what was the movie that john travolta played in as a lawyer

by Zoila Gleichner MD 8 min read

A Civil Action

What is the movie John Travolta as a lawyer about?

Starring opposite Robert Duvall in this legal drama film, Travolta plays the role of a personal injury lawyer, making money off his clients’ misery. Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr, the movie is set in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.

What kind of movies does John Travolta appear in?

Although his acting career declined through the 1980s, Travolta also enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s with his role in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, and he has since starred in films such as Face/Off, Swordfish, Wild Hogs, and Hairspray.

What was John Travolta’s role in civil action?

A Civil Action (1998) Starring opposite Robert Duvall in this legal drama film, Travolta plays the role of a personal injury lawyer, making money off his clients’ misery. Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr, the movie is set in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.

How did the movie Grease help John Travolta’s acting career?

Already having starred in the New York Broadway productions of Grease at age 18, the film helped Travolta’s acting career take off. He was nominated for Golden Globe Award, while the movie was nominated for several awards and won a few.

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Was A Civil Action a true story?

A Civil Action is the true story of Schlichtmann's David and Goliath legal fight against powerful corporations accused of environmental contamination that were alleged to have resulted in high rates of leukemia in children in Woburn, Mass.

What is the movie civil action about?

In this legal thriller based on a true story, John Travolta stars as Jan Schlichtmann, a tenacious personal-injury attorney whose fierce determination entangles him in a case that threatens to destroy him. The case -- which appears straight forward -- instead evolves into a labyrinthine lawsuit of vast dimensions, in the intelligent, fast-paced drama, "A Civil Action."A Civil Action / Film synopsis

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.

What type of law is Mr schlichtmann now practicing?

He practices environmental law.

Does Jan win the lawsuit in A Civil Action?

After a lengthy trial, the case is dismissed in favor of Beatrice, after Jan turned down an offer of $20 million from Beatrice attorney Jerry Facher during jury deliberations.

Is the movie class action based on a true story?

The movie's storyline is based on the Ford Pinto legal case - the lawsuit of Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company (119 Cal.

Who was the imperfect victim in A Civil Action?

Who was the "imperfect victim?" A dead child. What was the attorney's name who wheeled the young man into the courtroom? When Jan Schlictmann initially meets with the people in the church, he said that the defendant must have "deep (blank)" in order to prosecute them.

What was the settlement in A Civil Action movie?

He reads the facts, the witnesses, the court and his opposition. There is a moment at which he offers the plaintiffs a $20 million settlement, and an argument can be made, I think, that in the deepest recesses of his mind he knows it will not be necessary.

Who won the Woburn case?

Jerome Facher, a lawyer who successfully defended a Woburn tannery accused of water pollution that plaintiffs linked to a cluster of childhood leukemia deaths — a case that became the basis of a best-selling book and a Hollywood movie — died on Sept.

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

Jerome Facher : [to law students] Now the single greatest liability a lawyer can have is pride. Pride... Pride has lost more cases than lousy evidence, idiot witnesses and a hanging judge all put together.

Did Jan Schlichtmann win the Woburn case?

Schlichtmann took the case to trial and won $4.7 million. It was thought to be the largest malpractice award in Massachusetts history. Woburn was his next case. In East Woburn, eight families had lost children to leukemia over a span of two decades.

Who is Jerome facher?

Jerome Facher, a Boston lawyer who successfully defended a tannery accused of water pollution that plaintiffs linked to a cluster of childhood leukemia deaths — a case that became the basis of a best-selling book and a Hollywood movie — died on Sept. 19 at his home in Arlington, Mass. He was 93.

Who was the attorney that turned down Jan's offer to be a lawyer?

After a lengthy trial, the case is dismissed in favor of Beatrice, after Jan turned down an offer of $20 million from Beatrice attorney Jerry Facher during jury deliberations.

What was the case in Anne Anderson v. Cryovac?

A lawsuit was filed over industrial operations that appeared to have caused fatal cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide variety of other health problems, among the citizens of the city. The case involved is Anne Anderson, et al., v. Cryovac, Inc., et al..

What is John Travolta's filmography?

John Travolta filmography. The following is the filmography of American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, singer, dancer, musician and pilot John Travolta. Travolta first became well known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever ...

When did John Travolta start?

Travolta first became well known in the 1970s , after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

What movie did John Travolta play in?

10. Broken Arrow (1996) The action-thriller features John Travolta in a villainous role. Starring alongside Christian Slater, the two play the role of US Airforce pilots sent on an overnight mission carrying nuclear weapons.

What is the name of the movie that John Travolta hijacked a subway train?

12. The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) One of his most recent works, the crime thriller features John Travolta as a criminal mastermind and a messed-up soul, who hijacks a subway train demanding a large ransom.

What was the best movie of 1978?

Grease (1978) Considered as one of the best films of 1978 and a blockbuster musical movie of all time, Grease features high school kids on their adventures of friendship and summer love. With timeless musical numbers and a cliché romance between Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the film is quite entertaining.

How much money did John Travolta make?

John Travolta has been a Hollywood sensation for almost half a century, with each of his films grossing over $4 million worldwide. The American actor, singer, dancer, film producer, and pilot brought out a new flair in his every performance. Nominated twice for an Oscar and named as one of the Most Valuable Actors of All Time, ...

What is the movie Tribal Rites based on?

It is based on a 1976 New York magazine article by Nik Cohn, “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”, which was later discovered to have been fabricated. The movie received an excellent response from critics, was named as one of the best movies of 1977, and the finest drama of the 1970s.

Where is the movie A Civil Action set?

Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr, the movie is set in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.

Who was the actress who played Clinton in the movie?

Kathy Bates received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Elaine May for Best Adapted Screenplay, while Travolta was nominated again for a Golden Globe. Despite the amazing response from critics and high praise for Travolta’s portrayal of Clinton, the movie did not perform well at the box office. 6.

What was the first movie of John Travolta?

aquarius. FIRST MOVIE. Medical Center (1969) BEST MOVIE. Grease (1978) WORST MOVIE. Battlefield Earth (2000) John Travolta is an American actor, producer, dancer, and singer who shot to fame for the television series 'Welcome Back, Kotter' (1975–1979), which made him a teen heartthrob. During this time, he also played the lead in ...

How many John Travolta movies are there?

63 John Travolta Movies, Ranked Best to Worst. John Travolta is an American actor, producer, dancer, and singer who shot to fame for the television series 'Welcome Back, Kotter' (1975–1979), which made him a teen heartthrob. During this time, he also played the lead in the massive hits 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977) and 'Grease' (1978), ...

How old is Tracy Turnblad?

27. 9. Sixteen years old plump Tracy Turnblad loves watching a teen dance TV show The Corny Collins Show. When she gets an opportunity to dance in the show, she quickly emerges as a popular performer. However, the manager of the TV station, Velma, is not happy with Tracy’s success.

Who is the greaser in Grease?

Grease is the story of greaser Danny Zuko and Australian transfer student, Sandy Olsson in the 1950s. The two fall in love during summer but break up when Sandy has to move back to Australia. However, she doesn’t move back and misunderstandings develop between the two.

What did John Travolta capture?

John Travolta captured the development of a human being who was caught up in the overwhelming challenge of Woburn, of life. You take a man who thinks he knows all the rules. "Along come the mothers of Woburn. In order to pursue the case, he has to give up all the things that he thought were of value.

What is the movie "A Civil Action" about?

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 case as he overlooks a polluted river outside Woburn, Mass. Travolta is on his way back to Boston after meeting with distraught parents who believe ...

What car does John Schlichtmann drive?

He drives a Volvo instead of a Porsche. In 1997, the Massachusetts Department of Health Services released a study that found a correlation between leukemia in Woburn children and the amount of well water that their mothers had drunk during pregnancy. "I count myself among the most fortunate of men," said Schlichtmann.

What is the movie Touchstone based on?

The first casualty is the truth," he said. The Touchstone Pictures film is based on the 1995 book by New Yorker staff member Jonathan Harr, who won the National Book Critics Circle award for nonfiction.

How much money did Michael Jackson spend on his trial?

He has $14 in the bank and a portable radio after spending more than $2 million of his and his partners' money over four years on environmental studies, medical tests, depositions and a four-month trial. (The movie opens in San Francisco Jan. 8.)

Who is the producer of the movie "The Last Jedi"?

Producers are Scott Rudin, Robert Redford and Rachel Pfeffer. With John Travolta playing Schlichtmann and Robert Duvall taking the role of his cunning opponent, an attorney for Beatrice Foods, the film also tells a compelling environmental tale.

Who played Schlichtmann's business associates?

Schlichtmann's business associates are played by William H. Macy ( "Fargo" ), Tony Shalhoub and Zeljko Ivanbeck. Kathy Bates takes an uncredited role as a bankruptcy judge who can't understand how Schlichtmann could lose it all by the end of the trial.

Who plays the lawyer in Anatomy of a Murder?

Deemed one of the greatest courtroom dramas of all time and based on the novel with the same title, Anatomy of a Murder follows Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler (played by James Stewart), who has his work cut out for him after agreeing to defend Lt. Manion (played by Ben Gazzarra), who murdered a local bar owner after learning he’s been accused of rape.

What was the last movie that Robert Power made before he died?

Trivia: Witness for the Prosecution was the last film that Power completed before he died of a heart attack in November of 1958. 6. Legally Blonde (2001) Based on the novel by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde is a courtroom comedy that stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a sorority girl from California.

How much did Julia Roberts make in Erin Brockovich?

Trivia: Julia Roberts’ salary for her role as Erin Brockovich made her the first actress in Hollywood to earn more than $20 million. 9.

What is the movie Amistad about?

Set in 1839, Amistad tells the story of a slave ship sailing from Cuba to the United States. In the film, directed by Steven Spielberg, Cinque (played by Djimon Hounsou) leads the slaves in an uprising, which results in them being held as prisoners in Connecticut.

What is the movie about Andrew Beckett?

Philadelphia (1993) Directed by Jonathan Demme, Philadelphia tells the story of lawyer Andrew Beckett, who struggles to hide his homosexuality, as well as his HIV status, for fear that they will have a negative impact on his career at a prestigious Philadelphia law firm.

What is the name of the movie that starred Sidney Lumet?

2. 12 Angry Men (1957) This classic courtroom drama was directed by Sidney Lumet and details the deliberations of 12 men, all of whom are part of the jury deciding the fate of a poor young man who’s been accused of murder. If found guilty, he will face the death penalty.

Who plays Vincent Gambini in Bill and Bill?

Gambini, played by Joe Pesci, does his best to defend his cousin and his cousin’s friend but makes a number of missteps along the way. Gambini’s fiancee, Mona Lisa, who is played by Marisa Tomei, ...

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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 issue involving 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