1918-06-08 ( 106 years old ) in 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.
Movies
Disclosure
2020-06-19
Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
2015-11-06
Broadway's Lost Treasures
2003-08-10
Outrage!
1986-01-01
Night of 100 Stars II
1985-03-10
Finnegan Begin Again
1985-02-24
The Last Starfighter
1984-07-13
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984-01-01
September Gun
1983-10-08
Rehearsal for Murder
1982-05-26
Victor/Victoria
1982-04-25
Night of 100 Stars
1982-03-08
S.O.B.
1981-07-01
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg
1980-03-17
Semi-Tough
1977-11-18
My Father's House
1975-06-01
Mame
1974-03-07
Child's Play
1972-12-12
Junior Bonner
1972-08-02
All the Way Home
1963-10-17
Island of Love
1963-06-12
How the West Was Won
1962-11-02
The Music Man
1962-06-19
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
1960-09-28
Sentinels in the Air
1956-02-10
The Last Frontier
1955-12-07
Face to Face
1952-11-01
My Outlaw Brother
1951-08-22
Best of the Badmen
1951-08-09
Cloudburst
1951-07-01
When I Grow Up
1951-04-19
The Sundowners
1950-02-02
The Lady Gambles
1949-05-20
Tulsa
1949-04-13
Whispering Smith
1948-12-09
Blood on the Moon
1948-11-11
Big City
1948-03-25
Wild Harvest
1947-09-26
Variety Girl
1947-08-29
The Macomber Affair
1947-04-20
Night Plane from Chungking
1943-05-31
Wings Up
1943-05-27
Wake Island
1942-08-11
This Gun for Hire
1942-04-24
Reap the Wild Wind
1942-03-26
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942-03-05
Pacific Blackout
1941-12-31
The Night of January 16th
1941-11-28
New York Town
1941-10-31
Parachute Battalion
1941-09-12
The Lady from Cheyenne
1941-04-11
North West Mounted Police
1940-10-22
Moon Over Burma
1940-07-26
Typhoon
1940-05-16
Beau Geste
1939-07-24
Union Pacific
1939-05-05
Disbarred
1939-01-06
Illegal Traffic
1938-11-02
King of Alcatraz
1938-09-30
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