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.
Filmography
Disclosure
as Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
Disclosure
as Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
as Self (archive footage)
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
as Self (archive footage)
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
as Self (archive footage)
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
as Self (archive footage)
Broadway's Lost Treasures
as Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
Broadway's Lost Treasures
as Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
Outrage!
as Dennis Riordan
Outrage!
as Dennis Riordan
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
Night of 100 Stars II
as Self
Finnegan Begin Again
as Mike Finnegan
Finnegan Begin Again
as Mike Finnegan
The Last Starfighter
as Centauri
The Last Starfighter
as Centauri
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as Self - Host
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as Self - Host
September Gun
as Ben Sunday
September Gun
as Ben Sunday
Rehearsal for Murder
as Alex Dennison
Rehearsal for Murder
as Alex Dennison
Victor/Victoria
as Carroll 'Toddy' Todd
Victor/Victoria
as Carroll 'Toddy' Todd
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
S.O.B.
as Dr. Irving Finegarten
S.O.B.
as Dr. Irving Finegarten
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
as Stranger
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
as Stranger
Semi-Tough
as Big Ed Bookman
Semi-Tough
as Big Ed Bookman
My Father's House
as Tom Lindholm Sr.
My Father's House
as Tom Lindholm Sr.
Mame
as Beauregard
Mame
as Beauregard
Child's Play
as Joseph Dobbs
Child's Play
as Joseph Dobbs
Junior Bonner
as Ace Bonner
Junior Bonner
as Ace Bonner
All the Way Home
as Jay Follet
All the Way Home
as Jay Follet
How the West Was Won
as Roger Morgan
How the West Was Won
as Roger Morgan
The Music Man
as Harold Hill
The Music Man
as Harold Hill
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
as Rubin Flood
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
as Rubin Flood
Made in Heaven
as Zachary Meredith
Made in Heaven
as Zachary Meredith
Confession
as Self - Host
Confession
as Self - Host
Sentinels in the Air
as Narrator (voice)
Sentinels in the Air
as Narrator (voice)
The Last Frontier
as Col. Frank Marston
The Last Frontier
as Col. Frank Marston
Face to Face
as Jack Potter
Face to Face
as Jack Potter
My Outlaw Brother
as Joe Walter
My Outlaw Brother
as Joe Walter
Best of the Badmen
as Matthew Fowler
Best of the Badmen
as Matthew Fowler
Cloudburst
as John Graham
Cloudburst
as John Graham
When I Grow Up
as Father Reed
When I Grow Up
as Father Reed
The Sundowners
as James Cloud ('Kid Wichita')
The Sundowners
as James Cloud ('Kid Wichita')
The Lady Gambles
as David Boothe
The Lady Gambles
as David Boothe
Tulsa
as Brad Brady
Tulsa
as Brad Brady
Whispering Smith
as Murray Sinclair
Whispering Smith
as Murray Sinclair
Blood on the Moon
as Tate Riling
Blood on the Moon
as Tate Riling
Variety Girl
as Robert Preston
Variety Girl
as Robert Preston
The Macomber Affair
as Francis Macomber
The Macomber Affair
as Francis Macomber
Wake Island
as Pvt. Joe Doyle
Wake Island
as Pvt. Joe Doyle
This Gun for Hire
as Det. Michael Crane
This Gun for Hire
as Det. Michael Crane
Reap the Wild Wind
as Dan Cutler
Reap the Wild Wind
as Dan Cutler
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Robert Preston (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Robert Preston (uncredited)
Pacific Blackout
as Robert Draper
Pacific Blackout
as Robert Draper
The Night of January 16th
as Steve Van Ruyle
The Night of January 16th
as Steve Van Ruyle
New York Town
as Paul Bryson, Jr.
New York Town
as Paul Bryson, Jr.
Parachute Battalion
as Donald Morse
Parachute Battalion
as Donald Morse
The Lady from Cheyenne
as Steve Lewis
The Lady from Cheyenne
as Steve Lewis
North West Mounted Police
as Ronnie Logan
North West Mounted Police
as Ronnie Logan
Union Pacific
as Dick Allen
Union Pacific
as Dick Allen
Disbarred
as Bradley Kent
Disbarred
as Bradley Kent
King of Alcatraz
as Robert MacArthur
King of Alcatraz
as Robert MacArthur