Kelly Preston

2.1. Childhood and family

Kelly Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith on October 13, 1962, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her middle name, Kamalelehua^Hawaiian, means "garden of lehuas" in Hawaiian. Her mother, Linda, worked as an administrator of a mental health center. Preston's biological father, who worked for an agricultural firm, tragically drowned when she was only four years old. Following this, her mother married Peter Palzis, a personnel director, who adopted Kelly. She initially used his surname, Palzis, at the beginning of her acting career. She also had a younger half-brother named Chris Palzis. As a child, Preston's family lived in Iraq and later Australia.

2.2. Education

During her time in Australia, Preston attended Pembroke School, Adelaide. She later returned to Hawaii, where she graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu in 1980. Demonstrating an early interest in performing arts, she went on to study drama and theater at the University of Southern California and UCLA.

3.1. Early career and breakthrough roles

Preston's entry into the entertainment industry began early. While living in Australia at the age of 16, she was discovered by a fashion photographer who helped her secure work in commercials and other minor roles. This led to her first film audition for the role of Emmeline in The Blue Lagoon (1980), a role she ultimately lost to the younger Brooke Shields. Around this time, she changed her last name to Preston.

Her first prominent film roles arrived in 1985. She played Marilyn McCauley in the romantic teen comedy Mischief, followed by her portrayal of the beautiful but shallow Deborah Ann Fimple in another teen romantic comedy, Secret Admirer. These roles helped establish her presence in Hollywood.

3.2. Later career and notable works

Preston continued to build a diverse filmography throughout her career. In 1986, she starred in SpaceCamp. She later appeared in the 1988 film Twins, where she starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. In 1996, she took on the role of Avery Bishop in the hit film Jerry Maguire, sharing the screen with Tom Cruise. Other significant roles from this period include Ann Beam in Nothing to Lose (1997), co-starring with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence, and Kate Newell in Holy Man (1998), with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum. She also starred in Jack Frost (1998) and played Jane Aubrey in For Love of the Game (1999) opposite Kevin Costner.

Preston frequently collaborated with her husband, John Travolta. She played Bonnie in the 1989 comedy The Experts, where she met Travolta. Later, she appeared as Chirk, the girlfriend of Travolta's character Terl, in the 2000 film Battlefield Earth. For her performance in this film, she received the "Worst Supporting Actress" award at the 21st Golden Raspberry Awards. In 2005, she starred as Josie Stronghold, the protagonist's flying, superhero mother, in the film Sky High. She also appeared in the crime thriller Death Sentence (2007), playing Helen Hume, the wife of Kevin Bacon's character Nick.

In television, Preston was cast in a pilot for a series called Suburban Shootout in 2008 and had a recurring role in the series Medium. That same year, she starred in the Lifetime television film The Tenth Circle, which was filmed in Nova Scotia and featured actors like Ron Eldard and Britt Robertson. Her final red carpet appearance was at the New York City premiere of her husband's motion picture Gotti in 2018, where she played Victoria Gotti. Her final film role was as Cassie in the comedy-drama Off the Rails, which was released posthumously in the UK in late July 2021.

3.3. Other activities

Beyond her film and television roles, Kelly Preston made appearances in music videos and worked as a spokesperson. In 2004, she was featured in the Maroon 5 music video for their song "She Will Be Loved", which depicted a love triangle and included romantic scenes between her and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. She also appeared in the music video for "Broken" by Lindsey Haun in 2006. Preston served as a spokesperson for Neutrogena, appearing in their print and television advertisements. Additionally, she was featured in commercials for Canada Dry ginger ale.

4.1. Relationships and marriages

Preston was married to actor Kevin Gage from 1985 until their divorce in 1987. Following this, she had a relationship with actor George Clooney in the late 1980s. During their relationship, Clooney gifted Preston a pot-bellied pig named Max, which she kept after their breakup.

Preston was briefly engaged to actor Charlie Sheen in 1990. However, the engagement ended shortly after an accidental discharge gun discharge left shrapnel in her body. In a 2011 interview with TMZ, Preston clarified that Sheen did not intentionally shoot her.

Preston met John Travolta in 1987 while they were filming The Experts. They married in 1991, with their first wedding ceremony taking place at the Hôtel de Crillon (on the Place de la Concorde) in Paris on September 5, 1991. This ceremony, performed by a French Scientology minister, was later deemed invalid. A second ceremony was required and took place in Daytona Beach, Florida, on September 12, 1991.

4.2. Children

Preston and Travolta had three children together. Their first child, a son named Jett, was born in April 1992. Their daughter, Ella Bleu, was born on April 3, 2000. Their second son, Benjamin Hunter Kaleo, was born on November 23, 2010, when Preston was 47 years old.

4.3. Death of Jett Travolta

Preston's son, Jett Travolta, had a complex medical history. He was described as having suffered from Kawasaki disease as an infant and had a history of seizures. In 2003, Preston appeared on The Montel Williams Show to discuss 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 officially attributed to a seizure. Following Jett's death, an attempted extortion plot against Travolta and Preston emerged. On January 23, 2009, three individuals were arrested in the Bahamas in connection with a multi-million-dollar scheme. The suspects included Obie Wilchcombe, a member of the Bahamian Parliament and former Bahamian Minister of Tourism, who was described as a "close friend" of the Travoltas. Also implicated were an EMT named Tarino Lightbourne and Bahamian senator Pleasant Bridgewater. Bridgewater was charged with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort, leading to her resignation from the Senate. During the legal proceedings, Travolta and Preston publicly confirmed long-standing speculations that their son had autism and experienced regular seizures. The first trial related to the extortion plot ended in a mistrial. After a second jury had been selected, the Travoltas ultimately chose to drop the case, and all charges against the defendants were dismissed.

4.4. Scientology affiliation

Both Kelly Preston and John Travolta were prominent members of the Scientology faith. Preston remained a Scientologist throughout her life until her death.

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Web and Music videos