Person
Robert Preston
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…
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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
Movies and shows, newest first
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2020
Disclosure
Movie Carole 'Toddy' Todd (archive footage)
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2015
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2004
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2003
Broadway's Lost Treasures
Movie Harold Hill (segment "The Music Man")
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1994
The World of Hammer
TV show Self (archive footage)
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1986
Outrage!
Movie Dennis Riordan
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1985
Night of 100 Stars II
Movie Self
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1985
Finnegan Begin Again
Movie Mike Finnegan
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1984
The Last Starfighter
Movie Centauri
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1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Movie Self - Host
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1983
September Gun
Movie Ben Sunday
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1982
Rehearsal for Murder
Movie Alex Dennison
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1982
Victor/Victoria
Movie Carroll 'Toddy' Todd
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1982
Night of 100 Stars
Movie Self
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1981
S.O.B.
Movie Dr. Irving Finegarten
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1980
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
Movie Stranger
More credits
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1979
The Chisholms
TV show Hadley Chisholm
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1977
Semi-Tough
Movie Big Ed Bookman
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1975
My Father's House
Movie Tom Lindholm Sr.
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1974
Mame
Movie Beauregard
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1972
Child's Play
Movie Joseph Dobbs
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1972
Junior Bonner
Movie Ace Bonner
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1963
All the Way Home
Movie Jay Follet
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1963
Island of Love
Movie Steve Blair
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1962
How the West Was Won
Movie Roger Morgan
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1962
The Merv Griffin Show
TV show Self
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1962
The Music Man
Movie Harold Hill
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1960
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
Movie Rubin Flood
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1959
The Bell Telephone Hour
TV show Self
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1956
Made in Heaven
Movie Zachary Meredith
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1956
Confession
Movie Self - Host
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1956
Tony Awards
TV show Self - Host / Nominee/ Performer
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1956
Sentinels in the Air
Movie Narrator (voice)
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1955
The Last Frontier
Movie Col. Frank Marston
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1955
The 20th Century Fox Hour
TV show
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1954
Climax!
TV show William Struthers
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1953
General Electric Theater
TV show Jim Tweedy
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1952
Face to Face
Movie Jack Potter
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1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV show
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1951
My Outlaw Brother
Movie Joe Walter
