Travolta first gained fame as Vinnie Barbarino, head "Sweathog" on the popular sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 1975-79). Travolta soon found himself mobbed by teenyboppers at suburban malls. His feature debut was in Carrie (1976). Travolta's starred as an Italian-American character in Saturday Night Fever (1977) helped make the film a hit and earned the actor an Oscar nomination. He won the National Board of Review's Best Actor Award for this role. Travolta played the romantic lead opposite Olivia Newton-John in Grease (1978), which became one of Hollywood's highest grossing film musicals. Sadly, in his personal life, John's mother passed away in 1979 from cancer. Travoltas went on to star in features Urban Cowboy (1980) and De Palma's Blow Out (1981), which did poorly. Travolta made a strong commercial comeback in Staying Alive (1983), the sequel to Saturday Night Fever.