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