Kelly Preston began her career as a teen ingenue breaking into show business while still attending USC. Billed as Kelly Palzis, she landed her first role as a troubled teenager on the CBS daytime serial "Capitol" in 1982 and later that year debuted in films in a small role in "10 to Midnight". By 1983, she had adopted the surname Kelly Preston and had made the leap to primetime cast as a flirtatious teen vamp in the short-lived series "For Love and Honor" (NBC, 1983). On the big screen, she was the female lead in the low-budget Charles Band fantasy "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" (1983) before finding a niche in teen fare like "Secret Admirer" (1985) and "SpaceCamp" (1986).

The bubbly actress attempted to reposition herself with grittier material, portraying a murder victim whose death is watched by her lover (Roy Scheider) in "52 Pickup" (1986). In "The Experts" (lensed in 1987; released in 1989), Preston was seemingly miscast as a Soviet spy (although she and co-star John Travolta hit it off; they married in 1991). "Twins" (1988) gave her an opportunity to display her comedic abilities as Danny DeVito's trusting girlfriend. For much of the late 80s and early 90s, though, she was trapped in unworthy fare.

Finally in 1996, Preston broke out with a string of performances that announced her versatility. After a cameo as a newscaster in "From Dusk to Dawn", she was barely recognizable as a brunette lesbian trying to convince Laura Dern's title character to have an abortion in the black comedy "Citizen Ruth". Finally, her all-out turn as the foul-mouthed ruthless PR flak in "Jerry Maguire" made audiences and critics take notice. She followed as Matthew Broderick's straying girlfriend in "Addicted to Love" (1997) and returned to comedy as a savvy media analyst alongside Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum in "Holy Man" (1998). The busy actress continued her streak as the widow of a musician who is reincarnated as a snowman in "Jack Frost" (also 1998) and landed leading lady duties to Kevin Costner in the baseball-themed romantic yarn "For the Love of the Game" (1999), a role in which, along with her well-established sex appeal, she also displayed a heretofore unexplored vulnerability and her most involving on-screen presence. She also had a cameo as a lusty alien in hubby Travolta's unfortunate vanity project based on the sci-fi novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the misbetton "Battlefield Earth" (2000), and she had a leading role in the ensemble of writer-director Billy Bob Thornton's little-seen "Daddy & Them" (2001).

In 2003, Preston's career was in high gear: she co-starred in the long-delayed comedy flop "View From The Top," opposite Gwyneth Paltrow as a blonde flight attendant, and played mother to Amanda Bynes in the tween- and teen-skewing comedy "What a Girl Wants" before appearing in one of her most high-profile roles as Joan, mother to Sally and Conrad, in the disappointing live-action adapatation of "The Cat in the Hat." After appearing in the little seen indies "Eulogy" (2004) and "Return to Sender" (2004), Preston co-starred with Kurt Russell in the superhero spoof "Sky High" (2005), as the heroic Jetstream, who sends her non-powered son to a special secret acadmey for the offspring of superpowered crimefighters.

Filmography

> Sky High (2005) .... Josie/Jetstream
> Return to Sender (2004) .... Susan Kennan
... aka Convicted (USA: video title)
> Eulogy (2004) .... Lucy Collins
> The Cat in the Hat (2003) .... Mom
... aka Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (USA: complete title)
> What a Girl Wants (2003) .... Libby Reynolds
> View from the Top (2003) .... Sherry
> Daddy and Them (2001) .... Rose
> Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) .... Chirk
... aka Battlefield Earth (USA: short title)
> Bar Hopping (2000) (TV) .... Bebe
> For Love of the Game (1999) .... Jane Aubrey
> Jack Frost (1998/I) .... Gabby Frost
... aka Frost
> Holy Man (1998) .... Kate Newell
> Nothing to Lose (1997) .... Ann Beam
> Addicted to Love (1997) .... Linda Green
... aka Forlorn
> Jerry Maguire (1996) .... Avery Bishop
> Curdled (1996) .... Kelly Hogue
> From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) .... Newscaster Kelly Houge
> Citizen Ruth (1996) .... Rachel
... aka Meet Ruth Stoops
> Waiting to Exhale (1995) (uncredited) .... Kathleen
> Mrs. Munck (1995) .... Young Rose
> Little Surprises (1995) (TV) .... Ginger
> Cheyenne Warrior (1994) (TV) .... Rebecca Carver
> Double Cross (1994) .... Vera Blanchard
> Love Is a Gun (1994) .... Jean Starr
> The American Clock (1993) (TV) .... Diana Marley
... aka Arthur Miller's The American Clock
> Only You (1992/I) .... Amanda Hughes
> The Perfect Bride (1991) (TV) .... Laura
> Run (1991) .... Karen Landers
> The Experts (1989) .... Bonnie
... aka Experts, Les (Canada: French title)
> Twins (1988) .... Marnie Mason
> Spellbinder (1988) .... Miranda Reed
> Love at Stake (1988) .... Sara Lee
... aka Burnin' Love
> A Tiger's Tale (1988) .... Shirley Butts
> Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) .... Violet (segment "Titan Man")
... aka Cheeseburger Film Sandwich
> 52 Pick-Up (1986) .... Cini
> SpaceCamp (1986) .... Tish Ambrosei
> Secret Admirer (1985) .... Deborah Anne Fimple
... aka The Letter (USA)
> Mischief (1985) .... Marilyn McCauley
> "For Love and Honor" (1983) TV Series .... Mary Lee (1983)
> Christine (1983) .... Roseanne
... aka John Carpenter's Christine (USA: complete title)
> For Love and Honor (1983) (TV) .... Mary Lee
> Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983) .... Dhyana
> 10 to Midnight (1983) (as Kelly Palzis) .... Doreen
> "Capitol" (1982) TV Series .... Gillian McCandless (1982)

Click on a link on the left to go to each gallery.

links
AskMen.com: Kelly Preston
E! Online: Kelly Preston

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