what movie was john travolta an attorney

by Elmore Kirlin DDS 6 min read

A Civil Action (film) A Civil Action is a 1998 American legal drama film directed by Steven Zaillian and starring John Travolta (as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert Duvall, and that is based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr.

A Civil Action

Full Answer

What is John Travolta's role in'a civil action'?

Apr 11, 2008 · A Civil Action: Directed by Steven Zaillian. With John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy. A tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving a major company responsible for causing several people to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the town's water supply being contaminated, at the risk of bankrupting his firm and career.

What kind of movies does John Travolta appear in?

61 Metascore. Bud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar. Director: James Bridges | Stars: John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn, Madolyn Smith Osborne. Votes: 14,653 | Gross: $53.30M.

How old is John Travolta?

Dec 29, 1998 · The story behind the movie. In the new movie, "A Civil Action," John Travolta, in the role of a flashy Boston personal injury lawyer, makes a momentous decision to take a difficult environmental ...

Who is John Travolta’s character Jan Schlichtmann?

Oct 06, 2009 · Videotapes secretly recorded by John Travolta's attorney were played Monday at the trial of two people accused of trying to extort millions of …

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Is civil action a true story?

“A Civil Action” is a true story of a lawyer bringing a civil suit on behalf of 8 families of childhood leukemia victims in Woburn, Massachusetts that doubles as a lesson in lawyering. The New York Times Best Seller turned into a movie with John Travolta in the leading role.

What happened at the end of the civil action movie?

The EPA files charges against the tannery's owners, and a much higher settlement is eventually offered and accepted, which included an apology and cleanup. At the end, it's revealed that it took Jan several years to pay off all of his debts, and he has since taken another polluted water case.

Is dark waters a remake of A Civil Action?

Todd Haynes' new film Dark Waters wades into some of the most complicated topics in public health, chemistry, and the law to dramatize the story of environmental attorney Robert Bilott and his nearly two decades of civil actions against DuPont.Nov 22, 2019

What was the dispute in A Civil Action movie?

"A Civil Action" focuses on a liability lawsuit filed by eight Woburn families against Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace. These corporations were accused of dumping chemicals (especially trichlo roethylene, a probable human carcinogen) in ways that allowed the compounds to reach Woburn's water.

What is the difference between civil action and criminal action?

Criminal cases happen when someone breaks a law, or commits a criminal offense, which typically results in jail time. Civil cases handle almost all other disputes, and typically aim for some sort of recovery. A criminal case is filed by the government and is led by a prosecuting attorney.Nov 11, 2019

Where is Jan Schlichtmann now?

Jan Schlichtmann Joins ClassAction.com as Of Counsel Attorney.Jun 1, 2017

Did Rob Bilott get paid?

Thus, as co-lead counsel for plaintiffs in the Ohio MDL, Taft partner Rob Bilott has been successfully able to recover over $753 million in individual damages compensation for those injured by that drinking water contamination, in addition to earlier class-wide benefits, such as medical monitoring, valued at over ...Jan 26, 2021

Where is Rob Bilott now?

Bilott serves on the board of directors for Less Cancer, the board of trustees for Green Umbrella, and served on the alumni board for New College of Florida from 2018-2021.

How much did Rob Bilott make from DuPont settlement?

His litigation efforts yielded more than $671 million dollars in damages for approximately 3,500 people. DuPont also settled with the EPA, agreeing to pay a mere $16.5 million fine for failure to disclose their findings about C8, a toxin that is now estimated to be present in 98 percent of the world's population.Jul 12, 2021

What did Mr Thatcher say was the single greatest liability a lawyer could have?

prideJerome Facher : [to law students] Now the single greatest liability a lawyer can have is pride.

What town was A Civil Action based on?

Woburn, MassachusettsMacy, Kathleen Quinlan, and Tony Shalhoub, it tells the true story of a court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.

When Mr Schlichtmann went to the tannery What did he see that caused him to accept the case?

2. When Mr. Schlichtmann went to the tannery, what did he see that caused him to accept the case? He saw the company discarding waste, and he also saw wealthy companies that he could sue.

Plot

Environmental toxicants in the city of Woburn, Massachusetts contaminate the area's water supply and become linked to a number of deaths of local children. Cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers are asked by Woburn resident Anne Anderson to take legal action against those responsible.

Differences from the book

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Filming

The movie was shot in Boston, Massachusetts; Dedham, Massachusetts; Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; Waltham, Massachusetts; Northbridge, Massachusetts; Palmer, Massachusetts; Fenway Park; Boston Public Garden; and Beacon Hill, Boston.

Release

Despite showing promise on its initial limited release, A Civil Action was a box office failure on wide release, earning a domestic gross of $56 million against its $75 million budget.

What movie did John Travolta play in?

In 1989, Travolta starred with Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking, which grossed $297 million, making it his most successful film since Grease. He subsequently starred in Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993), but it was not until he played Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino 's hit Pulp Fiction (1994), with Samuel L. Jackson, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career was revived. The movie shifted him back onto the A-list and he was inundated with offers. Notable roles following Pulp Fiction include a movie-buff loan shark in Get Shorty (1995), White Man's Burden (1995), a corrupt U.S. Air Force pilot in Broken Arrow (1996), an FBI agent and terrorist in Face/Off (1997), a desperate attorney in A Civil Action (1998), a Bill Clinton –esque presidential candidate in Primary Colors (1998), and a military investigator in The General's Daughter (1999).

Who is John Travolta?

John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor and singer. He rose to fame during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Carrie (1976), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Urban Cowboy (1980). His acting career declined throughout the ...

What was John Travolta's most famous song?

1970s stardom. Travolta had a hit single titled " Let Her In ," peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1976. In the next few years, he starred in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and two of his most noted screen roles: Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Danny Zuko in Grease (1978).

How old was John Travolta when he got his Oscar nomination?

Saturday Night Fever earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, making him, at age 24 , one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.

Where was John Travolta born?

The youngest of six children, Travolta was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County, New Jersey. His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995), was a semiprofessional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tire Exchange. His mother, Helen Cecilia ( née Burke; January 18, 1912 – December 1978), was an actress and singer who had appeared in The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal group, and acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher. His siblings Joey, Ellen, Ann, Margaret, and Sam Travolta were all inspired by their mother's love of theatre and drama and became actors. His father was a second-generation Sicilian American with roots in Godrano, Province of Palermo, and his mother was Irish American. He grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture. He was raised Roman Catholic, but converted to Scientology in 1975. Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School, but dropped out as a junior at age 17 in 1971.

What was John Travolta's career after Urban Cowboy?

After Urban Cowboy, Travolta starred in a series of commercial and critical failures that sidelined his acting career. These included Two of a Kind (1983), a romantic comedy reuniting him with Olivia Newton-John, and Perfect (1985), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis. He also starred in Staying Alive, the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever, for which he trained rigorously and lost 20 pounds; the film was a financial success, grossing over $65 million, though it, too, was scorned by critics.

How many planes does John Travolta own?

Travolta is a private pilot and owns four aircraft, excluding the ex-Qantas Boeing 707 -138B (Ex-VH-EBM) that was donated in 2017 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) near Wollongong, Australia.

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Overview

A Civil Action is a 1998 American legal drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian, based on the 1995 book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. Starring John Travolta, Robert Duvall, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, John Lithgow, William H. Macy, Kathleen Quinlan, and Tony Shalhoub, it tells the true story of a court case about environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachu…

Plot

Environmental toxicants in the city of Woburn, Massachusetts contaminate the area's water supply and become linked to a number of deaths of local children. Cocky Boston attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his small firm of personal injury lawyers are asked by Woburn resident Anne Anderson to take legal action against those responsible. After originally rejecting a seemingly unprofitable case, Jan finds a major environmental issueinvolving groundwater contamination th…

Cast

• John Travolta as Jan Schlichtmann
• Tony Shalhoub as Kevin Conway
• William H. Macy as James Gordon
• Željko Ivanek as Bill Crowley

Differences from the book

As with many such works, the plotline of the film has been simplified from the book, e.g. later findings by the Environmental Protection Agency and its potential consequences that might have allowed the plaintiffs another trial against Beatrice, and which did ultimately lead to a conviction of perjury against John Riley, and improper conduct for Mary Ryan, are referred to only briefly in the epilogue.

Release

Despite showing promise on its initial limited release, A Civil Action was a box office failure on wide release, earning a domestic gross of $56 million against its $75 million budget. The film was released in competition with a number of films that became hits, earning between $120 and $290 million each, including Shakespeare in Love, The Prince of Egypt, Star Trek: Insurrection, You've Got Mail, Stepmom and Patch Adams.

External links

• A Civil Action at IMDb
• A Civil Action at AllMovie
• A Civil Action at the TCM Movie Database
• A Civil Action at the American Film Institute Catalog

Overview

John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor and singer. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Carrie (1976), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), and Urban Cowboy(1980). His acting career declined throughout the 1980s, but he enjoye…

Career

After dropping out of school, Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the touring company of the musical Grease and on Broadway in Over Here!, singing the Sherman Brothers' song "Dream Drummin'." He then moved to Los Angeles for professional reasons.
Travolta's first screen role in California was as a fall victim in Emergency!(S2E2…

Early life

The youngest of six children, Travolta was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey, an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County, New Jersey. His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta (November 1912 – May 1995), was a semiprofessional American footballplayer turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tire Exchange. His mother, Helen Cecilia (née Burke; January 18, 1912 – December 1978), was an actress and singer who had appeared in Th…

Personal life

Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). They remained together until Hyland's death from breast cancer on March 27, 1977. In 1980, Travolta dated French actress Catherine Deneuve. Travolta also had an on-again/off-again relationship with actress Marilu Henner, which ended permanently in 1985. In 1…

See also

• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees – Youngest Nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Further reading

• Tast, Brigitte (ed.). John Travolta. (Hildesheim/Germany 1978.) ISBN 3-88842-103-9.