Kelly Phillips is a former model and film makeup artist best known publicly as the second wife of American actor Lou Diamond Phillips, whose films include La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, and Young Guns. Born Kelly Preston, she worked behind the scenes on several film and television productions during the 1990s. The couple married in April 1994, had three daughters, and divorced in 2007. Although her marriage drew media coverage, her production credits show a professional history independent of that relationship.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Public Name | Kelly Phillips |
| Birth Name | Kelly Preston |
| Profession | Former model, makeup artist, hairstylist |
| Known For | Film production work and marriage to Lou Diamond Phillips |
| Former Husband | Lou Diamond Phillips |
| Marriage Date | April 24, 1994 |
| Divorce Finalized | July 2007 |
| Children | Three daughters |
| Notable Production Credits | The Wharf Rat, Undertow, Intimate Betrayal, Trouble on the Corner |
Who Is Kelly Phillips?
Kelly Phillips worked in the entertainment industry in the 1990s, contributing to productions as a makeup and hairstylist. Film-credit records support her professional background, rather than accounts of her former marriage.
She was also known professionally and personally as Kelly Preston, a name that requires an important distinction. She is not the late Hollywood actress Kelly Preston, who was married to John Travolta. The similarity has occasionally made it harder to identify the right person.
Contemporary entertainment reporting also describes Kelly Phillips as a former model. Her modeling background and production work explain why describing her solely as a celebrity’s former wife would overlook part of her documented history.
Kelly Phillips’ Professional Career in Hollywood
Makeup and Hairstyling Work
Kelly Phillips has several film and television credits from the mid-1990s. These include The Wharf Rat (1995), Undertow (1996), Intimate Betrayal (1996), and Trouble on the Corner (1997).
Production records identify her as a key makeup artist on Undertow and Intimate Betrayal. For Trouble on the Corner, she received credits as both key makeup artist and key hair stylist.
These credits show her work extended beyond modeling and appearances tied to her husband’s career.
Film makeup artists help develop and maintain performers’ appearance throughout production. Their responsibilities can include preparing actors for filming, preserving visual continuity between scenes, and coordinating with other members of the production team. A key makeup artist holds a designated position within that department.
The available credits establish Phillips’ involvement in these productions, though they do not detail her individual creative decisions on each project.
Her Work on Recognized Productions
Two of her documented projects, The Wharf Rat and Undertow, also featured Lou Diamond Phillips as an actor.
Her participation in Intimate Betrayal and Trouble on the Corner further demonstrates professional work beyond those shared projects.
In particular, her dual makeup and hairstyling credits on the 1997 film demonstrate that she performed more than one production function.
While these records confirm several professional assignments, they do not establish the full duration of her career or whether she continued similar work outside the productions recorded in public databases.
Marriage to Lou Diamond Phillips
Kelly Phillips married Lou Diamond Phillips on April 24, 1994, several years after the actor became widely recognized for portraying musician Ritchie Valens in La Bamba.
He had previously married filmmaker Julie CipherCipher, and their marriage ended in 1990. Kelly became his second wife.
One detail deserves particular care when reconstructing their relationship: accounts that place their first meeting during production of The Wharf Rat in 1995 conflict with their documented 1994 wedding date. The film confirms a professional connection, but it cannot establish how they first met.
During their marriage, Lou Diamond Phillips continued appearing in film, television, and theatre. His career included a Tony Award-nominated performance in the 1996 Broadway revival of The King and I.
Kelly’s own production credits fall within this period, showing that she was professionally involved in the entertainment industry while the couple was married.
Their Three Daughters and Family Life
Kelly Phillips and Lou Diamond Phillips have three daughters: twins Grace and Isabella, and their younger sister Lili Jordan.
Grace and Isabella were born in October 1997, and Lili followed in September 1999.
Their daughter Grace, also known professionally as Gracie Phillips, later entered the modeling industry. In 2018 interviews, she discussed her decision to build her career without initially using her father’s celebrity status as a professional advantage.
Contemporary coverage of Gracie’s modeling career also identified her mother as a former model.
This offers a documented connection between two generations of the family working in the visual and fashion industries. It does not, however, establish that Kelly directly managed or directed her daughter’s career.
Separation and Divorce
The marriage ended after more than a decade.
In February 2005, Deseret News reported that Kelly Phillips had filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The report said the couple separated on January 27, 2005.
The divorce filing addressed custody arrangements for their three daughters, who were minors at the time.
In August 2007, the entertainment program Extra reported that it had obtained court documents confirming the divorce was finalized. The report said the former couple would share custody of their children.
The divorce ended Kelly’s marriage to Lou Diamond Phillips, although their relationship as parents remained part of the family’s public history.
Following the divorce, Lou Diamond Phillips married makeup artist Yvonne Boismier in August 2007. The two women have separate professional identities and should not be confused.
Kelly Phillips’ Public Profile After Divorce
Unlike her former husband, Kelly Phillips has not maintained a comparably prominent public profile in entertainment coverage.
Most accessible reporting about her focuses on her earlier makeup work, marriage, divorce, and family connections. Later coverage has generally appeared in articles about Lou Diamond Phillips or their daughter Gracie.
Reliable public information is insufficient to provide a detailed account of her current employment, personal relationships, or recent projects.
That limitation matters because a biography should distinguish established professional history from unsupported assumptions about someone’s private life.
Her documented makeup and hairstyling credits, along with contemporary reporting about her family, provide a more accurate account than speculative claims about her current circumstances.
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FAQs
1. Who is Kelly Phillips?
Kelly Phillips is a former model and Hollywood makeup artist who was married to actor Lou Diamond Phillips from 1994 until their divorce in 2007. She has documented makeup and hairstyling credits from the 1990s.
2. Is Kelly Phillips the same person as actress Kelly Preston?
No. Kelly Phillips, whose birth name was Kelly Preston, is a different person from the late actress Kelly Preston, who was married to John Travolta.
3. What movies did Kelly Phillips work on?
Her production credits include The Wharf Rat (1995), Undertow (1996), Intimate Betrayal (1996), and Trouble on the Corner (1997).
4. How many children does Kelly Phillips have?
She has three daughters with Lou Diamond Phillips: twins Grace and Isabella, and their younger sister Lili Jordan.
5. When did Kelly Phillips and Lou Diamond Phillips divorce?
Their separation was reported in early 2005, and they finalized their divorce in July 2007.
Conclusion
Kelly Phillips has a documented place in Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes workforce as a makeup artist and hairstylist in the 1990s. Her marriage to Lou Diamond Phillips brought her name greater public attention, but her production credits establish a professional identity beyond that relationship. The most reliable account of her life rests on those credits, contemporary marriage and divorce reporting, and publicly documented family history rather than speculation about her later private life.
