Grease

Background:

American actor Jeff Conaway is probably best known for playing Kenickie in the 1978 big screen musical “Grease,” which starred John Travolta as Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson. On the small screen, he is famous for playing Bobby Wheeler on the sitcom “Taxi” (1978-1982), where he nabbed two Golden Globe nominations and later the 2007 TV Land Medallion Award, and as Sergeant Zach Allan on “Babylon 5” (1994-1998). He also played Mick Savage on the daytime series “Bold and the Beautiful” (1989). Conaway made his directorial debut with “Bikini Summer II” (1992).

Outside the limelight, Conaway made headlines in 1990 when he hit a bicyclist while driving drunk. As a result, he served 60 days under house arrest and received three years probation. He underwent treatment for substance abuse the following year and has since struggled with addiction. As for his married life, Conaway is the former husband of Rona Newton-John (together from 1980 to 1985). He is currently married to Kerri Conaway. His love life was also once linked to Lisa Hartman (dated 1977-1978).

Aspiring Astronaut

Childhood and Family:

Jeffery Charles William Michael, best known as Jeff Conaway, was born on October 5, 1950, in New York, New York. He is the youngest of three children, including actress Michele Conaway. Jeff was educated at New York University in New York, New York. As a youngster, Jeff wanted to become an astronaut but was forced to discard the dream due to his need to wear glasses by age 7. He then turned his attention to acting.

Jeff was married to actress Rona Newton-John, Olivia Newton-John's sister, on January 9, 1980. The couple divorced in 1985. He married Kerri Young on August 17, 1990.

Jeff has struggled with substance abuse and addiction off and on for many years.

Taxi

Career:

By age 10, Jeff Conaway had landed his first Broadway role in “All the Way Home.” He also sang and played rhythm guitar for his first band, 3 ½, when he was 16 and later embarked on tours with The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Chuck Berry. However, it was his first love, acting, that brought him back to New York where he majored in theater.

Conaway was 20 when he landed his first film role as a druggie in 1971's “Jennifer on My Mind.” His television film debut, “Sea to Shining Sea,” followed three years later before he began making guest appearances on a number of TV series, including “Happy Days” (1975-1976) and “Joe Forrester” (1975). However, Conaway did not score a huge breakthrough until he landed a role in the big screen version of “Grease “(1978). While he portrayed the lead of Danny Zuko on Broadway, that role went to John Travolta and Jeff portrayed the second male lead, Kenickie.

After “Grease,” Conaway broadened his popularity on the small screen with his role as aspiring actor and cab driver Bobby Wheeler on the ABC sitcom “Taxi” (1978-1983), from which he received two Golden Globe nominations for Best TV Actor in a Supporting Role. He left the show in 1982 to pursue other projects and while on the show, also appeared in the miniseries “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” (1979), the ABC film “For the Love of It” (1980) and the movie “Nashville Grab” (1981).

Conaway next starred as Prince Erik Greystone on the short lived series “Wizards and Warrior” (CBS, 1983) and had a supporting role in the TV film “Making of a Male Model” (1983) before returning to the big screen with a starring role in “Covergirl” (1984). He spent the remainder of the 1980s as part of the cast of the short lived series “Berrenger's” (NBC; 1985), supported Telly Savalas in “Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission” (1988) and took a reoccurring role in the daytime soap “The Bold and the Beautiful” (1989). On the movie front, he appeared in such projects as “The Patriot” (1986), “The Banker” (1989) and “The Sleeping Car” (1989).

In the 1990s, Conaway starred in a lot of low budget and direct-to-video productions, including the crime film “A Time to Die” (1991), opposite Traci Lords, the comedy “Almost Pregnant” (1992), with Tanya Roberts, “Mirror Images” (1992), “Eye of the Storm” (1992), “Alien Intruder” (1993), “L.A. Goddess” (1993), “2002: The Rape of Eden” (1994), “The Last Embrace” (1997) and “Jawbreaker” (1999). He also made his directorial debut with “Bikini Summer II” (1992) and was an associate producer of 1993's “Sunset Strip.” Conaway revisited Broadway in 1997 by portraying DJ Vonce Fontaine in the revival of “Grease” and gained some prominence as Sergeant. Zach Allan on the syndicated sci-fi series “Babylon 5,” a role he played from 1994 to 1998.

From 2001 to 2005, Conaway appeared in movies like “Dating Service” (2001), “Do You Wanna Know a Secret” (2001), “The Biz” (2002), “Y.M.I.” (2004), “Pan Dulce” (2004), “The Corner Office” (2004) and “From Behind the Sunflower” (2005). In 2006, he made four movies, including “The Utah Murder Project” and “Wrestling.” He also has roles in the films “Sin-Jin Smyth” (2007) and “Elf Academy” (2007). He will soon appear in the movies “Ladron” and “Dark Games” (2010.

Awards:

• TV Land: Medallion Award, “Taxi,” 2007