Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020), known professionally as Kelly Preston, was an American actress. She appeared in more than 60 television and film productions, including Mischief (1985), Twins (1988), Jerry Maguire (1996), and For Love of the Game (1999). She married John Travolta in 1991, and collaborated with him on the comedy film The Experts (1989) and the biographical film Gotti (2018). She also starred in the films SpaceCamp (1986), The Cat in the Hat (2003), What a Girl Wants (2003), Sky High (2005), and Old Dogs (2009).
Early life Kelly Kamalelehua Smith ("Kelly" is a name of Celtic origin, and the middle name "Kamalelehua" means "garden of lehuas" in Hawaiian) was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center. Her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when she was four years old. Her mother subsequently married Peter Palzis, a personnel director. He adopted her, and she used his name at the start of her acting career. She also had a younger half-brother, Chris Palzis.
As a child, she lived in Iraq, and also Australia, where she attended Pembroke School, Adelaide. She then attended Punahou School in Honolulu, graduating in 1980, and studied drama and theater at the University of Southern California.
Career While living in Australia, she was discovered at age 16 by a fashion photographer who helped her get work in commercials and other small parts. He arranged her first film audition for the role of Emmeline in The Blue Lagoon (1980), which she lost to the younger Brooke Shields. At that time she changed her last name to Preston.Kelly Preston Vitals at Ask Men.com
Her first prominent film roles came in 1985—first as Marilyn McCauley in the romantic teen flick comedy Mischief; then as the beautiful but shallow Deborah Ann Fimple in another teen romantic comedy, Secret Admirer. Her other roles included SpaceCamp (1986), Twins (1988) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, Avery Bishop in Jerry Maguire (1996) with Tom Cruise, Jane Aubrey in For Love of the Game with Kevin Costner and Kate Newell, and in Holy Man (1998) with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum. In 1997, she starred in Nothing to Lose, which co-starred Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence. She also starred in the movie Jack Frost (1998).
She played the girlfriend of her husband John Travolta's character Terl in the film Battlefield Earth, for which she received "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 21st Golden Raspberry Awards. She appeared as the protagonist's flying, superhero mother in the film Sky High (2005).
In 2004, she was in the Maroon 5 music video "She Will Be Loved", which featured a love triangle and romantic scenes between her and Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine. She appeared in the crime thriller Death Sentence (2007), in which she played Helen Hume, the wife of Kevin Bacon's character Nick. In 2008, she was cast in a television pilot called Suburban Shootout, and had a short term recurring role in Medium.
She starred in the Lifetime television film The Tenth Circle (2008), directed by Peter Markle. It was shot in Nova Scotia and featured Ron Eldard, Britt Robertson, Michael Riley, Jamie Johnston and Geordie Brown.
She was a spokeswoman for Neutrogena, appearing in its print and television ads."Kelly Preston Fronts Neutrogena" . January 20, 2005. Monsters and Critics.
Her final red carpet appearance came at the New York City premiere of her husband's motion picture Gotti in 2018.
Her final film role was in the comedy-drama Off the Rails, which was released in late July 2021 in the UK.
Personal life Preston was married to actor Kevin Gage from 1985 until their divorce in 1987. She also had a relationship with George Clooney in the late 1980s.
Preston was briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen in 1990, but ended the relationship shortly after an accidental gun discharge left shrapnel in her body."Charlie Sheen Biography" , Biography Channel website. Retrieved October 26, 2010. In a 2011 interview with TMZ, Preston said that Sheen did not shoot her.
Preston met John Travolta in 1987 while filming The Experts. They married in 1991, traveling to Paris on an Air France Concorde for a wedding ceremony at the Hotel de Crillon (on the Place de la Concorde) on September 5, 1991. However, a second ceremony was required because the first, performed by a French Scientology minister (both Preston and Travolta were Scientologists), was considered invalid. The second ceremony took place on September 12, 1991, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Preston and Travolta had three children: son Jett, daughter Ella Bleu, and a second son, Benjamin. Preston remained a Scientologist until her death.
Death of Jett Travolta Preston's son Jett Travolta was described as suffering from Kawasaki disease as an infant and had a history of seizures. In 2003, Preston appeared on The Montel Williams Show to promote L. Ron Hubbard's Purification Rundown, which she credited with helping her son.
On January 2, 2009, Jett Travolta died at the age of 16 while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas. His death was attributed to a seizure.
On January 23, 2009, three people were arrested in the Bahamas in connection with a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against Travolta and Preston concerning the circumstances of their son's death. One of the men, Obie Wilchcombe, a member of the Bahamian Parliament and former Bahamian Minister of Tourism, was described as a "close friend" of Travolta and Preston. Two others allegedly involved were an EMT named Tarino Lightbourne and a Bahamian senator named Pleasant Bridgewater. Bridgewater was charged with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort and resigned from the Senate as a result of the allegations. Travolta and Preston confirmed longstanding speculations when they testified that their son had autism and suffered regular seizures. The first trial ended in a mistrial.
After a second jury had been selected, the Travoltas elected to drop the case and all charges against the defendants were dismissed.
Death On July 12, 2020, Preston died at the age of 57 at her home in Clearwater, Florida, two years after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her diagnosis was not widely publicized. Preston had been receiving treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and had also been treated at other medical centers. Her husband, John Travolta, announced her death on his Instagram account.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1983 10 to Midnight Doreen Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn Dhyana Christine Roseanne 1985 Mischief Marilyn McCauley Secret Admirer Deborah Anne Fimple 1986 SpaceCamp Tish Ambrosé 52 Pick-Up Cynthia "Cini" Frazier 1987 Love at Stake Sara Lee Shirley Butts Amazon Women on the Moon Violet Segment: "Titan Man" 1988 Spellbinder Miranda Reed Twins Marnie Mason 1989 Bonnie 1991 Run Karen Landers 1992 Only You Amanda Hughes 1994 Double Cross Vera Blanchard Video Love Is a Gun Jean Starr 1995 Mrs. Munck Young Rose Munck Waiting to Exhale Kathleen Uncredited cameo 1996 Citizen Ruth Rachel From Dusk till Dawn Kelly Houge, Newscaster Curdled Kelly Hogue Jerry Maguire Avery Bishop 1997 Addicted to Love Linda Nothing to Lose Ann Beam 1998 Holy Man Kate Newell Jack Frost Gabby Frost 1999 For Love of the Game Jane Aubrey 2000 Battlefield Earth Chirk 2001 Daddy and Them Rose 2003 View from the Top Sherry What a Girl Wants Libby Reynolds Joan Walden 2004 Eulogy Lucy Collins Return to Sender Susan Kennan 2005 Sky High Josie Stronghold / Jetstream 2006 Broken Bridges Angela Delton 2007 Death Sentence Helen Hume 2008 Struck Trista Short film 2009 Old Dogs Vicki Greer 2010 Kim Miller Casino Jack Pam Abramoff 2014 Dissonance Kim Short film 2018 Gotti Victoria Gotti 2021 Off the Rails Cassie Posthumous release
Television Year Title Role Notes 1980 Hawaii Five-O Wendy Episode: "For Old Times Sake" 1982 Capitol Gillian McCandless Episode: "Pilot" 1983 Quincy M.E. Ginger Reeves Episode: "On Dying High" The Renegades Lisa Primus Episode: "Back to School" CHiPs Anna Episode: "Things That Go Creep in the Night" 1983–1984 For Love and Honor Mary Lee Regular role (12 episodes) 1984 Riptide Sherry Meyers Episode: "The Hardcase" Blue Thunder Amy Braddock Episode: "The Long Flight" 1990 Tales from the Crypt Linda Episode: "The Switch" 1991 The Perfect Bride Laura Television film 1993 The American Clock Diana Marley Television film 1994 Cheyenne Warrior Rebecca Carver Television film 1996 Little Surprises Ginger Short 2000 Bar Hopping Bebe Television film 2001 Fear Factor Herself Episode: "First Celebrity Fear Factor" 2004 Joey Donna Di Gregorio Episodes: "Joey and the Dream Girl: Parts 1 & 2" 2005 Fat Actress Quinn Taylor Scott Recurring role (4 episodes) 2006 Legends Ball Herself Television documentary film 2008 Medium Meghan Doyle Recurring role (4 episodes) Laura Stone Television film 2010 Kirstie Alley's Big Life Herself Episode: "Oh Rats! It's My Birthday!" 2013 Adopted Karey Television film 2016 CSI: Cyber Greer Latimore Recurring role (3 episodes)
Web Year Title Role Notes 2013 The Stafford Project Tabitha Episode: "White Secret"
Music videos Year Title Artist Role 2004 "She Will Be Loved" Maroon 5 Socialite / Mother 2006 "Broken" Lindsey Haun Angela Delton
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Production Result 2001Golden Raspberry AwardWorst Supporting ActressBattlefield Earth2004The Cat in the Hat2010Old Dogs 2019 GottiWorst Screen Combo
References
External links