Preston starred in films such as "SpaceCamp" (1986), "Twins" (1988), "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and "For Love of the Game" (1999). Preston's final film role was in the 2018 film "Gotti" in which she played Victoria Gotti, the wife of Mafia boss John Gotti, who was portrayed on screen by her husband, John Travolta.
Lord have mercy the year 2020 is continuing it seems to be the worst year ever for the entire freeken world.
I am heartbroken for John Travolta and his family.
My first job as an extra when moving to Hollywood in 1984 was playing a college Frat guy in the movie SECRET ADMIRER which starred Kelly Preston with C. Thomas Howell and the gal from FULL HOUSE who is probably going to prison now. They/We were all so young back then and the whole world felt so exciting and was full of wonder and adventure and happiness.
Now it seems life is shit.
My condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.
The Frat House scenes I worked on in SECRET ADMIRER. Kelly Preston was beautiful! Life was fun. Rest in Peace Kelly Preston. So very sad.
After a few television guest spots in the early 1980s, Kelly Preston made her feature film debut in a featured role in the 1983 Charles Bronson crime drama 10 TO MIDNIGHT. In the film, an LAPD detective, “Kessler” (Bronson), and his rookie partner (Andrew Stevens) are on the trail of a psychopathic young man who is murdering young women. Kessler is desperate to catch the killer because his daughter, student nurse “Laurie” (Lisa Eilbacher), was a friend of the latest victim, and Kessler fears she may be targeted next.
Kelly Preston, appearing under the name of “Palzis” (her adoptive step-father) played “Doreen,” one of Laurie’s roommates. This was the fourth of nine films that Charles Bronson would make with director J. Lee Thompson. The film was a middling box office performer, grossing $7.2 million. Robert O. Ragland’s score was released on a Varese Sarabande LP, which was re-issued on CD by Intrada in 2009.
METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN takes place on a desert planet, where warlord “Jared-Syn” (Mike Preston) is trying to convince a tribe of mutants that he's their messiah, and gain unlimited power hidden in a crystal. “Ranger Dogen” (Jeffrey Byron) and explorer “Dhyana” (Kelly Preston), whose father was murdered by Syn, must stop him.
Kelly Preston in METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN
Executive producer Albert Band received initial financing for the film from attorneys Arthur H. Maslansky and Gordon W. Gregory, despite Band’s advice against investing their own money. Additional funds acquired from other investors brought the total budget to $3.5 million. Universal president Bob Rehme viewed selected scenes of the picture at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, and purchased U.S. distribution rights, with plans for an August 1983 release, as a follow-up to the studio’s upcoming production, JAWS 3-D. In late July 1983, 1241 prints of JAWS 3-D included a trailer for METALSTORM. Production expenses were reimbursed to Albert Band International Productions, through an advance payment from Universal, which was then placed in a “rotating fund” to finance future collaborations between Band and his son, producer/director Charles Band.
Making the film a complete family affair, Charles Band’s brother, Richard Band, scored the film. Intrada released Band’s score in 2007. METALSTORM barely showed a profit, grossing just $5.3 million at the box office.
On the way home from school one day, friends “Arnie Cunningham” (Keith Gordon) and “Dennis Guilder” (John Stockwell) stop at the home of an elderly man named “George LeBay” (Roberts Blossom), who is selling his late brother’s dilapidated 1958 Plymouth Fury, nicknamed CHRISTINE. Arnie buys the strange car, but soon finds out that it has an evil mind of its own, and Arnie’s nature starts to change to reflect it. Kelly Preston has a small role in the film as “Roseanne,” the head cheerleader at Arnie’s school.
Kelly Preston in CHRISTINE
In Stephen King’s source novel, there's a scene in which Dennis and Roseanne are in a theater watching GREASE (1978). Dennis doesn't like the movie, but Roseanne loves it. In CHRISTINE, Roseanne is played by Kelly Preston, future GREASE star John Travolta's wife.
John Carpenter directed the film. CHRISTINE opened 9 December 1983 to lukewarm reviews, several of which compared it unfavorably to the original novel, or to other films based on the works of Stephen King. The film fought its way into the top 40 films of the year, with a gross of $21 million.
Motown Records released an LP of songs from the film, which has not been re-issued on CD. A music video of the opening title song, “Bad To The Bone” by George Thorogood, was produced by Mark Robinson of Modern Productions, to promote both the song and the film. In 1989, Varese Sarabande released John Carpenter’s score for the film directly to CD. Varese re-issued it on LP in 2017.
In September 1983, Kelly Preston began regular work in a television series called “For Love and Honor”. She played “Mary Lee,” one of the young women left at home as a group of airborne soldiers went through advanced training. David Gerber Productions must have thought that the first term of the Reagan administration was a good time for a TV military show, even one that was more of a domestic drama than a combat-oriented one. The series starred Cliff Potts and Yaphet Kotto.
NBC premiered the series on Friday, 23 September 1983, at 10 PM where it butted heads with the CBS nighttime soap “Falcon Crest,” the #7 show on television that season. The show was soon moved to the same time slot on Tuesdays where it replaced Steven Bocho’s series “Bay City Blues,” which had been cancelled after four episodes. “For Love and Honor” now faced off against “The CBS Tuesday Night Movie,” the #25 show. “For Love and Honor” staggered through 12 episodes before being cancelled itself.
MISCHIEF begins with the title cards “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” and then “...Ohio, 1956”. It’s there and then that gawky high school student “Jonathan Bellah” (Doug McKeon), obsessed with the hottest girl in class, “Marilyn McCauley” (Kelly Preston), takes a crash course in teenage coolness from his motorcycle rebel neighbor “Gene Harbrough” (Chris Nash).
Kelly Preston and Doug McKeon in MISCHIEF
Julie Noble, who played “Mrs. McCauley, was only one month older than Kelly Preston, who played her daughter Marilyn McCauley. Mel Damski directed the film, which was shot under the working title of “Getting Lucky.” Barry De Vorzon’s score did not get a release, and despite the fact that more than 25 songs were heard in the film, no song-track album was released either. Perhaps that was because they were all mid-50s tunes, with no new music to promote. MISCHIEF barely snuck into the top 100 films at the 1985 box office, with grosses of just $8.7 million.
Really gutted, just 57, I didn't really know Kelly Preston aside from 10 Too Midnight - Space Camp & Twins but she was skilled talented & beautiful on screen - what upsets me too that she lost her son so young that was terrible for John & Kelly their charity work helped so many when they lost their baby I don't think either got over that, my deepest condolences too John's FAMILY.
An unseen high school girl puts a SECRET ADMIRER love note in the locker of a boy named “Michael Ryan” (C. Thomas Howell). Later, Michael opens his messy locker and throws everything away, but keeps the envelope to read later. Before leaving for summer break, he says goodbye to two girls: his close friend “Toni” (Lori Laughlin), and his crush, “Deborah Anne Fimple” (Kelly Preston).
C. Thomas Howell and Kelly Preston in SECRET ADMIRER
Unknown actress Julianne Phillips was originally cast as “Deborah Anne Fimple,” but after four days, producer Steve Roth decided she was “too sophisticated” for the part, and replaced her with Kelly Preston. Months later, Phillips became an instant celebrity after marrying rock star Bruce Springsteen. According to the Los Angeles Times, Roth missed out on the invaluable free publicity by re-casting Phillips.
The $7 million production marked the directorial debut of David Greenwalt. SECRET ADMIRER grossed $8.6 million, finishing just behind MISCHIEF in the 1985 box office sweepstakes. Jan Hammer’s score had one track on the MCA song-track LP. That release has not been re-issued on CD.
Female astronaut “Andie Bergstrom” (Kate Capshaw) complains to her astronaut husband, “Zach” (Tom Skerritt), that she is disappointed to be passed over for an upcoming space mission. On the bright side, Zach reminds her that she will have time to work with him at SPACECAMP teaching adolescents how to be astronauts. Andie is less than thrilled. At the start of camp, Spacecamper “Kevin Donaldson” (Tate Donovan) watches “Kathryn Fairly” (Lea Thompson) land a prop plane in a field next to the campus. When the campers are assigned to teams by color, Kevin switches his yellow badge for a blue one so he can be on Kathryn’s team.
Andie gives campers their titles and corresponding assignments, and selects Kevin to be shuttle commander. Andie also gives permission for a precocious twelve-year-old Spacecamper, “Max” (Joaquin Phoenix, in his feature film debut), to join the older teenage Spacecamp program. Despite Kathryn Fairly’s desire to be shuttle commander, Andie assigns her to be pilot. In the dormitory, Spacecamper and free spirit “Tish Ambrosay” (Kelly Preston) shares a bunk bed with Kathryn. Elsewhere, Kevin tells teammate “Rudy Tyler” (Larry B. Scott) that he is just there to have a good time.
The cast of SPACECAMP: Kelly Preston, Tate Donovan, Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, and Larry B. Scott
The actors spent six weeks before filming learning to move in “zero gravity” while suspended on pulley-operated wired harnesses. Technical advisors were around before and during filming to ensure the actors properly simulated weightlessness. The film’s budget was $14 million, with the cost of the Atlantis Shuttle set comprising $3 million of the total.
SPACECAMP marked Harry Winer’s feature film directorial debut. The film was originally supposed to take three months to shoot. However, the movie fell ten days behind schedule on the first day of shooting and wound up taking six months altogether to complete.
What was supposed to be a somewhat light-hearted action/adventure movie turned into a marketing nightmare. SPACECAMP was scheduled to be released in early 1986, but on 28 January 1986 the real-life shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds after liftoff, claiming the lives of seven American astronauts. After the Challenger disaster, the release was pushed back months. When it was finally sent to theaters in June, it grossed less than $10 million in the U.S.
John Williams’ score was released on a hard-to-find RCA LP. Soundtrack Listeners Communications released the score on a limited-edition CD in 1992, which Intrada re-issued in 2010 and again in 2014.
When Cannon Group co-producers Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan optioned Elmore Leonard’s novel 52 Pick-Up in 1974, they had Leonard change the setting from Detroit, Michigan to Tel Aviv, Israel. The storyline was also changed: the wife of an American ambassador to Israel has an affair for which the couple is blackmailed, threatening the ambassador’s job. This version was filmed and released in 1984 under the title, THE AMBASSADOR. The picture was directed by J. Lee Thompson and starred Robert Mitchum, Ellen Burstyn, and Rock Hudson. The film took in a paltry $1.5 million at the box office.
Globus and Golan decided to try again in 1986 with the original Leonard story. Director John Frankenheimer had told his agent that he wanted to option Leonard’s novel after reading it. When he learned that Cannon owned the rights, he approached them and asked if he could direct 52 PICK-UP.
In the beginning of the film, industrialist “Harry Mitchell” (Roy Scheider) drives his Jaguar XKE to work as his wife, “Barbara” (Ann-Margret), a clean air commissioner, leaves in her car. After Harry takes care of a few perfunctory things at his office, he drives to a secret apartment to meet his mistress, “Cynthia ‘Cini’ Frazier” (Kelly Preston). Cini is missing, but two masked gangsters force Harry at gunpoint to watch video footage of his vacation with Cini in Palm Springs, when he was supposedly attending a convention. The blackmailers want $105,000 in exchange for the incriminating video.
Vanity and Kelly Preston in 52 PICK-UP
Filming was scheduled to begin 9 April 1986 in Pittsburgh, PA, standing in for Detroit. However, weather conditions and budgetary concerns led filmmakers to relocate the production and the story's setting to Los Angeles. The film had a ten-week shooting schedule.
The film opened on 7 November 1986. 52 PICK-UP didn’t set the box office on fire, but it did better than THE AMBASSADOR, grossing $5.2 million. Gary Chang’s score was released on a Varese Sarabande LP, which was reissued by Varese on CD in 2016.
The Salem witch trials were played for laughs in BURNIN’ LOVE, filmed in 1986 by Hemdale Productions. In the period spoof, set in 1692 New England, “Miles Campbell” (Patrick Cassidy) returns to Salem, Massachusetts, after attending Harvard Divinity School and reunites with his childhood sweetheart, town baker and orphan “Sara Lee” (Kelly Preston). Later, “Faith Stewart” (Barbara Carrera), a witch recently arrived from London, sees Miles with Sara. Instantly attracted to Miles, Faith plans to use her magic powers to gain his love. Meanwhile, “Judge Samuel John” (Stuart Pankin) meets with “Mayor Upton” (Dave Thomas) to discuss the need to begin constructing Puritan Village, a community of condominiums with a shopping mall. To obtain the needed land, Judge John decides to create frenzy through the town by accusing innocent citizens of witchcraft.
The completed film was announced for an April 1987 release by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group. However, on 15 April, De Laurentiis changed the release date to August 1987. By August, De Laurentiis was in heavy debt, and since the commercial prospects for the film did not look bright, it was shelved. The following year, the film, re-titled LOVE AT STAKE, saw limited release through Tri-Star Pictures, opening in Los Angeles on 30 September 1988.
Kelly Preston in LOVE AT STAKE
John Moffitt directed the film. Charles Fox’s score was released on a German CD from Cinerama in 1993. De Laurentiis’ financial acumen proved correct, as LOVE AT STAKE earned only $62,000 in its theatrical release before being dumped on video.
In the 1987 sketch comedy film AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON, Kelly Preston appeared with Ralph Bellamy and Howard Hesseman in a segment entitled “Titan Man.” In the sketch, teenager “George” (Matt Adler) is on a date with “Violet” (Preston) and stops at a drugstore to purchase condoms, but the pharmacist knows the teen’s family. When George purchases a box of Titans, he is the condom company’s one-billionth sale and is named the “Titan King” in a public ceremony. Robert K. Weiss helmed Preston’s sequence. Ira Newborn's score for the film has not had a release.
In SPELLBINDER, Tim Daly is a lawyer who happens to rescue the beautiful Kelly Preston from an abusive acquaintance on the street one dark evening. He offers to let her stay at his place for the night, and soon they are living together. Later, Daly is visited by a strange woman (Audra Lindley) who tells him "We want her back. Take this as a warning. There won't be another." Daly soon learns from Preston that she is a witch, and that her coven plans a human sacrifice in a few days. Daly is skeptical, but even a police lieutenant (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) warns him that the group is suspected of committing several murders. Can he save Preston from a similar fate?
Kelly Preston and Tim Daly in SPELLBINDER
This $6 million film barely registered at the box office, grossing under $700,000. It was produced by Joe Wizan and directed by his wife, television director Janet Greek. It was Greek's second and last feature. With the exclusion of a few nude scenes, Tracy Tormé's script would be quite suitable as a made-for-television film, since it basically trods well-worn ground. Basil Poledouris' moody electronic score was released by La-La Land in 2011.
After Kelly Preston’s marriage to John Travolta, who is an adherent of Scientology, the Church of Scientology tried to suppress the movie because of Preston’s nude scenes and the fact that the plot is centered around witchcraft. Preston also became a devout Scientologist and remained so for the rest of her life.
In the 1988 comedy TWINS, a physically perfect but innocent man, “Julius Benedict” (Arnold Schwarzenegger), goes in search of his long-lost twin brother “Vincent” (Danny DeVito), who is short, a womanizer, and a small-time crook. Vincent has an on-again-off-again girlfriend, “Linda Mason” (Chloe Webb), and she has a sister, “Marnie” (Kelly Preston).
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kelly Preston in TWINS
Ivan Reitman directed the film. Georges Delerue and Randy Edelman provided the score. One track from each composer made it onto the CBS soundtrack CD. Despite mostly negative critical reviews, the $14 million production was a commercial success, grossing $112 million in the U.S., becoming only the sixth Universal release to pass the $100 million mark. Worldwide, the film finished with a total take of $217 million.
Kelly Preston met John Travolta on the set of THE EXPERTS in September 1987. In this comedy, groups of potential Soviet spies are trained in a town made up to pass for "Indian Springs," Nebraska. The denizens of the town speak perfect English and go about their days as Americans to train the cadets to fit into American society. KGB agent “Cameron Smith” (Charles Martin Smith), feels that the training is substandard, as the town has failed to develop culturally since its inception, and is stuck in the 1950s.
In order to rectify the situation, Smith hires New York City club-goers (and aspiring club-owners) “Travis” (John Travolta) and “Wendell” (Arye Gross) to teach modern ways to the outdated town under the auspices of opening a nightclub. The two are drugged en route and wake up in Russia unaware they have left the United States. Travis and Wendell are bemused by the quaint ways of the town and dismayed when they see the location Smith has procured for them (a 50s-style tiki lounge), but they set to work remodeling the club, begin to make friends around the town and even start to date a couple of the trainees, “Bonnie” (Kelly Preston) and “Jill” (Deborah Foreman).
Kelly Preston and John Travolta in THE EXPERTS
After reviewing the initial cut of the film, Paramount wanted director Dave Thomas to go back and reshoot some scenes before its release, but in the intervening year, star John Travolta had gained over 30 pounds, which prevented any new scenes from being shot. So, Paramount shelved the film. Finally, in January 1989, the $3 million picture was given a limited theatrical release. It bombed, grossing only $169,000. Marvin Hamlisch’s score has not had a release.
gutted, just 57, I didn't really know Kelly Preston aside from 10 Too Midnight - Space Camp & Twins but she was skilled talented & beautiful on screen - what upsets me too that she lost her son so young that was terrible for John & Kelly their charity work helped so many when they lost their baby I don't think either got over that, my deepest condolences too John's FAMILY. 
