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.

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	5.025
Birthday	1918-06-08
Place of Birth	Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA
Also Known As	Robert Preston Meservey,

The Last Frontier

Semi-Tough

Junior Bonner

My Outlaw Brother

The Last Starfighter

How the West Was Won

Victor/Victoria

S.O.B.

The Macomber Affair

The Music Man

Mame

The Lady Gambles

Blood on the Moon

Beau Geste

Cloudburst

Whispering Smith

The Sundowners

Wake Island

Union Pacific

Reap the Wild Wind

This Gun for Hire

Rehearsal for Murder

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

Child's Play

North West Mounted Police

The Night of January 16th

New York Town

King of Alcatraz

Tulsa

Star Spangled Rhythm

All the Way Home

Island of Love

Best of the Badmen

Variety Girl

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs

The Lady from Cheyenne

Typhoon

Parachute Battalion

Outrage!

Big City

Face to Face

Disbarred

Moon Over Burma

Pacific Blackout

Disclosure

Illegal Traffic

Night of 100 Stars II

Wild Harvest

September Gun

Finnegan Begin Again

When I Grow Up

Night Plane from Chungking

Broadway's Lost Treasures

My Father's House

Wings Up

Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do

Sentinels in the Air

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

Going Hollywood: The '30s

Night of 100 Stars