Kelly Preston

Early life

Kelly Kamalelehua Smith{{Cite web |url=http://www.themodernhonolulu.com/hawaiian-celebrities |website=themodernhonolulu.com |title=Ten Celebrities That Hail From Hawaii |access-date=February 15, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216055505/http://www.themodernhonolulu.com/hawaiian-celebrities |archive-date=February 16, 2017}} (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.

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,{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Bob |title=Travolta's Demolition Derby: Comic-book nuttiness lifts 'Battlefield Earth' |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/01/19/DD162654.DTL |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 19, 2001| access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104060645/http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Travolta-s-Demolition-Derby-Comic-book-2962829.php |archive-date=November 4, 2012}} 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). thumb|150px|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, 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.{{cite web

Her final red carpet appearance came at the New York City premiere of her husband's motion picture Gotti in 2018.{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/how-kelly-preston-spent-her-final-years

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. In a 2011 interview with TMZ, Preston said that Sheen did not shoot her.

Preston met John Travolta in 1987 while filming The Experts.{{cite web |archive-date=June 16, 2009}} 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.{{cite web |date=July 12, 2020| access-date=July 13, 2020 |last=Seemayer |first=Zach |url=https://www.etonline.com/kelly-preston-actress-and-wife-of-john-travolta-dead-at-57-149535

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (October 21, 2002). "Kelly Preston Hollywood Actor". Career Kōkua, State of Hawaii.
2. Riggs, Thomas. (2005). "Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television". Gale Biographies.
3. Seal, Mark. (2007). "Celebrated Weekends: The Stars' Guide to the most exciting destinations in the world". Rutledge Hill Press.
4. Donnelly, Dave. (May 17, 1999). "Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
5. "Kelly Preston News and Biography".
6. Preston, Kelly. "Biography". Personal Website.
7. (July 13, 2020). "Kelly Preston, actor and wife of John Travolta, dies of breast cancer at 57". [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]].
8. (July 12, 2020). "Hawaii-born Kelly Preston, actress and wife of John Travolta, dies at age 57". [[Star Advertiser]].
9. (July 13, 2020). "John Travolta's wife Kelly Preston dies of breast cancer aged 57". [[The New Daily]].
10. "Kelly Preston:Biography". [[IMDb]].
11. [http://www.askmen.com/celebs/women/actress/38_kelly_preston.html Kelly Preston Vitals] {{Webarchive. link. (March 3, 2016 at Ask Men.com)
12. "Interview with Kelly Preston (1988)".
13. Grant, John. (2006). "Sci-Fi Movies: Facts, Figures & Fun". Sterling Publishing Company.
14. Trechak, Brad. (May 16, 2008). "Kelly Preston in new HBO series". TV Squad.
15. "The Tenth Circle". IMDb.
16. [http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_3702.php/Kelly_Preston_Fronts_Neutrogena "Kelly Preston Fronts Neutrogena"] {{Webarchive. link. (February 1, 2014 . January 20, 2005. Monsters and Critics.)
17. (July 13, 2020). "Inside John Travolta & Kelly Preston's 28-Year Love Story".
18. Faber, Judy. (August 24, 2006). "Charlie Sheen". [[CBS]].
19. [http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/charlie-sheen.html "Charlie Sheen Biography"] {{webarchive. link. (March 22, 2014 , [[Biography Channel]] website. Retrieved October 26, 2010.)
20. (May 6, 2011). "Kelly Preston – Charlie Sheen DID NOT Shoot Me!".
21. (July 13, 2020). "A Gunshot That Allegedly Ended Kelly Preston and Charlie Sheen's Engagement".
22. "John Travolta Biography". Enewsreference.com.
23. "John Travolta Celebrates 'Most Beautiful' Daughter Ella on Her 21st Birthday: 'Your Dad Adores You!'".
24. (November 24, 2010). "John Travolta and Kelly Preston Welcome Son Benjamin".
25. "Turning To Faith During Cancer Treatment – How Do Scientologists Like Kelly Preston And John Travolta Handle Cancer Treatment?".
26. (January 2, 2009). "John Travolta's 16-Year-Old Son Dies". [[People (magazine).
27. Errico, Marcus. (January 2, 2009). "John Travolta's Son Jett Dead at 16". [[E!]] Online.
28. Wright, Lawrence. (2013). "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief". [[Alfred A. Knopf]].
29. (January 2, 2009). "Jett Travolta, son of actors, dies at 16". CNN.
30. (January 2, 2009). "John Travolta's teenage son dies". BBC.
31. (January 5, 2009). "Death Certificate: John Travolta's Son Died of a Seizure". ABC News.
32. Harlow, John. (January 25, 2009). "Senator 'tried to extort cash' from Travolta over son's death". The Sunday Times.
33. (January 24, 2009). "Travolta Suspect Resigns". TMZ.com.
34. Abraham, Mary Rose. (September 23, 2009). "From John Travolta: I Ran Down the Stairs To Help My Son". ABC News.
35. Roberts, Soraya. (September 6, 2010). "John Travolta drops extortion plot case against Tarino Lightbourne, Pleasant Bridgwater".
36. Roberto, Melissa. (19 August 2020). "Kelly Preston's death certificate reveals she died at Florida home: report". [[Fox News]].
37. (July 13, 2020). "Kelly Preston Dies of Breast Cancer at 57: 'She Was a Bright, Beautiful and Loving Soul'". [[People (magazine).
38. (July 14, 2020). "Actress Kelly Preston dies at 57 after battle with breast cancer". ABC13.
39. Ramzy, Austin. (July 13, 2020). "Kelly Preston, 'Jerry Maguire' Star, Dies at 57". The New York Times.
40. de Luna, Marcy. (July 13, 2020). "John Travolta thanks Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Kelly Preston was treated". Houston Chronicle.
41. (July 12, 2020). "Kelly Preston, Actress in 'Mischief,' 'Jerry Maguire,' Dies at 57". [[Variety (magazine).
42. "Filmography for Kelly Preston".
43. "Kelly Preston List of Movies and TV Shows".
44. (May 2, 2011). "Q&A: 'Jumping the Broom' star Angela Bassett on filming slap-fights and how to get your groove back".
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46. "Kelly Preston, Jenny Seagrove, Sally Phillips to star in UK interrailing comedy-drama 'Off The Rails' (exclusive)".
47. (July 13, 2020). "Inside Kelly Preston's Decades-Long Acting Career and Her Best Roles".
48. (September 16, 2013). "The Stafford Project – Ep. 4: "White Secret"".
49. (June 16, 2009). "Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved (Official Music Video)".
50. Govan, Chloé. (2013). "Maroon 5: Shooting For the Stars". Omnibus Press.
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54. (January 21, 2019). "2019 Razzie Awards nominations: Full list of Razzie nominees in all 9 categories 'honoring' the worst movies of the year".