacher Miss Lynch, per Theater Mania. He went on to have various roles on TV and film over the next decade. Fans were surprised when Charles did a complete career change and became a college professor at California State University, Northridge. She was best known in the States for her long running role in Empty Nest, a spin off from The Golden Girls, from 1988 to 1995. His biggest role was certainly in Grease, but the star also kept working in TV and film starring in Happy Days and Taxi before appearing in reality shows covering addiction in the years before his death. Grease Actors You May Not Know Passed Away. Grab your T-bird jacket and let's find out. So yes, big fan. At the end of the movie, he starts dating Paulettes little sister, Dolores. Tell us about the scene with the cigarette. Published: 00:04 BST, 9 August 2022 | Updated: 12:01 BST, 9 August 2022, Fans of Grease are mourning the loss of the 1978 musical's lead Olivia Newton-John after it was announced that she died on Monday at age 73., The actress has been remembered in a series of heartfelt tributes from her former costars and friends after her husband,John Easterling, shared the news of her death on Facebook.. Olivia Newton-John played darling Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson in "Grease." She has been married and divorced four times, and was in a long-term relationship with cinematographer Daniel Gillham until his death in 2014. Manoff has three children with her second husband, Arthur Mortell. Actress Annette, who played Cha Cha DiGregorio in the film, was best known for her role in Grease and later gave up acting so become a university professor. ), Helena Andreyko as Trix ( Trixie Andrews ), Dennis Daniels as Bart, and Sandra Gray as Big G. ( Sandi Green ). Thumbs up," she began. He also reprised his role as "Craterface" Balmudo in the 1982 film "Grease 2," and his last acting credit on IMDb is listed in 1991 with a role on the TV series "Parker Lewis Can't Lose." The actress also played the Golden Globe-nominated lead role of Sam Fox on FX's Better Things from 2016 to 2022. He claimed to have suffered abuse as a young child and had long battled mental health problems that left him mired in substance abuse. Things took a dark turn in the mid-2000s when Conaway relapsed from substance abuse and turned up on reality TV as a star of the VH1 showsCelebrity Fit ClubandCelebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. On Jan. 8, 2020, died of natural causes. "Yes," choreographer Jamal Sims replied when asked if there were any Grease 2 fans in the house. He went on to appear in a number of TV shows over the years and later became an acting teacher, The man behind Doody went on to appear on plenty of TV shows over the years, includingBeverly Hills, 90210,Baywatch, Criminal Minds, and more.. But it was Travolta who announced that Preston had died of her cancer in 2020 via his Instagram. His son Jett, who had autism, died aged 16 in 2009 after a seizure on a family holiday and his actress wife, Kelly Preston, Jett's mum, died in 2020 after a two year battle with breast cancer. Joan had already starred in more than 100 films in the 30s and 40s including The Public Enemy with James Cagney when she was cast in the role of warmhearted waitress Vi in Grease. Sadly on Aug. 8, 2022, news broke that Olivia Newton-John, who played Sandy, died at her home in California after a long battle with breast cancer. She competed on the hit British seriesDancing on Icein 2019, but was eliminated in week four. 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