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