Kelly Preston
Preston at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Kelly Kamalelehua Smith

(1962-10-13)October 13, 1962
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2020(2020-07-12) (aged 57)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
OccupationActress
Years active1980–2020
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1985; div. 1987)​
  • ​
    (m. 1991)​
Children3
Websitekellypreston.com

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[1][2] (the middle name "Kamalelehua" means "garden of lehuas" in Hawaiian)[3][4] 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.[5][6][7] Her mother subsequently married Peter Palzis, a personnel director. He adopted her, and she used his name at the start of her acting career.[8] She also had a younger half-brother, Chris Palzis.[8]

As a child, she lived in Iraq,[9] and also Australia,[10] where she attended Pembroke School, Adelaide. She then attended Punahou School in Honolulu, graduating in 1980,[11] and studied drama and theater at the University of Southern California.[12]

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.[8] He arranged her first film audition for the role of Emmeline in The Blue Lagoon (1980), which she lost to the younger Brooke Shields.[13] At that time she changed her last name to Preston.[14]

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[15] (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,[16] for which she received "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 21st Golden Raspberry Awards.[17] She appeared as the protagonist's flying, superhero mother in the film Sky High (2005).[18]

Preston in 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,[19] and had a short term recurring role in Medium.[19]

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.[20]

She was a spokeswoman for Neutrogena, appearing in its print and television ads.[21][22]

Her final red carpet appearance came at the New York City premiere of her husband's motion picture Gotti in 2018.[23]

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.[24] She also had a relationship with George Clooney in the late 1980s.[24][8] She was briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen in 1990,[8][25] but ended the relationship shortly after some type of accidental gun discharge left shrapnel in her body.[25][26] In a 2011 interview with TMZ, Preston said that Sheen did not shoot her.[27][28] Preston met John Travolta in 1987 while filming The Experts.[29] 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.[30] Preston and Travolta had three children: son Jett, daughter Ella Bleu,[31] and a second son, Benjamin.[32] Preston remained a Scientologist until her death.[33]

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.[34][35] In 2003, Preston appeared on The Montel Williams Show to promote L. Ron Hubbard's Purification Rundown, which she credited with helping her son.[36]

On January 2, 2009, Jett Travolta died at the age of 16 while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas.[37][38] His death was attributed to a seizure.[39]

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.[40] 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.[40] 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.[40][41] Travolta and Preston confirmed longstanding speculations when they testified that their son had autism and suffered regular seizures.[42] 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.[43]

Death

On July 12, 2020, Preston died at the age of 57 at her home in Clearwater, Florida,[44] two years after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.[45][46][47][48] Her diagnosis was not widely publicized.[45] Preston had been receiving treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; she had also been treated at other medical centers.[49][50] Her death was announced in an Instagram post under an account belonging to John Travolta and Ella Bleu.[51]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1983 10 to Midnight Doreen [52]
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn Dhyana [18]
Christine Roseanne [18]
1985 Mischief Marilyn McCauley [18]
Secret Admirer Deborah Anne Fimple [18]
1986 SpaceCamp Tish Ambrosé [18]
52 Pick-Up Cynthia 'Cini' Frazier [18]
1987 Love at Stake Sara Lee [52]
A Tiger's Tale Shirley Butts [18]
Amazon Women on the Moon Violet Segment: "Titan Man" [18]
1988 Spellbinder Miranda Reed [18]
Twins Marnie Mason [18]
1989 The Experts Bonnie [18]
1991 Run Karen Landers [18]
1992 Only You Amanda Hughes [18]
1994 Double Cross Vera Blanchard Video [18]
Love Is a Gun Jean Starr [18]
1995 Mrs. Munck Young Rose Munck [18]
Waiting to Exhale Kathleen Uncredited cameo [53]
1996 Citizen Ruth Rachel [18]
From Dusk till Dawn Kelly Houge, Newscaster [18]
Curdled Kelly Hogue [18]
Jerry Maguire Avery Bishop [18]
1997 Addicted to Love Linda [18]
Nothing to Lose Ann Beam [18]
1998 Holy Man Kate Newell [18]
Jack Frost Gabby Frost [18]
1999 For Love of the Game Jane Aubrey [18]
2000 Battlefield Earth Chirk [18]
2001 Daddy and Them Rose [18]
2003 View from the Top Sherry [18]
What a Girl Wants Libby Reynolds [18]
The Cat in the Hat Joan Walden [18]
2004 Eulogy Lucy Collins [18]
Return to Sender Susan Kennan [54]
2005 Sky High Josie Stronghold / Jetstream [18]
2006 Broken Bridges Angela Delton [18]
2007 Death Sentence Helen Hume [18]
2008 Struck Trista Short film [54]
2009 Old Dogs Vicki Greer [18]
2010 The Last Song Kim Miller [18]
Casino Jack Pam Abramoff [18]
2014 Dissonance Kim Short film
2018 Gotti Victoria Gotti [52]
2021 Off the Rails Cassie Posthumous release [55]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1980 Hawaii Five-O Wendy Episode: "For Old Times Sake" [56]
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" [56]
1983–1984 For Love and Honor Mary Lee Regular role (12 episodes) [18]
1984 Riptide Sherry Meyers Episode: "The Hardcase"
Blue Thunder Amy Braddock Episode: "The Long Flight" [18]
1990 Tales from the Crypt Linda Episode: "The Switch" [54]
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" [18]
2004 Joey Donna Di Gregorio Episodes: "Joey and the Dream Girl: Parts 1 & 2" [18]
2005 Fat Actress Quinn Taylor Scott Recurring role (4 episodes) [18]
2006 Legends Ball Herself Television documentary film
2008 Medium Meghan Doyle Recurring role (4 episodes) [18]
The Tenth Circle Laura Stone Television film [18]
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) [18]

Web

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 The Stafford Project Tabitha Episode: "White Secret" [57]

Music videos

Year Title Artist Role Ref.
2004 "She Will Be Loved" Maroon 5 Socialite / Mother [58][59]
2006 "Broken" Lindsey Haun Angela Delton

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Production Result Ref.
2001 Golden Raspberry Award Worst Supporting Actress Battlefield Earth Won [60]
2004 The Cat in the Hat Nominated [61]
2010 Old Dogs Nominated [62]
2019 Gotti Nominated [63]
Worst Screen Combo Nominated [63]

References

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  2. ^ "Ten Celebrities That Hail From Hawaii". themodernhonolulu.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  3. ^ Riggs, Thomas (2005). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 59. Gale Biographies. p. 259.
  4. ^ Seal, Mark (2007). Celebrated Weekends: The Stars' Guide to the most exciting destinations in the world. Rutledge Hill Press. p. 53.
  5. ^ "Kelly Preston Profile". E!. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  6. ^ Donnelly, Dave (May 17, 1999). "Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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  13. ^ "Kelly Preston:Biography". IMDb.
  14. ^ Kelly Preston Vitals Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine at Ask Men.com
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  16. ^ Graham, Bob (January 19, 2001). "Travolta's Demolition Derby: Comic-book nuttiness lifts 'Battlefield Earth'". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  17. ^ Grant, John (2006). Sci-Fi Movies: Facts, Figures & Fun. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 87. ISBN 1-904332-35-8.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at "Kelly Preston List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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  35. ^ Errico, Marcus (January 2, 2009). "John Travolta's Son Jett Dead at 16". E! Online. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
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  40. ^ a b c Harlow, John (January 25, 2009). "Senator 'tried to extort cash' from Travolta over son's death". The Sunday Times. UK. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
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  43. ^ Roberts, Soraya (September 6, 2010). "John Travolta drops extortion plot case against Tarino Lightbourne, Pleasant Bridgwater". Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
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  50. ^ Fernandez, Alexia (July 16, 2020). "Kelly Preston's Half-Brother Says Their Family Is 'Gutted' Over Her Death: 'She Was a Warrior'". People. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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