1918-06-08 Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA
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.
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Disclosure | Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage) | 2020-06-19 |
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Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do | Self (archive footage) | 2015-11-06 |
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Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade | Self (archive footage) | 2004-07-25 |
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Broadway's Lost Treasures | Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man") | 2003-08-10 |
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Outrage! | Dennis Riordan | 1986-01-01 |
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Night of 100 Stars II | Self | 1985-03-10 |
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Finnegan Begin Again | Mike Finnegan | 1985-02-24 |
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Going Hollywood: The '30s | Self - Host | 1984-01-01 |
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The Last Starfighter | Centauri | 1984-07-13 |
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September Gun | Ben Sunday | 1983-10-08 |
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Night of 100 Stars | Self | 1982-03-08 |
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Rehearsal for Murder | Alex Dennison | 1982-05-26 |
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Victor/Victoria | Carroll "Toddy" Todd | 1982-04-25 |
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S.O.B. | Dr. Irving Finegarten | 1981-07-01 |
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The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg | Stranger | 1980-03-17 |
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Semi-Tough | Big Ed Bookman | 1977-11-18 |
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My Father's House | Tom Lindholm Sr. | 1975-01-01 |
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Mame | Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside | 1974-03-07 |
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Junior Bonner | Ace Bonner | 1972-08-02 |
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Child's Play | Joseph Dobbs | 1972-12-12 |
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Island of Love | Steve Blair | 1963-06-12 |
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All the Way Home | Jay Follet | 1963-10-17 |
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How the West Was Won | Roger Morgan | 1962-11-02 |
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The Music Man | Harold Hill | 1962-06-19 |
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The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | Rubin Flood | 1960-09-28 |
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Sentinels in the Air | Narrator (voice) | 1956-02-10 |
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The Last Frontier | Col. Frank Marston | 1955-12-07 |
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Face to Face | Jack Potter | 1952-11-01 |
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Best of the Badmen | Matthew Fowler | 1951-08-09 |
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Cloudburst | John Graham | 1951-07-01 |
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When I Grow Up | Father Reed | 1951-04-19 |
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My Outlaw Brother | Joe Walter | 1951-08-22 |
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The Sundowners | James Cloud ('Kid Wichita') | 1950-02-02 |
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Tulsa | Brad Brady | 1949-04-13 |
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The Lady Gambles | David Boothe | 1949-05-20 |
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Whispering Smith | Murray Sinclair | 1948-12-09 |
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Blood on the Moon | Tate Riling | 1948-11-11 |
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Big City | Rev. Philip Y. Andrews | 1948-03-25 |
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The Macomber Affair | Francis Macomber | 1947-04-20 |
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Wild Harvest | Jim Davis | 1947-09-26 |
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Variety Girl | Robert Preston | 1947-08-29 |
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Wings Up | Himself | 1943-05-27 |
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Night Plane from Chungking | Nick Stanton | 1943-05-31 |
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Star Spangled Rhythm | Robert Preston (uncredited) | 1942-03-05 |
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Wake Island | Pvt. Joe Doyle | 1942-08-11 |
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This Gun for Hire | Det. Michael Crane | 1942-04-24 |
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Reap the Wild Wind | Dan Cutler | 1942-03-26 |
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The Night of January 16th | Steve Van Ruyle | 1941-11-28 |
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New York Town | Paul Bryson, Jr. | 1941-10-31 |
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The Lady from Cheyenne | Steve Lewis | 1941-04-11 |
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Pacific Blackout | Robert Draper | 1941-12-31 |
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Parachute Battalion | Donald Morse | 1941-09-12 |
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Moon Over Burma | Chuck Lane | 1940-07-26 |
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North West Mounted Police | Ronnie Logan | 1940-10-22 |
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Typhoon | Johnny Potter | 1940-05-16 |
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Union Pacific | Dick Allen | 1939-05-05 |
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Disbarred | Bradley Kent | 1939-01-06 |
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Beau Geste | Digby Geste | 1939-07-24 |
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King of Alcatraz | Robert MacArthur | 1938-09-30 |
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Illegal Traffic | Charles Bent Martin | 1938-11-02 |
