Name
Robert Preston
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1918-06-08
Deathday
1987-03-21 (69 years old)
Place of Birth
Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA
Biography
Robert Preston (June 8, 1918 – March 21, 1987) was an American stage and film actor and singer, best known for his collaboration with composer Meredith Willson and originating the role of Professor Harold Hill in the 1957 musical The Music Man and the 1962 film adaptation; the film earned him his first of two Golden Globe Award nominations. Preston collaborated twice with filmmaker Blake Edwards, first in S.O.B. (1981) and again in Victor/Victoria (1982). For portraying Carroll "Toddy" Todd in the latter, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 55th Academy Awards.
Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a garment worker and a record store clerk. He attended Abraham Lincoln High School, training as a musician and playing several instruments, but quit at age sixteen to study acting at the Pasadena Community Playhouse.
Preston made his Broadway debut in 1940 in the play The Philadelphia Story. He went on to star in a number of successful Broadway musicals, including The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), and I Do! I Do! (1966). He also appeared in a number of films, including The Music Man (1962), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960), and Victor/Victoria (1982).
Preston was a versatile actor who could play a wide range of roles. He was known for his charisma, his singing voice, and his comic timing. He was a two-time Tony Award winner and was nominated for an Academy Award. He was also a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame.
Preston died of cancer in 1987 at the age of 68. He was survived by his wife, Catherine Craig; the couple had no children.
A biography of the actor, @Robert Preston - Forever The Music Man”, was published in 2022.
Known For
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- 1955 The Last Frontier as Col. Frank Marston
- 1977 Semi-Tough as Big Ed Bookman
- 1972 Junior Bonner as Ace Bonner
- 1951 My Outlaw Brother as Joe Walter
- 1984 The Last Starfighter as Centauri
- 1962 How the West Was Won as Roger Morgan
- 1982 Victor/Victoria as Carroll "Toddy" Todd
- 1981 S.O.B. as Dr. Irving Finegarten
- 1962 The Music Man as Harold Hill
- 1947 The Macomber Affair as Francis Macomber
- 1974 Mame as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
- 1949 The Lady Gambles as David Boothe
- 1948 Blood on the Moon as Tate Riling
- 1939 Beau Geste as Digby Geste
- 1951 Cloudburst as John Graham
- 1948 Whispering Smith as Murray Sinclair
- 1950 The Sundowners as James Cloud ('Kid Wichita')
- 1942 Wake Island as Pvt. Joe Doyle
- 1939 Union Pacific as Dick Allen
- 1942 Reap the Wild Wind as Dan Cutler
- 1942 This Gun for Hire as Det. Michael Crane
- 1982 Rehearsal for Murder as Alex Dennison
- 1980 The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg as Stranger
- 1972 Child's Play as Joseph Dobbs
- 1940 North West Mounted Police as Ronnie Logan
- 1941 The Night of January 16th as Steve Van Ruyle
- 1941 New York Town as Paul Bryson, Jr.
- 1938 King of Alcatraz as Robert MacArthur
- 1949 Tulsa as Brad Brady
- 1942 Star Spangled Rhythm as Robert Preston (uncredited)
- 1963 All the Way Home as Jay Follet
- 1963 Island of Love as Steve Blair
- 1951 Best of the Badmen as Matthew Fowler
- 1947 Variety Girl as Robert Preston
- 1960 The Dark at the Top of the Stairs as Rubin Flood
- 1941 The Lady from Cheyenne as Steve Lewis
- 1940 Typhoon as Johnny Potter
- 1941 Parachute Battalion as Donald Morse
- 1986 Outrage! as Dennis Riordan
- 1948 Big City as Rev. Philip Y. Andrews
- 1952 Face to Face as Jack Potter
- 1939 Disbarred as Bradley Kent
- 1940 Moon Over Burma as Chuck Lane
- 1941 Pacific Blackout as Robert Draper
- 2020 Disclosure as Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
- 1938 Illegal Traffic as Charles Bent Martin
- 1985 Night of 100 Stars II as Self
- 1947 Wild Harvest as Jim Davis
- 1983 September Gun as Ben Sunday
- 1985 Finnegan Begin Again as Mike Finnegan
- 1951 When I Grow Up as Father Reed
- 1943 Night Plane from Chungking as Nick Stanton
- 2003 Broadway's Lost Treasures as Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
- 1975 My Father's House as Tom Lindholm Sr.
- 1943 Wings Up as Himself
- 2015 Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do as Self (archive footage)
- 1956 Sentinels in the Air as Narrator (voice)
- 2004 Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade as Self (archive footage)
- 1984 Going Hollywood: The '30s as Self - Host
- 1982 Night of 100 Stars as Self
- 1956 Confession as Self - Host
- 1956 Made in Heaven as Zachary Meredith
- 1962 The Merv Griffin Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1953 General Electric Theater ( 1 episode ) as Jim Tweedy
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Phil Baxter
- 1951 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ( 1 episode )
- 1950 Your Show of Shows ( 2 episodes )
- 1954 Climax! ( 1 episode ) as William Struthers
- 1955 The 20th Century Fox Hour ( 1 episode )
- 1950 Robert Montgomery Presents ( 1 episode ) as Jeff Frazer
- 1979 The Chisholms ( 13 episodes ) as Hadley Chisholm
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Dowey
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Jed Kennedy
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Kelly
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Isaac Eaton
- 1950 Lux Video Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Tom
- 1950 Robert Montgomery Presents ( 1 episode ) as Professor Richard Wanley
- 1950 What's My Line? ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1954 Climax! ( 1 episode ) as Cleve Gordon
- 1954 Climax! ( 1 episode ) as Lt. Hogue
- 1959 The Bell Telephone Hour ( 1 episode ) as Self
- 1950 What's My Line? ( 2 episodes ) as Self
- 1994 The World of Hammer ( 1 episode ) as Self (archive footage)
- 1956 Tony Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Host / Nominee/ Performer
- 1956 Tony Awards ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Host
- 1956 Tony Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Presenter
- 1956 Tony Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Performer
- 1956 Tony Awards ( 1 episode ) as Self - Presenter / Performer
