# Kelly Preston
**Kelly Preston** (born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in 1962; some sources give her legal name as Kelly Kamalelehua Palzis) was an American actress and former model who appeared in more than 60 film and television productions over a career spanning more than three decades, best known for the comedies *Twins* (1988) and *Jerry Maguire* (1996) and for her marriage to [John Travolta](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-travolta)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). She died of breast cancer on July 12, 2020, at the age of 57, after a two-year battle with the disease that she had kept private[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kelly-preston-dies-age-57-breast-cancer/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | Born 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii; died July 12, 2020 of breast cancer, aged 57[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) |
| Signature roles | Marnie Mason in *Twins* (1988); Avery Bishop in *Jerry Maguire* (1996); Jane Aubrey in *For Love of the Game* (1999)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) |
| Career scale | More than 60 film and television productions across more than three decades[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) |
| Marriage | Married John Travolta in 1991 in a Scientology ceremony in Paris, after meeting on the set of *The Experts* (1989)[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) |
| Earlier marriage | Married actor Kevin Gage in 1985; divorced two years later[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) |
| Highest-rated film | *Jerry Maguire* (1996) at 86% on the Tomatometer, her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kelly_preston) |
| Final roles | Victoria Gotti in *Gotti* (2018); the comedy *Off the Rails*, released in 2021 after her death[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [5](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/posthumous-films-kelly-preston-aaliyah-b1886595.html) |
## Early life
Preston was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. When Kelly was only three, her father passed away, and her mother, Linda Carlson, an administrator at a hospital, went on to wed Peter Palzis, an employee of an agricultural firm, who legally became Kelly's adoptive father; the Palzis surname found in some filmographies most likely stems from this adoption.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/)
The family traveled frequently overseas during her childhood because of her stepfather's work, including a one-year stay in Iraq where he took part in a project helping local farmers become self-sufficient. They moved to Australia when she was 14, and it was there that a photographer discovered her and encouraged her toward modeling and commercials[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). The family later returned to Hawaii, where she finished high school; she then moved to Los Angeles and began studying drama and theater at the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california) in 1980[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). She recalled doing a Japanese chocolate commercial at 17 with "the Japanese John Travolta," remarking in a 2018 interview that she later married the actual John Travolta[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
## Career
**Television and early films.** She broke into show business in 1982 under her legal name, Kelly Palzis, playing a troubled teenager on the CBS daytime serial *Capitol* before making her film debut in the [Charles Bronson](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-bronson) action film *10 to Midnight* (1983)[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). By 1983 she had adopted the surname Preston and moved to primetime with the short-lived NBC series *For Love and Honor* (1983–84)[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). Her 1980s films included *Secret Admirer* (1985), *SpaceCamp* (1986), and [John Frankenheimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-frankenheimer)'s adaptation of the [Elmore Leonard](https://www.edgepedia.org/elmore-leonard) novel *52 Pick-Up* (1986), opposite Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
**Breakthrough.** In 1988 she played [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://www.edgepedia.org/arnold-schwarzenegger)'s trusting girlfriend, Marnie Mason, in [Ivan Reitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivan-reitman)'s hit comedy *Twins*, alongside Schwarzenegger and [Danny DeVito](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-devito), which brought her international attention and led to more prominent parts[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
**The 1990s peak.** After a period in which she stepped back from the spotlight following her marriage, she returned in 1996 with a string of roles that showed her range: a cameo as a newscaster in *From Dusk Till Dawn*, a supporting part in [Alexander Payne](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander-payne)'s *Citizen Ruth*, and her most memorable and critically acclaimed role, the ruthless publicist Avery Bishop in [Cameron Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-crowe)'s *Jerry Maguire*, as the ambitious fiancée of [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise)'s title character[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/kelly-preston-actress-and-wife-of-john-travolta-dies-at-57/2020/07/13/f7e58ca0-c507-11ea-a99f-3bbdffb1af38_story.html). The film earned an 86% Tomatometer score from 154 reviews, and critics singled out her comic timing as a revelation[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kelly_preston) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). She followed it with *Addicted to Love* (1997), *Nothing to Lose* (1997), *Holy Man* (1998), *Jack Frost* (1998) as Michael Keaton's wife, and the baseball romance *For Love of the Game* (1999) opposite Kevin Costner[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kelly-preston).
**Later work.** Through the 2000s she appeared in family and comedy films including *What a Girl Wants* (2003), the live-action *Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat* (2003) as the mother, and the superhero spoof *Sky High* (2005) as the heroic Jetstream[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). She won positive notice for the revenge drama *Death Sentence* (2007) as [Kevin Bacon](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-bacon)'s conflicted wife[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). Her work slowed after her son's death in 2009; later credits included *Old Dogs* (2009), *The Last Song* (2010), *Casino Jack* (2010), and a guest arc on *CSI: Cyber*[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). She appeared with Travolta in *The Experts* (1989), *Battlefield Earth* (2000), and *Gotti* (2018), in which she played mob wife [Victoria Gotti](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-gotti) and prepared by meeting Victoria Gotti herself[8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kelly-preston) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
## Personal life
During the 1980s she was romantically linked to actors [Charlie Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-sheen) and [George Clooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-clooney)[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/). She married actor Kevin Gage in 1985 and divorced him two years later[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). She met John Travolta on the set of *The Experts* (1989); they began dating in 1990 and married in 1991 in a Scientology ceremony in Paris[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). Both were Scientologists, and she also had a small part in *Battlefield Earth* (2000), adapted from a novel by the religion's founder L. Ron Hubbard[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
In 2009 her 16-year-old son Jett, who had autism, died after a seizure while the family was on holiday in the Bahamas. Preston subsequently set up the Jett Travolta Foundation, which focuses on children with disabilities[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html). She is survived by Travolta and their children Ella and Benjamin[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html).
## Death
Travolta announced her death on Instagram on July 12, 2020, writing that she had "lost her two-year battle with breast cancer" and thanking her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center and other medical centers[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kelly-preston-dies-age-57-breast-cancer/). She had chosen not to disclose her illness publicly, so many people learned of it only after her death, and tributes followed from colleagues including Olivia Newton-John and Josh Gad[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/kelly-preston-death-cause-breast-cancer-john-travolta-tribute-josh-gad-sarah-paulson-a9615366.html). Sources disagree on the place of death: IMDb records Clearwater, Florida, while the Television Academy lists Ocala, Florida[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/) • [8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kelly-preston).
Her final completed performance came in the comedy *Off the Rails*, filmed while she was privately ill. Producer Bill Kenwright recalled that she told him she was sick and that the production proceeded without a completion bond so that she could make the film; it was released in 2021, a year after her death[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/posthumous-films-kelly-preston-aaliyah-b1886595.html).
## Reception
Critics remembered her screen presence as warm and grounding. Owen Gleiberman, writing after her death, described her as "the soul of likability," an actress whose "no-nonsense beam was a gift to the audience" in films from *Twins* and *Citizen Ruth* to the meet-cute opposite Kevin Costner in *For Love of the Game*[10](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kelly-preston-jerry-maguire-furiously-204532784.html).
## References
1. [Kelly Preston – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000593/bio/)
2. [Kelly Preston: Actor who won acclaim for her role in 'Jerry Maguire', The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kelly-preston-dead-actor-john-travolta-jerry-maguire-a9679991.html)
3. [Actress Kelly Preston dies of breast cancer at age 57, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kelly-preston-dies-age-57-breast-cancer/)
4. [Kelly Preston Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kelly_preston)
5. ['Their legacy ends with your movie': The eternal strangeness of the posthumous film, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/posthumous-films-kelly-preston-aaliyah-b1886595.html)
6. [Kelly Preston – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kelly-preston/)
7. [Kelly Preston, actress and wife of John Travolta, dies at 57, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/kelly-preston-actress-and-wife-of-john-travolta-dies-at-57/2020/07/13/f7e58ca0-c507-11ea-a99f-3bbdffb1af38_story.html)
8. [Kelly Preston, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/kelly-preston)
9. [Kelly Preston death: John Travolta and Josh Gad lead tributes, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/kelly-preston-death-cause-breast-cancer-john-travolta-tribute-josh-gad-sarah-paulson-a9615366.html)
10. [Kelly Preston in 'Jerry Maguire': Furiously Good, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kelly-preston-jerry-maguire-furiously-204532784.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Pe to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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