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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0696481
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q451811
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Filmography (Movies)
Disclosure
Character:Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
Release Date:19/06/2020
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:06/11/2015
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:25/07/2004
Broadway's Lost Treasures
Character:Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
Release Date:10/08/2003
Outrage!
Character:Dennis Riordan
Release Date:02/03/1986
Night of 100 Stars II
Character:Self
Release Date:10/03/1985
Finnegan Begin Again
Character:Mike Finnegan
Release Date:24/02/1985
The Last Starfighter
Character:Centauri
Release Date:13/07/1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:01/01/1984
September Gun
Character:Ben Sunday
Release Date:08/10/1983
Rehearsal for Murder
Character:Alex Dennison
Release Date:26/05/1982
Victor/Victoria
Character:Carroll "Toddy" Todd
Release Date:25/04/1982
Night of 100 Stars
Character:Self
Release Date:08/03/1982
S.O.B.
Character:Dr. Irving Finegarten
Release Date:01/07/1981
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Character:Stranger
Release Date:17/03/1980
Semi-Tough
Character:Big Ed Bookman
Release Date:18/11/1977
My Father's House
Character:Tom Lindholm Sr.
Release Date:01/06/1975
Mame
Character:Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside
Release Date:07/03/1974
Child's Play
Character:Joseph Dobbs
Release Date:12/12/1972
Junior Bonner
Character:Ace Bonner
Release Date:21/07/1972
All the Way Home
Character:Jay Follet
Release Date:17/10/1963
Island of Love
Character:Steve Blair
Release Date:12/06/1963
How the West Was Won
Character:Roger Morgan
Release Date:02/11/1962
The Music Man
Character:Harold Hill
Release Date:19/06/1962
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
Character:Rubin Flood
Release Date:28/09/1960
Made in Heaven
Character:Zachary Meredith
Release Date:06/12/1956
Confession
Character:Self - Host
Release Date:29/11/1956
Sentinels in the Air
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:10/02/1956
The Last Frontier
Character:Col. Frank Marston
Release Date:07/12/1955
Face to Face
Character:Jack Potter
Release Date:01/11/1952
My Outlaw Brother
Character:Joe Walter
Release Date:22/08/1951
Best of the Badmen
Character:Matthew Fowler
Release Date:09/08/1951
Cloudburst
Character:John Graham
Release Date:01/07/1951
When I Grow Up
Character:Father Reed
Release Date:19/04/1951
The Sundowners
Character:James Cloud ('Kid Wichita')
Release Date:02/02/1950
The Lady Gambles
Character:David Boothe
Release Date:20/05/1949
Tulsa
Character:Brad Brady
Release Date:13/04/1949
Whispering Smith
Character:Murray Sinclair
Release Date:09/12/1948
Blood on the Moon
Character:Tate Riling
Release Date:11/11/1948
Big City
Character:Rev. Philip Y. Andrews
Release Date:25/03/1948
Wild Harvest
Character:Jim Davis
Release Date:26/09/1947
Variety Girl
Character:Robert Preston
Release Date:29/08/1947
The Macomber Affair
Character:Francis Macomber
Release Date:20/04/1947
Night Plane from Chungking
Character:Nick Stanton
Release Date:31/05/1943
Wings Up
Character:Himself
Release Date:27/05/1943
Wake Island
Character:Pvt. Joe Doyle
Release Date:11/08/1942
This Gun for Hire
Character:Det. Michael Crane
Release Date:24/04/1942
Reap the Wild Wind
Character:Dan Cutler
Release Date:26/03/1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
Character:Robert Preston (uncredited)
Release Date:05/03/1942
Pacific Blackout
Character:Robert Draper
Release Date:31/12/1941
The Night of January 16th
Character:Steve Van Ruyle
Release Date:28/11/1941
New York Town
Character:Paul Bryson, Jr.
Release Date:31/10/1941
Parachute Battalion
Character:Donald Morse
Release Date:12/09/1941
The Lady from Cheyenne
Character:Steve Lewis
Release Date:11/04/1941
North West Mounted Police
Character:Ronnie Logan
Release Date:22/10/1940
Moon Over Burma
Character:Chuck Lane
Release Date:26/07/1940
Typhoon
Character:Johnny Potter
Release Date:16/05/1940
Beau Geste
Character:Digby Geste
Release Date:24/07/1939
Union Pacific
Character:Dick Allen
Release Date:05/05/1939
Disbarred
Character:Bradley Kent
Release Date:06/01/1939
Illegal Traffic
Character:Charles Bent Martin
Release Date:02/11/1938
King of Alcatraz
Character:Robert MacArthur
Release Date:30/09/1938
Television Appearances
The World of Hammer
Character:Self (archive footage)
The Chisholms
Character:Hadley Chisholm
The Merv Griffin Show
Character:Self
The Bell Telephone Hour
Character:Self
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Presenter / Performer
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Host / Nominee/ Performer
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Host
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Presenter
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Performer
Tony Awards
Character:Self - Host / Winner
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Character:
Climax!
Character:William Struthers
Climax!
Character:Cleve Gordon
Climax!
Character:Lt. Hogue
General Electric Theater
Character:Jim Tweedy
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Phil Baxter
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Dowey
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Jed Kennedy
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Kelly
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Isaac Eaton
Lux Video Theatre
Character:Tom
Your Show of Shows
Character:
What's My Line?
Character:Self - Mystery Guest
What's My Line?
Character:Self
Robert Montgomery Presents
Character:Jeff Frazer
Robert Montgomery Presents
Character:Professor Richard Wanley
Images
