Kelly Preston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kelly Preston
Preston in 2018
Born	Kelly Kamalelehua Smith (1962-10-13)October 13, 1962 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Died	July 12, 2020(2020-07-12) (aged 57) Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actress model
Years active	1980–2020
Spouse(s)	Kevin Gage ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1987)​ John Travolta ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3

Kelly Preston (born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith, October 13, 1962 – July 12, 2020) was a talented American actress and model. She appeared in over 60 movies and TV shows during her career. Some of her most famous films include Mischief (1985), Twins (1988), Jerry Maguire (1996), and For Love of the Game (1999).

Kelly Preston married actor John Travolta in 1991. They worked together on movies like The Experts (1989) and Gotti (2018). She also starred in other popular films such as SpaceCamp (1986), The Cat in the Hat (2003), What a Girl Wants (2003), Sky High (2005), and Old Dogs (2009).

Kelly Preston's Early Life and Education

Kelly Kamalelehua Smith was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her middle name, "Kamalelehua," means "garden of lehuas" in the Hawaiian language. Her mother, Linda, worked as an administrator at a mental health center. Kelly's father passed away when she was very young. Later, her mother married Peter Palzis, who worked as a personnel director. He adopted Kelly, and she used his last name when she first started acting. She also had a younger half-brother named Chris Palzis.

As a child, Kelly lived in different places, including Iraq and Australia, where she went to Pembroke School, Adelaide. She then attended Punahou School in Honolulu and graduated in 1980. After high school, she studied drama and theater at the University of Southern California.

Kelly Preston's Acting Career

While living in Australia at age 16, Kelly was discovered by a fashion photographer. He helped her find work in commercials and small acting roles. He even set up her first movie audition for the film The Blue Lagoon (1980), but the role went to Brooke Shields. Around this time, she changed her last name to Preston.

Her first big movie roles came in 1985. She played Marilyn McCauley in the fun teen comedy Mischief and Deborah Ann Fimple in another teen comedy, Secret Admirer.

Kelly Preston appeared in many other movies, including:

• SpaceCamp (1986)
• Twins (1988), where she starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito
• Jerry Maguire (1996), with Tom Cruise
• For Love of the Game (1999), with Kevin Costner
• Holy Man (1998), with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum
• Nothing to Lose (1997), with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence
• Jack Frost (1998)

She also played Chirk in the film Battlefield Earth, which starred her husband, John Travolta. In 2005, she played a flying superhero mother named Josie Stronghold, also known as Jetstream, in the movie Sky High.

Preston in 2005

In 2004, Kelly Preston appeared in the music video for "She Will Be Loved" by the band Maroon 5. She played a socialite in a romantic story with the band's lead singer, Adam Levine. She also starred in the crime thriller Death Sentence (2007), playing Helen Hume, the wife of Kevin Bacon's character.

Kelly had a recurring role in the TV series Medium in 2008. She also starred in the Lifetime TV movie The Tenth Circle (2008). Besides acting, she was a spokeswoman for the beauty brand Neutrogena, appearing in their ads.

Her last public appearance on a red carpet was in 2018 for the premiere of her husband's movie Gotti in New York City. Her final movie role was in the comedy-drama Off the Rails, which was released after her passing in 2021.

Kelly Preston's Family Life

Kelly Preston was married to actor Kevin Gage from 1985 to 1987. She also had a relationship with George Clooney in the late 1980s. She was briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen in 1990.

Kelly met John Travolta in 1987 while they were filming The Experts. They got married in 1991 in Paris. They had three children together: a son named Jett, a daughter named Ella Bleu, and another son named Benjamin. Kelly Preston was a member of the Church of Scientology throughout her life.

The Passing of Jett Travolta

Kelly Preston's son, Jett Travolta, had health challenges from a young age. He experienced seizures and was diagnosed with autism.

On January 2, 2009, Jett Travolta passed away while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. His death was caused by a seizure. In September 2009, John Travolta and Kelly Preston spoke publicly about their son's autism and seizures.

Kelly Preston's Passing

On July 12, 2020, Kelly Preston passed away at her home in Clearwater, Florida, at the age of 57. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier, but her diagnosis was not widely known to the public. She received treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and other medical facilities. Her passing was announced by John Travolta and Ella Bleu on Instagram.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Web Series

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kelly Preston para niños