Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
June 8, 1918
Place of Birth:
Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA
Social Media
Robert Preston
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
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Disclosure | Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage) |
| 2015 | Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do | Self (archive footage) |
| 2004 | Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade | Self (archive footage) |
| 2003 | Broadway's Lost Treasures | Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man") |
| 1986 | Outrage! | Dennis Riordan |
| 1985 | Night of 100 Stars II | Self |
| 1985 | Finnegan Begin Again | Mike Finnegan |
| 1984 | The Last Starfighter | Centauri |
| 1984 | Going Hollywood: The '30s | Self - Host |
| 1983 | September Gun | Ben Sunday |
| 1982 | Victor/Victoria | Carroll "Toddy" Todd |
| 1982 | Rehearsal for Murder | Alex Dennison |
| 1982 | Night of 100 Stars | Self |
| 1981 | S.O.B. | Dr. Irving Finegarten |
| 1980 | The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg | Stranger |
| 1977 | Semi-Tough | Big Ed Bookman |
| 1975 | My Father's House | Tom Lindholm Sr. |
| 1974 | Mame | Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside |
| 1972 | Junior Bonner | Ace Bonner |
| 1972 | Child's Play | Joseph Dobbs |
| 1963 | All the Way Home | Jay Follet |
| 1963 | Island of Love | Steve Blair |
| 1962 | How the West Was Won | Roger Morgan |
| 1962 | The Music Man | Harold Hill |
| 1960 | The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | Rubin Flood |
| 1956 | Sentinels in the Air | Narrator (voice) |
| 1955 | The Last Frontier | Col. Frank Marston |
| 1952 | Face to Face | Jack Potter |
| 1951 | My Outlaw Brother | Joe Walter |
| 1951 | Cloudburst | John Graham |
| 1951 | Best of the Badmen | Matthew Fowler |
| 1951 | When I Grow Up | Father Reed |
| 1950 | The Sundowners | James Cloud ('Kid Wichita') |
| 1949 | The Lady Gambles | David Boothe |
| 1949 | Tulsa | Brad Brady |
| 1948 | Blood on the Moon | Tate Riling |
| 1948 | Whispering Smith | Murray Sinclair |
| 1948 | Big City | Rev. Philip Y. Andrews |
| 1947 | The Macomber Affair | Francis Macomber |
| 1947 | Variety Girl | Robert Preston |
| 1947 | Wild Harvest | Jim Davis |
| 1943 | Night Plane from Chungking | Nick Stanton |
| 1943 | Wings Up | Himself |
| 1942 | Wake Island | Pvt. Joe Doyle |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Dan Cutler |
| 1942 | This Gun for Hire | Det. Michael Crane |
| 1942 | Star Spangled Rhythm | Robert Preston (uncredited) |
| 1941 | The Night of January 16th | Steve Van Ruyle |
| 1941 | New York Town | Paul Bryson, Jr. |
| 1941 | The Lady from Cheyenne | Steve Lewis |
| 1941 | Parachute Battalion | Donald Morse |
| 1941 | Pacific Blackout | Robert Draper |
| 1940 | North West Mounted Police | Ronnie Logan |
| 1940 | Typhoon | Johnny Potter |
| 1940 | Moon Over Burma | Chuck Lane |
| 1939 | Beau Geste | Digby Geste |
| 1939 | Union Pacific | Dick Allen |
| 1939 | Disbarred | Bradley Kent |
| 1938 | King of Alcatraz | Robert MacArthur |
| 1938 | Illegal Traffic | Charles Bent Martin |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Chisholms | Hadley Chisholm |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Show | Self |
| 1959 | The Bell Telephone Hour | Self |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Presenter / Performer |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Host / Nominee/ Performer |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Host |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Presenter |
| 1956 | Tony Awards | Self - Performer |
| 1955 | The 20th Century Fox Hour | |
| 1954 | Climax! | William Struthers |
| 1954 | Climax! | Cleve Gordon |
| 1954 | Climax! | Lt. Hogue |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater | Jim Tweedy |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Phil Baxter |
| 1950 | Your Show of Shows | |
| 1950 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Jeff Frazer |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Dowey |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Jed Kennedy |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Kelly |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Isaac Eaton |
| 1950 | Lux Video Theatre | Tom |
| 1950 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Professor Richard Wanley |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Mystery Guest |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Panelist |