Born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu on Oct. 13, 1962, Preston began her foray into show business at the age of 20 when she was cast as a troubled teen on CBS\u2019s daytime soap opera \u201cCapitol\u201d in 1982 while still going by the moniker Kelly Palzis, which is her adoptive father\u2019s last name.<\/p>\n
Preston took the name after her birth father drowned when she was 3 years old and her mother, Linda, remarried Peter Palzis.<\/p>\n
After living in Iraq, Preston and her family moved to Australia where she was discovered at 16 by a fashion photographer, which led to modeling gigs and commercials. Little did she know, the talented teen had also already come neck-and-neck with another future Hollywood heavyweight, Brooke Shields, while auditioning for the part of Emmeline in the 1980 hit \u201cThe Blue Lagoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
After returning to the US, Preston finished high school in Hawaii and wound up studying acting at the University of Southern California, however, she later dropped out.<\/p>\n\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>