Who Plays Santa In The Capital One Commercial?

You can tell by the way he uses his walk he's a jolly man, no time to talk.

If that verse is at all familiar to you then you probably know who's playing Santa Claus in Capital One's brand-new Quicksilver Holiday Night Fever commercial. That's John Travolta himself strutting around New York City, carrying around a magical paint can, buying some goodies with his Capitol One Quicksilver card, and ultimately bringing home several disco-related accessories for his sleigh. Then he shares some fancy footwork on a dance floor that looks awfully familiar. The entire commercial is a tribute to Travolta's Oscar-nominated performance in the film "Saturday Night Fever," where he portrayed disco king Tony Manero. That's even Donna Pescow as a shopkeeper helping Santa bling out his sleigh — she played Annette, a lovelorn hanger-on to Tony's gang of young street toughs in the film.

Of course, Travolta isn't just known for "Saturday Night Fever," even though Tony's moves arguably defined the disco era for an entire generation and for pop culture at large. It's just one of the many roles Travolta has essayed during his long, storied career. He's been everything from a sitcom cut-up to an angel over the course of his many years in Hollywood.

John Travolta first climbed to nationwide fame as Vinny Barbarino in the ABC sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter." He became a teenage idol, and he released an album of pop tunes. His appearance as ne'er-do-well bully Billy Nolan in the horror classic "Carrie" only helped raise his profile before the double-lightning strike of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease" hit in 1978 and 1979, making him a huge superstar by the time he left "Kotter" during its fourth season in 1979.

He established his talent with critically acclaimed offerings like "Blow Out," and hits like "Urban Cowboy" and the retroactively-maligned "Staying Alive" kept his career hopping. But missteps like "Moment by Moment," "Two of a Kind" and "Perfect" helped drive him into obscurity during the 1980s. Fortunately, Travolta resurrected his career through his role in 1989's "Look Who's Talking" as the handsome cabbie James. That led to another Oscar-nominated turn in "Pulp Fiction" as hitman Vincent Vega. A string of popular hits followed, including everything from memorable pieces of camp like "Face/Off" to acclaimed comedies like "Get Shorty."

Travolta then took on a passion project — a big-screen version of L. Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth." It didn't do well at the box office, but he recovered with films like "Swordfish," "Be Cool," "Wild Hogs" and "Hairspray," where he became one in a long line of men to portray Edna Turnblad. He went on to portray O.J. Simpson's lawyer Robert Shapiro in "American Crime Story," and continues to appear in features to his day. Hopefully, his boogie shoes will be polished and ready for the occasion.