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

Tony Awards

Robert Montgomery Presents

The Merv Griffin Show

All Movies (62)

Disclosure2020 · as Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do2015 · as Self (archive footage)
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade2004 · as Self (archive footage)
Broadway's Lost Treasures2003 · as Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
Outrage!1986 · as Dennis Riordan
Night of 100 Stars II1985 · as Self
Finnegan Begin Again1985 · as Mike Finnegan
The Last Starfighter1984 · as Centauri
Going Hollywood: The '30s1984 · as Self - Host
September Gun1983 · as Ben Sunday
Rehearsal for Murder1982 · as Alex Dennison
Victor/Victoria1982 · as Carroll "Toddy" Todd
Night of 100 Stars1982 · as Self
S.O.B.1981 · as Dr. Irving Finegarten
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg1980 · as Stranger
Semi-Tough1977 · as Big Ed Bookman
My Father's House1975 · as Tom Lindholm Sr.
Mame1974 · as Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
Child's Play1972 · as Joseph Dobbs
Junior Bonner1972 · as Ace Bonner
All the Way Home1963 · as Jay Follet
Island of Love1963 · as Steve Blair
How the West Was Won1962 · as Roger Morgan
The Music Man1962 · as Harold Hill
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs1960 · as Rubin Flood
Made in Heaven1956 · as Zachary Meredith
Confession1956 · as Self - Host
Sentinels in the Air1956 · as Narrator (voice)
The Last Frontier1955 · as Col. Frank Marston
Face to Face1952 · as Jack Potter
My Outlaw Brother1951 · as Joe Walter
Best of the Badmen1951 · as Matthew Fowler
Cloudburst1951 · as John Graham
When I Grow Up1951 · as Father Reed
The Sundowners1950 · as James Cloud ('Kid Wichita')
The Lady Gambles1949 · as David Boothe
Tulsa1949 · as Brad Brady
Whispering Smith1948 · as Murray Sinclair
Blood on the Moon1948 · as Tate Riling
Big City1948 · as Rev. Philip Y. Andrews
Wild Harvest1947 · as Jim Davis
Variety Girl1947 · as Robert Preston
The Macomber Affair1947 · as Francis Macomber
Night Plane from Chungking1943 · as Nick Stanton
Wings Up1943 · as Himself
Wake Island1942 · as Pvt. Joe Doyle
This Gun for Hire1942 · as Det. Michael Crane
Reap the Wild Wind1942 · as Dan Cutler
Star Spangled Rhythm1942 · as Robert Preston (uncredited)
Pacific Blackout1941 · as Robert Draper
The Night of January 16th1941 · as Steve Van Ruyle
New York Town1941 · as Paul Bryson, Jr.
Parachute Battalion1941 · as Donald Morse
The Lady from Cheyenne1941 · as Steve Lewis
North West Mounted Police1940 · as Ronnie Logan
Moon Over Burma1940 · as Chuck Lane
Typhoon1940 · as Johnny Potter
Beau Geste1939 · as Digby Geste
Union Pacific1939 · as Dick Allen
Disbarred1939 · as Bradley Kent
Illegal Traffic1938 · as Charles Bent Martin
King of Alcatraz1938 · as Robert MacArthur

All TV Shows (26)

The World of Hammer1994 · as Self (archive footage)
The Chisholms1979 · as Hadley Chisholm
The Merv Griffin Show1962 · as Self
The Bell Telephone Hour1959 · as Self
Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Host / Nominee/ Performer
Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Host
Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Presenter
Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Performer
Tony Awards1956 · as Self - Presenter / Performer
The 20th Century Fox Hour1955
Climax!1954 · as William Struthers
Climax!1954 · as Cleve Gordon
Climax!1954 · as Lt. Hogue
General Electric Theater1953 · as Jim Tweedy
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Phil Baxter
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Dowey
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Jed Kennedy
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Kelly
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Isaac Eaton
Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Tom
Your Show of Shows1950
What's My Line?1950 · as Self - Mystery Guest
What's My Line?1950 · as Self
Robert Montgomery Presents1950 · as Jeff Frazer
Robert Montgomery Presents1950 · as Professor Richard Wanley