Ellen Travolta

Ellen 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).

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

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

Travolta attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Career As an actress and singer, she appeared with "The Sunshine Sisters," a radio vocal group.

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.

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.

Personal life Travolta has been a longtime performer and supporter of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre where she appeared in a production of Hello, Dolly! in 2000 and 2012 playing the star role opposite her husband's portrayal of Horace Vandergelder.

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

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. 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 1981–1984: Happy Days (TV Series) - Louisa Arcola Delvecchio 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 - Mary Louise